Dale Earnhardt, one of the best and most popular racers in history, has died, today, after a fatal accident in the Nascar 500.Ironically, Earnhardt's son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., placed 2nd in the race, while one of Earnhardt senior's cars (meaning it belonged to his company) placed first. Earnhardt will be greatly missed. Though this has nothing to do with the art community, I feel that it is worth posting only because Dale Earnhardt is the classic American hero. He has strived, in life, for everything he dreamed of and has done his best to give a good life to his family. He's always been a nice person, and I feel that his passing is a great loss to society and the world. My sympathies and prayers go out to his family in this time of pain. For a larger story about this tragedy, go to http://sportsline.netscape.com/ns/racing/auto/nascar/

oh shit.

::xulu::

Yea, this was pretty sad when I learned off of CNN that he had died. My friend and I were talking about the outcome of the race and were watching it, and saw it as it happened. Neither of us nor the announcers knew how violent that hit was, now we know. Such a shame.

I've heard many rumors about what caused the accident, and one was that given his previous record of "spinning" out of control to preserve positioning for him or someone on his team. Anyways, it's a sad event none-the-less, considering his son was there.

Vince Brown (Attila)

It's not the Nascar 500, it's the Daytona 500. Unfortunately, the accident happened on the last turn of the last lap. Dale Earnhardt was and will always be my favorite racer. Being born and bred with racing in my blood, Dale has been my favorite racer ever since I can remember. My father turned me on to NASCAR and on to Dale Earnhardt. He is the best racer to ever sit inside a racecar. He did things with a car that no one else ever could. Every NASCAR fan knows who he is. He was loved or hated; there was no in between. That's because he did whatever was necessary to win. Even those who hated him will miss him because he was the greatest racer and was exciting to watch. I'm gonna miss you Dale. Rest in Peace!

Damn...that is sad. He was a truly great man, as you said liquisoft. Society will miss him...


|- syph0n -|

The Dale Earnhardt Incorporated Team won the Daytona 500, with Michael Waltrip celebrating his first career win at the "greatest race in the world," snapping a 0-462 record.

Waltrip owed this victory in a great, great part to the work of Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Sr, who held second and third place, respectively, for the last 5-10 laps of the race.

A combination of drafting by Dale Earnhardt Jr, (a technique in which a trailing car approaches the bumper of a leading car, reducing drag and increasing speed for both cars) and skillful blocking of a threatening Sterling Marlin by Dale Earnhardt Sr secured the win for Waltrip.

It was in this fierce battle at the third place position that Marlin used first a standard technique to disrupt the airflow over Earnhardts car, making the it "loose" or unstable, and then inadvertently bumped the racer, sending Earnhardt's black 3 car hurtling across the track and into the wall at full speed, approximately 180 mph. Earnhardt was almost instantly afterwards broadsided by Ken Shrader, who could do nothing to avoid the impending impact.

Dale Earnhardt died instantly of head injuries.

That's what happened, as I watched it, during the race today. People unfamiliar with him should know that he was an aggressive driver, and was accostumed to the risks of racing, and that the technique used by Marlin, if it in fact lead to the crash, was a standard tactic that Earnhardt himself had used earlier in the race.

It's a damn shame. The guy was a legend.

tack
http://www.emulsion.f2s.com

What are you talking about attila? He never "spun" out of control on purpose. He may have nudged his opponents to get them out of his way, but he never crashed on purpose. That's an outrageuos statement. You should have never said that especially because it is a rumor. Earnhardt raced ot the finish and never gave up no matter what position he was in. Every position counts in the long run.

dale was a great man i feel for him greatly, could u imagine not being able to goodbye to your wife and kids, or ur mom and dad. sounds corney but still, im sad

-fRiEd

http://www.fRiEdfume.net

I was watching as it happened, if you watch the replay Shrader did not broadside him. Shrader was sliding with Dale as he went to the wall, once Dale made contact with Shraders car the two just kept sliding until Dale's car slammed head on into the wall....

Regardless it is a very sad day for sure...

~KrasH

the fact is he got pummled with a ton of force from that car, but it was most likely the impact with the wall

tack
http://www.emulsion.f2s.com

Damn, this sucks. I heard about the wreck when I was getting ready for work today but i didn't know it was so serious. Earnhardt was a bad ass, great driver and I like to believe he went out just the way he would have wanted to, in the biggest race of the year helping his team mates to win.

may he rest in peace...

--[ jark ]--

hey....acutally, I watched the daytona 500 hundard today and I saw the crash....and you know what really shocked me!! the guy in the really big accident walked away from his crash and said that those kind of things happen!!

well, all I can say is congrats to his son on getting second and may herest in peace.....

be happy.
aru

You're all right, it was the Daytona 500. My mistake. Also, I just recently was informed that he hit that wall at 180mph. Pretty damn fast. He apparently died of head and chest injuries and was dead on impact. Basically, when they cut the car open and got him out, he was already dead. The paramedics merely have an obligation to attempt to revive him. If he's not responsive within 45 minutes to an hour, he's officially pronounced dead.

What keeps freaking me out is all the ads I see him in. Even DURING the race, right after the crash, there was an Oreo commercial with him in it. Bad choice of commercials to play. Also, I went to Ralph's (the grocery store) tonight and saw tons of Dale Earnhardt promotions for Oreo and Doritos, or something like that. They even had inflated models of the car he was driving in when he lost control of his car and collided into the wall.

What also gets me is how the driver that he collided with (in the yellow car) didn't even seem to care about Dale. His comment, when asked about Dale's condition, was "How should I know. I'm not a doctor." Of course, I'm paraphrasing, but you all get the jist. What an inconsiderate prick. One of racing's legends is in the hospital and all he can say is that hes "not a doctor".

-Liquisoft

Sad...all I have to say.

Okay, it's sad that someone has died, but can you tell me what the hell this has got to do with digital music?

yeah of course this sucks... but i mean...you must be a huge motorhead to post this on dmusic.

ok this might be a big tragic but still, not worthy to be a top article at dm, i'd go to cnn to read this...

toby: is it absolutely necessary that any, and all, news that is listed here have something to do with digital music? on top of that, be aware that DMusic is a _network_ of sites, which means that there is a possibility that news from, say, Deviant Art (which is NOT a music site by any stretch of the imagination) might show up.

anyhow...is there any harm is passing along our condolences and respect to someone like Dale?

if you people do not like the news then go elsewhere. paying respect to someone famous a bad thing. what did the election have to do with digital music? nothing...yet we still reported on it here and there. get a grip people...life doesnt revolve around digital music. there are other things to report.

good god...i can understand some of the bitching you people do, but alot of it i sure as hell will never understand.

so sad,for his family and the racing community as a whole."The Intimidator" was a racing icon and a wonderful human being as well...i remember him doing a charity event in sarasota a couple years back and as fierce as he was on the track,he was that kind and generous off the track.he will be sorely missed by many.

and to those who don't want to read news not having to do with music here-then don't-noone twisted your fucking arm now did they?obviously it was a subject that interested you at least a little or you wouldn't have read it in the first place....yeesh...

Poor Dale. I was watching the race on FOX Sports when it happened. In the final turn of the last lap too... It's so sad. Fox had the internal camera on screen when he crashed. It saddens me just to think of it. But at least the Earnhardt name lives on in his son; though with his current profession how long will that last? I have this final thing to say of the recently departed: You either loved him or you hated him; but you had to respect him.

I saw both crashes (the big one and the one with Earnhardt). The first wreck just looked worse.

The whole reason people made it out of the first crash was the way they impact and the disapation of force. when the cars go airborne, spins, or if multiple cars pile up they disapate the force into the car frames or the peices flying off the cars, but impacting the wall the way Earnhardt did is something akin to a bullet, where all the force is in one spot and is absorbed by the car and the driver.

all I can say is "ouch". I've never been a fan of racing, and even I knew about Earnhardt he seemed cool and will be missed.

Awful, my friends and I watched in horror. After it happened I looked around the room to see a bunch of choked up men with disbelief written on their faces. Dale was in my hometown of Oshawa about a month ago. The racing community will miss him.

RIP Mr. Earnhardt

i dont have a problem with having news that doesn't have anything to do with art, because it could be important to people regardless of it's topic. What i do have a problem with is how after someone dies, they say "oh he was so great, he was an american hero, he was bigger than jesus, blah blah blah." Ok, so he was important to you, but just because he died doesn't make him more than he was.

how was he a hero?

I said he was a hero because he was a great role model to young men and women alike. He actually stood for something. He's a legend and he WAS VERY GREAT. Every news program has mentioned that he was THE most aggresive and talented driver in racing history. It's not like I just made up some comments to sound nice, or something.

-Liquisoft

Sad. Very sad.

…and right on, jark.

i agree w/ you about that one crash. No one was hardly hurt..its amazing..

_may he rest in peace_

I am not a huge Nascar fan, but i knew who dale earnhardt was and His sun. I knew a few other racers to. I was extremely saddened By this tragic event. I feel So bad for his family and friends. I will never be able to imagine how they feel.
Also, So what if this is not a Art topic, but to others this is Just as important as art. I am Happy that deviantart Places things such as news events on its Page. As someone In this messageboard said earlier, NO one twisted your arm. It was rude of you to post what you did!
Anyways, My prayers go out to the earnhardt family and those who are mourning over his loss.




~*~Never Stop Dreaming

Hey Liquisoft.....That Oreo commercial you talked about? I have a "Mini Oreo...Bite Size" Bag on my desk right now with Earnhardt Stuff all over it!!!

I am a big Sports fan (Mostly Football) but I love all sports....as I sit here now, and most days, ESPNews is usually go on in the background (or Sportscenter). I have been an on and off again fan of NASCAR......and Earnhardt was always my favorite!! The more I had learned about him the more I liked him.

The wierd things about yesterday is Dale ALWAYS was about winning....and yesterday he essentially ran interference for two of his cars he owned. This was not typical Dale (on the track) but very typical Dale off the track. Another thing to take into consideration about the crash is that Dale was 2 months away from 50!!! 50 people!!! I know most of us here are fairly young and don't understand just how fragile our bodies are, and how much more fragile they get over time. We are talking about a man who has taken more damaging licks than most football players ever do, and how many of them play 20 years??? He also has had a neck surgery (This I was told, I was not aware of this) and that has got to have played a factor in his death.

ESPN has stated that his "official" cause of death was from injury to his head, and in the area of the lower back skull/brain stem area. I have seen Dale take a few or more crashes like Tony Stewart took on Sunday......and those probobly played a factor in his death too! I think the only other way Dale would have wanted to pass on (If He Had a Choice, and yes this is my opinion) would have been with his family close, though they were almost all there.

I will miss the "intimidator" and the "man in black", but more so I will miss the greatest racing legend of my time, and possibly all time, and I also will feel sorrow for the loss of what I feel to be a great man!

Goodbye Dale......Save me a ticket for the big 500 in the sky!!! God Bless!!

Guy Stewart II
~a.k.a.- Stuman

I watched Nascar yesterday and saw the accident. I was shocked when I found out that he had died. Dale was an all American hero. I just hope that his Dale Jr. will carry on his father's legacy.

~Angel

speaking of bitching and whining...

What do asinine comments have to do with digital music.

Like I've said before, I find the tragedy of a major talent's death as incredibly sad.

But let's face facts, the guy wasn't wearin' upper body protection or headgear of any sort. He never wore any and he was one of the most aggresive drivers in history. So, while it's still saddening, it's hardly surprising.

His company licensed no. 3 for this racing season. I wonder if his son will take his number ¿?

The title was plenty clear. You knew what you were reading and in only cost a bout 100 bytes worth of text or .02 of a second to load up on the main DMusic page so please give us a break you just came here to stomp on his grave so please leave.

Also from what I have read those "soft walls" typically absorb 95% of impact, which some say could have saved his life. I don't know enough about them so I can’t say but, at only a mil or so per race track (Daytona brings in ka zillions each race) and the great potential to save lives, Why haven’t they done it yet. Ackkk this annoys me to.

Floormat

I was never a racing fan, but I will miss him. He really was a good person.

i got a piece of spam e-mail today saying, "Racing Fans Celebrate!"

...talk about bad timing.

I was an avid fan of NASCAR, and after the race was over I saw the wreck and thought "Oh well he's fine" and then hours later I'm watching TV and all I see is, Dale Earnhardt died today in a last lap crash. My heart froze, he was the only reason I ever watched the races in the first place. I wish his family the best of luck, and that all on the DeviantArt network remember him...

Also, zig0 is an ingrate for his comment earlier.

I've been watching this on TV the last few days thinking mann this suck and then today i walk into Meijer's (super walmart super Kmart type store) and I just felt empty. In a grocery store ¿?Yeah in a grocery store. I don't know why I just didn t want to be there. Looking at the coke display just wasn't the same. Then looking at the Pepsi display only made me want to retch. SPeaking of Gordon whats his position on this. He hasn't said jack that I have seen and I have watched a lot. He claimns he's a christian but I don't see him telling anyone about when he whitnessed to Earnhardt and made sure he was saved and Michael Waltrip knows some bible cause he said to absent from the body is to be present with the lord but he neglecticed to mention salvation either. With the fine man he was I can only hope well see him on the other side.

not every "Fine Man" is a christian, other religions do exist.


::www.deadenddesigns.com::

Not to be insensitive, but what relevance is this on a music site?

for the gazillionth time...this article has nothing to do with music and was written to express someone's feelings. is it really that bad that a music site gets off-tracked every once in a while?

[doobybrain]

It's sad when anyone dies. And it's okay to go of track sometimes, even on a music site. But he was really only big in America, and guess what - there's a whole world out here, many, if not most, don't know anyone who drives in Nascar - even these "supposedly" world famous drivers. Maybe in the enclosed world many Americans tend to live in. If a "real" world issue makes it's way into dmusic news, fine...then everyone can have a say about their opinions, but when it's such a localized issue - how can that promote intellectual discussion (and sometimes not intellectual...hehe)in the world music community?...It doesn't.....it simply detracts from otherwise a great source of Music information.

...how many other famous people died that same day, and received no mention - simply because it wasn't in America???

Was the "American presidency" a "world issue" monkey boy ¿?

Some say yes some say no.

Nothing against people outside of America just this site was started by someone in America and is run by mostly American's so naturally it will have a bit of American flavor to it.

Either way does it really matter to you ¿? Dale Earnhardt, Death of a racing Legend. The title says it all. This wasn't a subject to debate on this wasn't a subject to criticize. This was a subject to inform those who had not heard and to enlighten those who wished to be enlightened. If your not interested just don’t click next time and save you criticisms for somewhere else.

American presidency is a world issue, as were the recent elections in Israel, as is the demise of the Russian Federation....because we are all affected in one way or another by it...it affects world relations and balance of power.

It's the choice of the creators of the site where their focus is, I was under the impression it was on music, which is a world issue. The occasional side issue add's some variation to the site, admittedly, but if that side issue focuses on a minority of visitors to the site, then the overall appeal of the site is lessened. If the side issue appealed to a majority of people visiting the site, then the appeal of the site would be enhanced. Just a little bit of web psycology.....hehe........not that i'm telling anyone how to run their site......just my opinion...

Finally, this site thrives on the input of those people who visit it, and the comments and input they have.....that's what a DISCUSSION is about....comments and counter comments.....some will be critical, others will be in agreement....criticism isn't a bad thing....as long as it's reasoned and thought out...that's how we learn from each other, and the makers of the site learn from the opinions of others....they can agree or disagree....but at least they listen. Criticism can be more useful than praise.

"This was a subject to inform those who had not heard and to enlighten those who wished to be enlightened."

That could apply to millions of stories around the world, but that's why you have news sites...People genuinely interested read those news sites. Just as to find out music news, we come to Dmusic.

just curious...how many people live in the daytona/central florida area?

i remeber in '98 when he was going to retire if he didnt win. me friend kevin and i watched as he drew circles in the daytona 500 grass. before the race we went down and actually met him and his pit crew. such a great guy. he always will be. its a shame how the good people always die, and the evil/hatefilled people keep tormenting.

R.I.P Dale, you will be remembered forever.

what you call a prick, was a concerned driver who did not want to say something that was not true, or worry a family more than they already were! he said it was bad, he was not a doctor and not sure how serious! i'm not a earnhart fan,sr. or jr. he was a good driver, but he did not build the sport singlehandedly.he will be missed, but so is adam petty, and bobby allison.he died the way he lived, i think he wanted that to be the way.

I think this is halarious, at least the people bitchin about this being on a music site, not the tradgedy....you hopefully read my 14 page post on that earlier.

The funny thing is that these people come on here and complain about this being posted on a music site. I find this interesting cuz I posted this on an Art Community website. The difference is that I know that the news boards are tied together.

So basically quit yer bitchin, people have read this, and commented on this, and like someone said earlier......It was a NO-BRAINER by the headline that this news thread was going to be about Dale Earnhardt......if you don't care about it, then don't click to get to this news thread from the main news page!

I miss watching this guy ever since I was little I was a big fan of #3 .... now he is in a better place looking down at us... what he did in the racing business is untouchable from any other driver, he pushed the limits and in this race you could tell he wanted his son to win so he held back all the other racers to let him pass, and from this something heroically terrible happened... we will all miss him.

Nick Pellegrino (Cype)
DMusic Staff