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All throughout the 2001 season fans have been paying tribute to their fallen hero in many ways. One popular method was to sign the souvenir trailers at the race tracks. Here are some pictures of the trailers as they appeared at Atlanta Motor Speedway in November, 2001.

Dale's trailers were still among the most popular at the track, out-numbering and out-selling many current, successful drivers. The reach that this man had cannot be over-estimated.

Dale Earnhardt 

Those who know me, know that I was never a fan of Dale Earnhardt, but like so many of the drivers in this sport he was never the less a good person and a good role model. Forget his on track accomplishments and his vast wealth. He epitomized loyalty and dedication and was reportedly a generous and caring friend. He never forgot who he was or where he came from. We should all be so successful. 

Dale Earnhardt was quite possibly the greatest talent ever to take the wheel of a race car. While his on track style upset many people, myself included, no-one can deny that the man could do things with a car that no-one else would dare try. One needed only to listen to his competitors, before he died, to realize that this is true. 

Dale Earnhardt's loss will be felt forever.

Michael Waltrip's crowning moment is destroyed by tragedy
Daytona 500 2001

How can any of us put into words how we feel with the loss of Dale Earnhardt? Dale Earnhardt was simply the best - EVER. Whether or not you considered yourself a fan, if you have followed this sport and listened to the drivers themselves the evidence is irrefutable. He could do things with a car that no-one else could. On top of that, this working class guy from Kannapolis North Carolina had the vision and the marketing savvy to create a dynasty out of nothing more than his talent, his smile and a black car. Long before any other drivers saw the potential, Dale Earnhardt had trademarked his name and signature and had a veritable army of vendors selling his image and likeness all over America. He has built incredible wealth and was known to be generous with it. He has built one of the finest teams in all of NASCAR while maintaining his own status as one of the sports true superstars who had a chance to win EVERY week. 

Everyone had an opinion of Dale Earnhardt, and whether or not you liked his on track persona you had to respect what he had built and what he was doing for others.

My heart absolutely breaks for Michael Waltrip.  No one has tried harder or longer than Michael to win a Winston Cup race. He knew going into the Daytona 500 that this was the best chance he had ever been given and he knew that he could do it. While millions of people had written him off, Michael never gave up. Michael never quit believing in himself and neither did Dale Earnhardt. I cried with joy as he came down the front straight for the checkered flag and I was still crying as Michael told the crowd in victory lane that if you keep believing in yourself things will work out. He could not know then that his friend and owner, the man most responsible for this amazing turn around lay dead in his car some 500 yards away.

Many times over the years Dale Earnhardt publicly stated that the only reason Michael had not won was the equipment he was driving. Many times Dale Earnhardt said that Michael was a great driver. When the opportunity presented itself and the two friends joined forces in a third DEI team it was official. Michael would win, it was only a matter of time.  

Dale's fatal accident is not only an unspeakable tragedy but it is a brutal irony, all the more painful and cruel as it was obvious to any educated fan that Dale sealed Michael's win with a masterful display of blocking.  top

Michael will never get to thank Dale, and that is going to tear at him forever.

The ultimate irony in all of this for me though is that throughout the entire running of the 2001 Daytona 500 you could plainly see Dale's influence on his sport and his mastery of this track. For much of the race Dale, his RCR team mate Mike Skinner, Steve Park, Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip seemed to move in and out of the top 10 with ease. Then, with 25 laps to go they were all running in a pack and moving to the front together. I had commented on it to my friends at the time how incredible it must feel for Dale to know he was instrumental in all of that. His knowledge and success had spawned a veritable dynasty and this race was a showcase of it. 

I believe I share this thought with many, including Michael. The realization of his lifelong dreams, the culmination of all of his efforts to improve as a racer and the single greatest achievement of his professional life so far doesn't mean a damn thing. And that hurts me more than you could ever know.

A call for change (Feb 21, 2001)

Four men have died in the last 9 months while performing for our enjoyment. That does not make me feel very good, in fact I am wavering between abject sadness and total shame. I fervently wish that someone would do something to change this and make sure it never happens again and I am sick and damned tired of the people with the power and the money to do something about it sitting on their hands and doing nothing. 

There is one group who can force this issue and that is the drivers. I had a dream last night. It was the start of the AC Delco 400 at Rockingham and when the pace car peeled off the track and the cars came thundering out of turn four for the green flag they all just stopped. The drivers got out of their cars, Rusty, Mark and Bobby climbed the flagstand, spoke briefly with the starter and went immediately upstairs to the control tower to demande change. The fans, rather than being upset went wild. They cried and cheered and waved their Dale Earnhardt hats and flags and shirts. They sensed that finally their drivers had found the courage to just say no to the damn money and that they finally could be proud again of being race fans.

As the "show must go on" you can imagine that the deliberations were brief and to the point. Agreement was reached that all tracks must be lined with foam blocks until a better alternative presents itself, all drivers must wear a HANS or similar head restraint devices, all tracks longer than 1 mile in length must have the banking knocked down to 15 degree's or less and every track should be inspected to ensure it would be impossible to encounter any surface perpendicular to traffic. The race started a little late, by the end no-one really remembered the delay.

If I remember correctly this whole REM thing when we dream takes about 20 seconds. Imagine if someone spent a whole 20 minutes on the issue and everyone present knew the drivers were serious......

Dale Earnhardt Connection

NASCAR's Tribute

Richard Childress Racing