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Earnhardt Roundup Hall says 'Intimidator' must wait five years for induction
Updated: Wednesday February 21, 2001 10:50 PM
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) -- Dale Earnhardt must wait five years for consideration by the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, like every other driver. "He'll be eligible for induction in 2006, and he'll obviously get in on the first ballot," Hall of Fame executive director Jim Freeman said Tuesday. "But our feeling was that to waive the five-year rule would, in a sense, downgrade all the other people we made wait five years. It's not something we wanted to do." The Hall of Fame is near Talladega, Ala., and honors drivers from all sides of racing, not just the stock car circuits. More than 80 drivers have been inducted into the Hall, which holds a ceremony each year to add new honorees. Freeman received numerous calls asking that Earnhardt be enshrined immediately, given his stature as one of the top drivers in NASCAR history. The Hall of Fame board met Monday to discuss the issue, and decided not to stray from its original guidelines. Other sports have set aside Hall of Fame waiting periods occasionally, including for Roberto Clemente and Lou Gehrig in baseball and for Wayne Gretzky in hockey. "The position we take is that Davey Allison waited five years, Ayrton Senna waited five years and Alan Kulwicki is still waiting," Freeman said, referring to three late star drivers. "We thought waiting until 2006 was appropriate." The Motorsports Hall of Fame was among several places holding ceremonies to honor Earnhardt on Tuesday.
Ticket sales steady for Rockingham racesROCKINGHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Ticket sales have remained steady for this weekend's NASCAR races at North Carolina Speedway following the death of driver Dale Earnhardt. "There hasn't been a noticeable shift one way or the other," said Chris Browning, speedway general manager. Browning said because of the uncertain February weather, many fans wait until the last few days to buy tickets for Saturday's Alltel 200 on the Busch circuit and Sunday's Kmart/Dura Lube 400. A tribute to Earnhardt is being planned for the race weekend, Browning said. Earnhardt fans, who have left flowers and mementos at the driver's shop and signed guest books at funeral homes around the country, also have left flowers and pictures outside the Richmond County track. "We have a large rock in front of the office with the names of previous race winners engraved on it," Browning said. "A lot of people have left different things there, wreaths and photos, to pay their respects." While ticket sales are stable, several motel operators in Rockingham said they have had cancelations from Earnhardt fans too upset to attend a race since the driver was killed in a crash last weekend at the Daytona 500.
Earnhardt faithful honor hero at TalladegaTALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) -- Jimmy Mitchell got a tattoo with a big No. 3 on his left bicep Monday night in honor of his favorite NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt. On Tuesday, he was one of about 4,000 Earnhardt faithful attending a memorial for the seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion killed Sunday during the final lap of the Daytona 500. "He was loved or he was hated but he was respected," said Mitchell. "When you put him on a pedestal you think he's invincible." The event was held at the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame, located next to Talladega Superspeedway. Earnhardt won 10 Winston Cup victories at the speedway -- more than any other driver. There were 1,700 chairs set up for the memorial in the museum's auditorium. About 4,000 people showed up, many donning shirts and caps with "Winston Cup" or Earnhardt's No. 3. Father Richard Donahoe of Sacred Heart Church in Anniston, who knew Earnhardt, read from the Bible and gave a 15-minute sermon. "He is finally finishing the race of his life and that finishing is difficult for all of us," Donahoe said. Randy West of Oxford said Earnhardt's death had a major impact on him. "For me it came as big of a shock as when Elvis died," he said. The crowd, many of them standing in the aisles and elsewhere, were subdued and respectful, but when a speaker mentioned Earnhardt's accomplishments they cheared the driver's memory as if he had just won another Winston Cup. Some were teary-eyed and spoke of him like he was a family member. "He was like any guy from down the street, he was personable, the fans loved him and he was like someone from home that you felt like you know," said Cathy Sanders of Hanceville.
Fans mourn loss of Earnhardt at Atlanta speedwayHAMPTON, Ga. (AP) -- When Atlanta Motor Speedway president Ed Clark decided to hold a memorial service at the track for Dale Earnhardt, he expected about 800 people to attend. He underestimated The Intimidator's drawing power. About 3,500 people attended Tuesday's 60-minute service dedicated to the seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion, who was killed Sunday during the final lap of the Daytona 500. "I'm not surprised, though," Clark said. "When we decided to do this about 4 p.m. [Monday], we started getting calls from all over. It's incredible how fast the word got out." Fans braved rainy weather to pay their last respects to Earnhardt, who drove the Richard Childress-owned No. 3 car. A replica of one of his cars was parked near the ticket office, and the ground surrounding the car was quickly filled with flowers, balloons, T-shirts and posters. One sign on an easel near the front of the car said "Racing in heaven with Davey, Alan, Neil, Adam, Kenny," in reference to late NASCAR drivers Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki, Neil Bonnett, Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin. Most of the people attending wore clothing bearing Earnhardt's likeness and name. Mark Fuller of nearby Austell had an Earnhardt hat, jacket and T-shirt. "He was the epitome of NASCAR," said Fuller, who said he's been an Earnhardt fan since 1982. "I don't think Sundays will ever be the same again." Clark first met Earnhardt in 1979, after 'Big E's' first career win at Bristol, Tenn. Sunday in Daytona, Clark spoke with Earnhardt for the last time just before driver introductions. "Just like everybody here, I long to see that No. 3 roll by one more time," Clark told the crowd. "We've lost our friend, and the greatest competitor this sport has ever known." Track chaplain Eddie Barton told the story of when his grandson, Glen, met Earnhardt for the first time. A meeting had been arrangement by a member of Earnhardt's crew. "Dale walked up and said, 'Where's Glen?'" Barton said. "My grandson looked at me and asked, 'Does he know me?' I told him, 'I guess he does.' Dale took us into the garage and put my grandson on his knee, signed his cap and posed for a picture. "That's what we'll all remember about Dale Earnhardt." The crowd cheered and cried through each speaker, and when Jeffrey Scott sang a church hymn, nearly half the crowd held up three fingers in honor of Earnhardt. One of those in the crowd was Georgia-native Ken Ragan, a Winston Cup driver from the 1980s. "It's a devastating blow to the fans, the track promoters and the sport in general," said Ragan, who has a 14-year-old son who plans to race in a couple of years. "Dale had such an impact on everything in the sport. When you raced against him, you always looked to see what he ran in practice, how he handled himself with the media and sponsors, and how he raced. "He was my favorite, even before I started racing against him, and he still is." After the service ended, a closed testing session resumed inside the track. Five Winston Cup teams and eight Busch Series teams were practicing in preparation for the March 10-11 NASCAR events. Kevin Harvick, who also drives for Childress, was one of those testing. Texas to halt track activity in Earnhardt's memoryFORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Texas Motor Speedway will shut down all track activity for an hour Thursday during the memorial service for Dale Earnhardt in Charlotte, N.C. Several CART teams have been testing at the speedway in preparation for their season-opening race next month. Earnhardt, a seven-time Winston Cup champion, was killed Sunday in a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500. Thursday's memorial service is scheduled for noon EST. Texas Motor Speedway's 2001 Winston Cup race is April 1. Music City NASCAR fans to remember Dale EarnhardtNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Middle Tennessee NASCAR fans will have the opportunity to pay tribute to NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt during a Sunday memorial service at Gaylord Entertainment Center. "We're telling everyone to wear their Earnhardt colors. We don't want to see a suit and tie in the house," said Norm Parton, the organizer of the Sunday event and the voice of racing in Middle Tennessee for the past 18 years. "This is a chance for the fans to do something for the [Earnhardt] family and for themselves," Parton said Wednesday. Earnhardt, 49, was killed on the last turn of the last lap Sunday in the Daytona 500, slamming into the concrete wall after making contact with Sterling Marlin, who was at the head of a tight pack of five cars fighting for position. The Gaylord center opens its door to the public at 11 a.m. CST Sunday and will televise the NASCAR race from Rockingham, N.C., on the Jumbotron beginning at noon, according to GEC General Manager Russ Simons. The memorial service begins at 5 p.m. Country star Vince Gill will perform. There will be no admission charge. "We will have an official No. 3 Earnhardt race car here and there will be an area for people who want to leave flowers or tribute items. People also can take photos of the car," Simons said. Earnhardt's funeral will be held Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. It is closed to the public but will be televised live nationwide to allow his fans to mourn with his family. "We think this is an important thing to do," Simons said. "We are certainly prepared for a large crowd. There are a lot of folks looking for an appropriate, respectful way to bring a close to this. "I don't know if there's going to be 100 or 10,000 people there Sunday. I think it will be closer to 10,000," Parton said. Fans are encouraged to bring mementos which will be shipped to the Earnhardt family. "The whole purpose is to bring closure for his [Earnhardt's] fans," Parton said. How to replace the 'Elvis of NASCAR'?NEW YORK (AP) -- There was a moment of awkward silence and confusion when the NASCAR hierarchy was asked if anyone could possibly fill the void left by the death of Dale Earnhardt. New president Mike Helton looked down the table to chairman Bill France Jr., whose father invented big-time stock car racing. Only France could answer so vital a question. "It's going to take time, if we ever fill it," France said. Then he seemed to reverse himself. "Life has to go on," he said. "I'm sure we will. Somebody's going to come along." Most fans think a big part of NASCAR died with Earnhardt. Through hard driving, a record-tying seven championships and slick promotion, he became a racing icon who almost single-handedly lifted NASCAR into the mainstream of American sports. Fans, vendors and promoters aren't sure the loss of Earnhardt will be bad for business. Some expect him to loom as large in death as he was in life. "He's the Elvis of NASCAR," said Fay Litt of London, Ontario. "There will never be another Dale Earnhardt." But like every fan interviewed outside Daytona International Speedway, where the sport's greatest star crashed and died Sunday in the Daytona 500, Litt said her love for racing will not wither. Woody Harrington of Waterloo, Mich., also won't stop going to the races, but knows he won't see Earnhardt bumping and rubbing in the black No. 3 Chevrolet, the fans on their feet cheering and screaming. Harrington doesn't share the optimism France voiced during a news conference the day after Earnhardt died of a massive head injury. "Elvis Presley was a one-time deal. The Beatles were a one-time deal. Dale Earnhardt was a one-time deal," Harrington said. To Jeff Hickle, Earnhardt is a permanent deal. Hickle's family runs a collectibles business in Uniontown, Pa. He says the demand for Earnhardt souvenirs was always great. Now, he can see an Elvislike windfall for the industry. He estimates that Earnhardt paraphernalia accounts for about half of all sales in the driver market. Now, his company is getting ready for 'Farewell Dale' bumper stickers. Earnhardt touched so many people who don't want to let go, and Hickle admits he's one of them. "I have a Monte Carlo, and I'm going to get it painted black and have the guy that does our decals do it just like his," he said. One by one, fans said they'll tune in or turn out Sunday for the second race of the season, in Rockingham, N.C. Like many racers, Mike Wallace can't imagine ever seeing a better handler of a car than Earnhardt. "You'd look at it and think, 'That just isn't possible,'" Wallace said. Kyle Petty said Earnhardt could do things that mystified the others. "You could see a 20-car pileup, and if just one car made it through, it was the one Earnhardt was driving," Petty said. "He was the last cowboy." Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart are the two established stars under 30 with enough years remaining to put them in a class with Earnhardt on the track, but both lack his charisma. In fact, only King Richard Petty, who shares with Earnhardt the record for championships, was ever so beloved. So, can there be a serious candidate to replace The Intimidator? France sees one: Dale Earnhardt Jr. "Dale Jr. seems to have the potential to follow in his father's footsteps," France said. Sterling Marlin, whose car touched Earnhardt's a few seconds before it crashed into the fourth-turn wall, would love to see the 26-year-old take over. "He's a heck of a talent, and hopefully Dale Jr. can just pick up and carry on what his dad started," Marlin said. Marlin credits the elder Earnhardt with 'making the sport' at the time it was rapidly gaining in popularity, and wonders about the future. "I thought about it as soon as it happened, the effect it's going to have on us all," he said. Earnhardt certainly had an effect on Eddie Cheever, the 1998 Indianapolis 500 champion, who forced The Intimidator to the grass last Friday in an IROC race. Earnhardt spun out Cheever on the cooldown lap, and the Indy Racing League star thought there was going to be trouble after the cars returned to pit road. He was relieved when he saw Earnhardt's trademark sly smile. Then, The Man In Black wrapped his arm around Cheever, silencing the booing crowd. "I have known only two individuals whose very presence transcended the fact that they were extraordinary racing drivers: Dale Earnhardt and Ayrton Senna," Cheever said. He raced against Senna, the three-time Formula One champion killed in a crash in 1994. To Cheever, Earnhardt and Senna were equally huge stars off the track. "No one else could fill a room like they could," Cheever said. They also did a fabulous job filling seats at the race track and sofas in front of the TV. Cherie Scott of West Palm Beach, Fla., was there in large part because of Earnhardt, and will remain a NASCAR fan despite his death. That doesn't mean there won't be a feeling of emptiness. "Everybody always looked forward to The Intimidator coming around that corner," Scott said. "But he won't be doing that anymore." Motorsports stocks lowered with Earnhardt's deathCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- With the death of Dale Earnhardt, analysts worried about the impact of sinking fan support kept close tabs Wednesday on shares of International Speedway Corp. and Speedway Motorsports Inc. Shares of International Speedway, which owns Daytona International Speedway and several other U.S. auto-racing tracks, fell 31 cents to $41.31 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. On Tuesday, the first trading day following Earnhardt's death and the Presidents' Day holiday, International Speedway shares fell as much as 7.2 percent before closing down 2 percent. Shares of Speedway Motorsports, which owns Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte and several other tracks, fell $1.29, or 5 percent, on Wednesday to $22.75 on the New York Stock Exchange. The decline came on top of a 5 percent drop Tuesday. Earnhardt, 49, was killed Sunday when his Chevrolet hit the wall in the final lap of the Daytona 500. "The market doesn't like uncertainty," analyst Breck Wheeler, who follows both stocks for Legg Mason in Nashville, Tenn., said Wednesday. "His death leaves a void in the sport that we're not clear who will fill." Dennis McAlpine, of Auerbach, Pollak & Richardson in New York, said his firm is watching the stocks closely, but hasn't officially downgraded them. "Look, the reality is that the Winston Cup races are sold out for the first part of the year anyway," he said. "That's not going to change. And the TV revenues aren't going to change, either." McAlpine said the biggest challenge for NASCAR will be finding a way to fill the void left by the seven-time Winston Cup champion. "If his fans aren't given a venue to replace Earnhardt in next few months, they do go away," he said. "They might go to another form of racing or to dirt tracks." The analyst said he didn't fully understand Earnhardt's prominence until he got the chance to go into the pits during a race. "Everyone would go over and get autographs when the drivers arrived," he said. "Then Earnhardt would show up and there would be a mob scene." The only comparisons would be the sudden loss of Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, Wheeler said. The tragedy prompted Banc of America Securities analyst Gary Cooper to downgrade his stock rating on Speedway Motorsports to "buy" from "strong buy." "We believe NASCAR will survive as a sport and a business," Cooper said Tuesday. "However, we believe the sport will need time to overcome the loss of its brightest star." Wheeler did not go as far in her assessment, but she said Earnhardt's death was yet another blow to the stocks, which have suffered from worries over a weakening economy and fears of saturation in popularity for stock car racing. "After all, this is a discretionary purchase," she said, referring to ticket purchases for NASCAR events and the other race-related spending. Wheeler said the controversy over safety following Earnhardt's fatal crash is not helping the stock of either company. "I do think the sport will survive," she said. "But the issue of safety needs to be addressed. And if strong measures are taken, will the racing be as interesting as it was at Daytona?" Had Earnhardt's tragic death not been part of the picture, Wheeler said she would have come away from the race feeling much better about NASCAR's future. "Instead, I came away looking at more reasons for near-term concern," she said. Earnhardt's death was the fourth for NASCAR in the past 12 months, after Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and truck racer Tony Roper. Earnhardt's death turned jubilation to despairDAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- A half mile and a few seconds were all that separated jubilation and despair at Daytona International Speedway. Michael Waltrip's unbelievable first victory. Dale Earnhardt's unthinkable death. All at the end of the last lap of the Daytona 500, which was changed forever. "I didn't know the thunderstorm Dale was fighting in back there with all those cars," Waltrip said, recounting the moment now frozen in time. Surely, he wasn't alone. The Earnhardt crash looked almost routine by NASCAR standards, especially considering what had happened just minutes earlier. After nearly three tension-filled hours of side-by-side racing, a 19-car crash sent Tony Stewart's car hurtling skyward, flames shooting out of the engine. Bobby Labonte's car was on fire, too, and minutes later, the Winston Cup garage looked and sounded like a junkyard, as the mangled cars were pulled by wreckers with their high-pitched beep-beep-beeping. Stewart emerged with the worst injury, a sore shoulder and concussion, and once again observers marveled at how so many escaped unscathed after such a scary-looking accident. The crash brought about a rare red flag, stopping all action, as track workers cleared debris from the track. That pushed the finale deeper into the afternoon, turning the 500 into a 26-lap sprint for the checkered flag. As the drivers passed under the white flag that signifies the beginning of the final lap, Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. had begun to separate themselves from a pack that included Earnhardt, Kenny Schrader, Sterling Marlin and a hard-charging Rusty Wallace. Most fans at the track must have thought Earnhardt was getting ready for one final run, a chance to slingshot past the two leaders and win his second Daytona 500. Then again, maybe not. Half a lap passed, then two-thirds, and the famous black Chevrolet hadn't made its move. Racing for third place would have countered everything The Intimidator stood for. Still, it kind of made sense. Ahead of Earnhardt were his two employees -- Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip, the hard-luck driver who was like the little brother Earnhardt never had. Maybe victory would have to wait this time. Earnhardt might have wanted to preserve the 1-2 finish for two people he cared deeply about. "That goes against everything he's ever done in the last 20 years on the racetrack," said Jim Freeman, executive director of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, who watched the race at home in Alabama. "I haven't been able to totally buy into that theory. Then again, he may have realized he didn't have the car to do it himself." As Earnhardt appeared to try to block the drivers behind him, his car drifted ever so slightly toward the bottom of the track, where Marlin was holding his line as they entered Turn 3. Contact ensued. Earnhardt's car skidded quickly downward onto the apron of the track, fishtailing. As the cars rounded the bend, the nose of the Chevy tilted toward the outside wall and Schrader plowed into its passenger side. Earnhardt slammed headfirst into the wall at Turn 4 at about 180 mph, dying instantly. Later, an autopsy report described the fatal injuries: Earnhardt had a skull fracture that ran from the front of his head to the back. His sternum was broken. So were his left ankle and eight ribs. As Earnhardt's car slid down toward the infield and came to rest, Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr. zoomed toward the checkered flag. Television cameras left the wreck behind to pan toward the finish. Waltrip's older brother, Darrell, started screaming in the Fox Sports television booth. "You got it, you got it, you got it! All right. It's a television dream come true. Oh, man," he yelled. Then quickly, awkwardly, he asked, "How about Dale? Is he OK?" Everybody figured he was. He wasn't called Old Ironhead for nothing. He had walked away from worse-looking crashes dozens of times, including once in 1997 at this very track, when he wrecked, then jumped back into the battered car and drove to the pits. The trip to the infield care center would just have to wait. As Waltrip passed by on his victory lap, doctors were reaching into the wreckage of Earnhardt's car trying to save a life already lost. Moments later, Waltrip was 2,000 feet away basking in his victory. The hard-luck racer had won for the first time in 463 tries, a full 15 years. He sat in Victory Lane, doing an interview with a big piece of blue confetti stuck to his sweaty forehead. "I owe this all to Dale Jr. And his daddy, too," Waltrip said. "I saw him back there fighting them off. I know they're all very proud of their driver." In the infield, firefighters had cut into the wreckage so Earnhardt's body could be removed and placed in an ambulance. Earnhardt Jr. practically sprinted off the track to follow his father to the hospital. A blue tarp was draped over Earnhardt's car. Waltrip stood in Victory Lane, flashing the "V" sign. Any second now, he figured, he would feel Earnhardt's strong hand grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and The Intimidator congratulating him by saying, "That's what I'm talking about, right there." The words never came. Somewhere amid the celebration, Schrader came over and whispered the somber news into the champion's ear. "The old man is hurt." More than hurt. Minutes later, Waltrip moved over to the tower that stood high above the track for more interviews. This was one of the few places that offered a view of the entire scene -- triumph and tragedy. Before Waltrip took the first question, he knew he was no longer the story. "My heart is hurting right now," he said. "I would rather be any place right this moment than here. It's so painful."
Woman has tattoo of Earnhardt's autograph on her backYORK, Pa. (AP) -- A die-hard Dale Earnhardt fan has one of the most unusual mementoes one can imagine of the late race car driver: She had him autograph her back, then had a tattoo artist trace over the signature. "I didn't think she would go through with it," said Marvin Kehr, the husband of Pat Kehr, who got the tattoo last year. She has no other tattoos. The Kehrs, who have been Earnhardt fans since 1979, bought a Signature Series Monte Carlo 2000 from Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet in Newton, N.C., last year. As part of the purchase, they got a chance to meet the racer. But even though Earnhardt was known for signing autographs freely, Pat Kehr wasn't sure he would agree to sign her back. He had once refused to sign a woman's chest. "They had already told me he would not sign skin," she said. But she bided her time and eventually pulled Earnhardt aside and made her request. "I said, 'Could you sign my back?,' she said. There was a long pause before he agreed and signed just below her left shoulder blade. "I said, 'Don't make it too big,'" Kehr said. "He asked why and I said, 'I'm going to have it tattooed.' He just said, 'Oh, my.'" At that point, the Kehrs went back to York from North Carolina as quickly as they could, fearing that the ink would fade or she would lose her nerve if they didn't get to a tattoo artist promptly. The work took about 20 minutes. "It hurt a lot," she said. "I'm not having any more." The Kehrs said they devastated by Earnhardt's death on Sunday, but they were glad to see that not all of the coverage focused on his bad-boy image. "He is not the same person that everybody perceives him to be," Marvin Kehr said. "He is a gentleman. He treated everybody the same. There was a soft side to him, but he didn't want it known." The Kehrs said they will continue to follow auto racing and will eventually start going to Winston Cup races again. But the pain is just too great right now. "I got a call this afternoon that our Talladega tickets had arrived," Pat Kehr said. "I told her, 'I can't take them. If you can sell them, sell them.'"
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