Ten Years Later

Ten years ago at Daytona, the racing world loss one of their greatest drivers. I was not a Earnhardt fan, but sometimes I found myself rooting for him. I was working at the time at a ladder factory outside Annsiton, Al. was unable to watch or listen to the race. I managed to get the last lap by calling Roxanne on a break when she said Dale Earnhardt had crashed..We didn't know at the time but is was fatal. We all found out about it two hours later.

Go back twenty years to May 1980..My dad did sub-contract work for Alabama Intl. Motor Speedway in Talladega, Al. Since then it has been renamed Talladega Super Speedway. My dad, my brother Mark and myself got to go in garage area during practice prior to The Winston 500 that was held that following Sunday. Going to the garage was a big deal just as it would be now..At that time the big money wasn't in Nascar like it is now.. So the drivers were more grateful and friendly except Buddy baker, he was always wound up about the race.  I was a Richard Petty/ Bobby Allison fan.. I was excited to get to see them..when you are ten year old boy in Talladgea and loves racing at that time it was a big deal.  We got autographs and we had our Polaroid camera to take pictures.. It was that time I met Dale Earnhardt. It wasn't a big deal to me because I was not a fan of his, but liked him. He was a nice guy and would talk to you..  We got our picture taken with him.. He was talking to me while the pic was taken, I don't remember what it was about.. We told him good luck on Sunday.. He finished second to Buddy Baker.

Jump forward to 1998.. It was March 1998, race week at Atlanta. I'm married now to Roxanne, we are living the Atlanta area. Dale Earnhardt is signing autographs at The International Car Show at the World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta.. Roxanne and I waited in line for over three hours to get his signature..I brought a Wheaties diecast car and that Polaroid pic that we had taken together.  That's what I wanted to get signed if I had ever had the chance to meet him again. This time racing it was totally different than was in 1980..More corporate, drivers are not as accessable than they were then. We finally made it to the table, there were handlers there to handle the items before Dale would sign. If it wasn't official..forget it he wouldn't sign it. Roxanne got the car signed and he was very gracious to her. He got the picture and he was floored. I told him when it was and told him who I was.. He took the pic and showed it to his yougest daughter Taylor Nicole who was there with him.. He really appreciated it and thanked me for bringing it. I thanked him just because.

February 2001.. Dale Earnhardt was gone..he was killed in the last turn on the last lap of the 500.. The two cars he owned finished one-two in the race. Where there would be a huge celebration turned into sadness when it was revealed that he did not survive. Racing we know it changed forever.. I took the picture that he signed back in 1998 and two pictures of him signing the picture and had it framed.. It marked the only times I met Dale Earnhardt..

Now ten years later the racing world looks back on the loss of Dale Earnhardt. This is my way paying homage to him on this day.

Good Evening