Honoring an Icon

NASCAR Owes It To Dale Earnhardt!

Two weeks ago we witnessed the end of an era. It did not pass slowly from our view as most eras do, but rather it was stolen from us in the twinkle of an eye. Stolen from us, by what we do not know. Was it a sudden gust of wind, a loss of downforce, a failure of equipment, or an attempt to make the era even better? The answer to those questions we will probably never know. All that is certain is that Dale Earnhardt's black #3 will no longer represent our dreams of speed each Sunday.

To place blame is futile. It happened! We must move on! That is how the man who was the icon of that era would have wanted it. He showed it time and again, even with the death of his closest friend, Neil Bonnett. We should not grieve that the era has ended, but rather should celebrate the memory of that era. That also is as he would have wanted it. To do less is to dishonor his name and his memory.

But how do we celebrate the era of Dale Earnhardt? We certainly do not celebrate by pointing fingers at Sterling Marlin or Bill Simpson. Marlin did what Dale would have done in the same situation. We do not celebrate by staying away from the track. That is not what Dale would have done either. We do not celebrate by turning Bill Simpson into a villain. Dale and all of the other drivers have depended on his equipment for many, many years and were never disappointed.

Dale Earnhardt was a positive figure in racing. Therefore, we the fans should react as he would have, in a positive manner. We have a responsibility to him to insure that his memory will never be forgotten, but how? How can we make certain that the sport he taught us to love always remembers? NASCAR has never and will never retire a number from competition, not even the #3. Others before Dale Earnhardt have had that number. Others after him will too, and while we will always remember it as "his number", it is after all, just a number. Dale Earnhardt was a champion before there ever was a black # 3.

To me there is only one fitting way to honor Dale Earnhardt. We can not rename a Winston Cup event in honor of Dale. What would racing be without the Daytona 500, or the Southern 500? However, there is an event that epitomizes the spirit of Dale Earnhardt and does not detract from any of the traditional Winston Cup events. My proposal is to rename "The Winston" in honor of Dale Earnhardt. After all, it is the NASCAR All-Star event, and there was no bigger star in the NASCAR galaxy than Dale Earnhardt. Perhaps, if enough fans make this request of NASCAR and R.J. Reynolds, this action could become reality.

Page Two of this article gives you, the fan, the opportunity to make that request. It provides a sample letter, email links to R.J. Reynolds and NASCAR, and explains why this change would be appropriate, given the tragic circumstances of February 18. Whether this action is ever considered depends on race fans everywhere making their wishes known. One thing is certain, however, nothing is being done at the present time to officially honor Dale Earnhardt, and that is wrong. For many years, Dale Earnhardt was NASCAR. Now it is time for NASCAR to pay its ultimate respects to his family, fans, team and especially to his memory by honoring him in this special way.

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