NASCAR fans throughout the world will not soon forget Dale Earnhardt. But, his career and life ended on Feb. 18, when he died tragically in a racecar crash during the final lap of the Daytona 500. Nicknamed “The Intimidator” by friends for his aggressive driving style, he began racing at age 16. He is survived by his wife and four children, including Dale Jr. who also races with NASCAR.

Fans everywhere were devastated by his death, especially those in Earnhardt’s home state of North Carolina.

Jeri Herscher, who works in admission at Guilford and witnessed the crash while at the Daytona 500, noted that “die-hard Earnhardt fans are probably having a really hard time dealing with the crash, because I am having a hard time shrugging it off myself.”
Fans left letters, posters, and flowers outside the headquarters of Dale Earnhardt Inc. in Mooresville, NC. Funeral homes as far away as Ohio and New York offered public guest books for fans to sign and offer condolences.
Earnhardt was buried Feb. 22 in Kannapolis, NC and hundreds turned out to honor him.

However, his death and the crash remain in the news. Earnhardt’s black No.3 Chevy Monte Carlo was tapped from behind while traveling at 180 mph during the final turn of the Daytona 500. It then turned around, went head-on into a wall, and was hit by another car.

Rescue workers performed CPR on a trapped Earnhardt, until he was freed and transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:16 p.m. An autopsy concluded that he died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Earnhardt was trying to block other cars from passing his teammates Michael Waltrip and son Dale Earnhardt Jr., when he was tapped from behind by Sterling Marlin, who has since been blamed for the crash.

Waltrip, who went on to win the race said, “Sterling didn’t do anything wrong; he was simply racing, and when the checkered [flag] is waving, nobody’s going to let off… I’m sure Sterling didn’t know Dale would wreck or he would not have rubbed him.”
There is speculation that the Head And Neck Safety device [HANS] could have possibly prevented Earnhardt’s fatal head injuries. The device is a fixed restraining mechanism that supports the head, neck and shoulders, protecting the base of the skull and neck.

However, many drivers find the HANS cumbersome, because it can restrict movement within the car.

Dr. Steve Bohannon, who was present at the crash, said that the HANS device wouldn’t have helped, “and that with an impact of Dale’s nature, even if he had the device on, hitting the wall that fast may have resulted in the same injury.”

There are also reports that Earnhardt safety harness was faulty, as it came apart during the crash; however, this currently under investigation.

Controversy continues to haunt Earnhardt’s death as The Orlando Sentinel has been trying to obtain autopsy photos against the wishes of Earnhardt’s widow, Teresa. The paper maintains that it only wants the photos for investigative purposes and will not publish them.

In response, the Earnhardt family, with the help of Florida lawmakers, drafted the Earnhardt Family Protection Act. The act would make it a third-degree felony to release the autopsy photos, which Teresa Earnhardt feels should “remain where they belong: in the medical examiner’s confidential records.”
Later this month, the Florida Senate will debate the proposal. The court hearing concerning access to the photographs is scheduled for March 19.

“The death of Earnhardt creates a void in the world of NASCAR, which will be very difficult to fill. But, pay close attention to the role that Dale Earnhardt Jr. plays in the coming months. For many fans, he could become the phoenix rising from the ashes of his father’s death,” said senior James Houck.