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mikeyfan1599

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Name: Private | Gender: M | Member Since August 15, 2006
Current Level: Superstar | Email: Private
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Where would NASCAR be today if Dale Earnhardt ...

Posted on: April 29, 2008 9:28 am
Edited on: April 29, 2008 1:36 pm
 

Had lived.  Would there have been the go or go homers?  Would there have been a COT?  How about some of the other safety devices that are in use today?  These are questions that no one really knows for sure but we do know, according to NASCAR, the COT was developed for safety because of the wreck that Dale had.  Would the Hans device be mandatory today?  Again, it was being encourged at the time of Dales Death,  but would it be mandatory?  Would Richmond (meant Rockingham as my friend Section pointed out) have closed?  That is another question that can be brought up, would Dale have had some influence in keeping a race at the Rock. 

It is easy to ask what would of happened if..... Reality is we don't really know, what we do know his death lead to a lot of changes in NASCAR, some of them good some not so good but all done in the name of safety to keep someone else from coming to the same fate as Dale did.

Dale was an individual that you either liked or you didn't like.  There seemed to be no inbetween.  Personnelly, I was an Individual that didn't like Dale, Just when he did things that could allow you to tolerate him he would dump someone and piss you off once again.  But that was Dale,  It would have been interesting to see how he handled the likes of a Kyle Bush, Kury Bush, even his own son.  What would his thoughts of JJ have been?  Would Mikey still be at DEI and if not would he still be an owner of Toyotas.  What would Dale think of Toyota coming into NASCAR.  Personnelly, I think Dale would have welcomed Toyota, just one more whipping post. 

Again there are numerous what if"s that could be brought up.  But there is one What if that I don't think anyone can disagree with.  Whether you liked him or dispised him Dale Earnhardt was, is and always will be missed in NASCAR..  Happy Birthday Dale, and may you rest in peace.

Category: Auto Racing
Reputation: 98
Level: Superstar
Since: Aug 13, 2007
Posted on: April 29, 2008 10:44 am

Where would NASCAR be today if Dale Earnhardt ...

Great post, man.  R.I.P. Dale, and thanx for the memories.

It would've been interesting to see what some of the NASCAR rules would be like now if he had lived: Earnhardt was one of the few drivers (possibly the only one) who could put the fear of God into France, Helton, et. al.  It's safe to assume that he wouldn't have tolerated the WWE style of officiating that has driven so many fans (myself included) away from what used to be the greatest motor sport on the planet.



Reputation: 99
Level: Superstar
Since: Aug 16, 2006
Posted on: April 29, 2008 12:56 pm

Where would NASCAR be today if Dale Earnhardt ...

I gotta remember these blog things. I started a thread, when I could have created a blog. Great blog mikey.

I covered this a little in my thread, but didn't really go into details. Had he lived, NASCAR would be different, but probably not drastically different from what we see today. Go or Go Homers would still be around because there would have been people qualifying for races without the support team just for the paycheck which is one of the reasons NASCAR implemented it to begin with. While Dale might have told those drivers that they shouldn't be doing it, in the end the promise of a payout for those guys would have prevailed.

I know that Dale would have argued against making the HANS device mandatory, although he would have been encouraging other drivers to utilize them. The man still wore an open face helmet, but wouldn't let Jr. do the same. It's not that he didn't recognize the benefits of the equipment, he just chose to stay "Old School". He probably would have supported it being mandatory after he retired.

The COT is definitely an interesting question, since his death was part of the reasoning behind it. I think the COT would have been introduced anyway just due to the other deaths around that time of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin. I also think Dale would have supported the idea. You can also be damn sure that he would have pulled Kyle Busch aside after Bristol last year and gave him an earful. I am sure he would point back to the cars from early NASCAR and commented about how hard they were to drive.

As far as DEI goes, I think Jr. would most likely still be there, and Dale wouldn't have lost focus on keeping the cars top of the line. Michael Waltrip would have still gone on to be an owner, Dale wouldn't have stopped him from doing that. It would be interesting to see if some of the young guns nowadays would act the way they do, or if Dale would have sat them down for a chat. Toyota would still be here, I don't think Dale cared what brand of car you were driving, they all move up the track the same.

One question I noticed mikey didn't bring up though, would Dale still be a 7-time Champion, or would he have been an 8, maybe 9 time Champion. If you look at the 2001 standings, Kevin Harvick finished in the top 10 in points, with one less start than all the others. Dale was a much better driver than Kevin is, and I am sure he would have finished the car better than Kevin did in most races. Would this have been enough to capture number 8 or would Gordon have won anyway? I know what my thinking is.

Happy Birthday Dale, I really miss ya big guy.

 

 

Oh, and mikey one more thing.

 Would Richmond have closed? 

When did that happen. Isn't Frady going there this weekend. I think you meant Rockingham.



Reputation: 99
Level: Superstar
Since: Feb 9, 2007
Posted on: April 29, 2008 4:25 pm

Where would NASCAR be today if Dale Earnhardt ...

Great blog mikey, as usual you hit the nail on the head with every statemany.

All the what if's can't be answered, but I can assure you one thing, NASCAR would be more popular, with less (casual) fans.  I'm pretty sure that Nascar wouldn't have become the Circus it has become today.  Dale might not have been liked by everyone, but you had to respect the guy who spoke his mind and wasn't shy to be harsh on Nascar's administration.  The way Dale raced, was just racing, and a lot of young drivers now who go and turn people to pass (JPM) don't seem to realize that. Dale might have turned people. but it never was as intentional as it is now a days.

DD