When I first started watching NASCAR there was one individual that intrigued me most. Throughout the years I grew fond of others as well. There was this new guy running and he looked cool and strong. I was a mere 13 I guess. Although, after winning so much,after so many years, even he said that the King of NASCAR would always be Richard Petty. I am sorry but there is one I almost disagree with you
on Dale. In my heart you will always be the king. But, after searching my heart maybe you were right Richard is and will always be the King of NASCAR. Dale, however helped NASCAR to grow into a phenomenon that others balked at at first. Dale Earnhardt will be missed by everyone, whether they know it or not.
Everyone has an on-line alias. Mine has been dale_1 since 1996 my first online nickname. This name came about because I didn't know what to use as a name, nobody needs to use their real name. I hung out in a chat channel for Air Force personnel, a way for us to ease the tension created by our "jobs" such as mine was ... fighter aircraft crewchief. The chat channel helped to air differences of opinion about what we were doing this for and we learned alot about ourselves. Our committment. Our lives. If you haven't gotten it yet my favorite phrase is to say . . . Dale won! So an online nickname was born. In 1997 I built a webpage devoted to the first two important things in my life. Airplanes and music. I happened to throw in a link years back with a reference to Earnhardt's crash at Daytona when he got out of the car and back into it after telling the wrecking crew member in it to try and start it "by golly" (not verbatim) it has all four wheels on it. I gained more and more respect for him every race I watched.The Talladega wreck with a follow up of a pole at the next weeks race, a road course at that, with a broken sternum and collarbone. I watched such things as his first road course win. One heckuva race. I still have that one on tape, during off season I still watch that one. I believe that will be in my household for years to come.
The highlight of my aircraft maintenance career is and will probably always will be the fact that the last civilian aircraft I ever worked on was Dale Earnhardt's in a little town in Arkansas. Shortly after that I got the message that I had been selected in my current job as a civilian mechanic on F-16's at my guard base. So my job on fighters went from everyday for eight years to one weekend a month two weeks a year, back to everyday. One of the first things I did on my new job was to put a #3 on each hubcap of my F-16. I consider myself blessed for ever getting to work on it in the first place much less it being the last civilian aircraft.
My own father taught me to be true to myself and to this day I love what I do. If I were to die doing what I love most then it would be a glorious day. Although some would be sad as long as I was doing what I love I would be fine with that. Everyone has unfinished business. Dale went out doing what he set out to do. Mike got his first win, his son was running up front and he was, in my opinion, in position to take the
eighth championship. These were the goals he set out with this year. My own father once said if he died doing what he loved he would be happy.
My father was an aircraft mechanic too! That's what has always been important to me. I enjoy following in my father's footsteps and I know Dale Jr. does too. I just hope Junior will not stop ever. Dale Earnhardt lives on inside each and every one of us who loved him. He always will.
Godspeed Dale Earnhardt, bump Elmo once for me.
Mark A. Guthrie SSgt USAF F-16 Crewchief
Dale Earnhardt fan
Links to other sites on the Web
dales site
nascar home
dale jr
dale jr
dale jr
mike waltrip
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