When most people think of Dale Earnhardt, they think of “The Intimidator.”
They think of “The Man in Black.”
But my original associations with him aren’t as such.
Prior to entering the black No. 3 Goodwrench car in 1988, Earnhardt raced in a yellow and blue Wrangler car.
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My older brother was a big NASCAR fan, and I can recall him having a slot car of Earnhardt’s blue and yellow racecar.
I was 11 years old when Earnhardt made the switch. I wasn’t as much of a gearhead as my big bro, but I personally thought the best-looking car was Darrell Waltrip’s No. 17 bright orange Tide car.
That’s neither here nor there.
The interesting thing about Earnhardt was arguably his best season was 1987, his final year in the yellow and blue. He had 11 wins that season and won his third NASCAR championship, and second in a row.
Maybe had he stayed in the Wrangler car, he would have been know as the “Blue and Yellow Fellow.” OK, not quite as appealing.
Dale Earnhardt drove the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet from 1984-87. The famed black No. 3 Chevy came into being for the 1988 season. Earnhardt also drove a No. 3 car, a Pontiac, in 1981.
Dale Earnhardt finds his footing in black Goodwrench car
Earnhardt toiled in 1988 and 1989 before claiming four titles over a five-year span from 1990-94.
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This is when his mystique really took hold.
Earnhardt inside that black car elicited imagery of Darth Vader, the unstoppable villain who wasn’t out to be liked, he was out to win.
It’d be interesting to know how his personality type would fair in today’s era of social media.
I also recall being happy for my brother when he saw Earnhardt win the Daytona 500 in 1998. It was the only win that year for Earnhardt, and it was something my brother had waited more than a decade to see.
Earnhardt only got five more wins in his career after that, two in 1999 and three in 2000.
He almost had one more until tragedy struck on Feb. 18, 2001.
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How one newspaper responded to Earnhardt’s death
I was a very young Sports Editor for The Villages Daily Sun the day Dale Earnhardt died. I had recently turned 24.
Our Executive Editor was a big-time NASCAR enthusiast, and on race day, he and another reporter made the 75-mile trek from The Villages to Daytona to take in the race.
I was back at the office, watching the race and waiting for our stories to come in so I could put them into the paper.
As we watched from our office on Main Street near town square, something awful happened in front of our eyes.
Earnhardt crashed on the final lap, thwarting his shot at a second Daytona 500 win.
Dale Earnhardt (3) is hit by Ken Schrader (36) in turn four of the last lap of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 18, 2001. Earnhardt, the greatest stock car star of his era, had to be cut from his battered car and was taken to Halifax Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead of head injuries.
The crash didn’t look that bad, at least not on TV.
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At first, you expected to see his window guard come down and a pissed off Earnhardt getting out to verbally assault Sterling Marlin, whose contact sparked the crash.
But Earhardt didn’t get out. You started to get the sense something was wrong.
Sadly, we soon learned Earnhardt had died in the crash.
Getting Earnhardt news out in early internet age
Receiving information in 2001 wasn’t always easy in the dial-up internet era. Use of the internet was nothing like it is now.
Reporters were all but fighting to use phone lines to send stories.
Rather than wait his turn, our reporter had to call me to dictate his story, never a fun way to receive news.
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We immediately had to rip up our plans because I wanted to splash the news huge across the front page.
As I spoke to the page designer about what I wanted, our managing editor (basically the No. 2 in command of a newsroom) told me I needed to play up the fact that Michael Waltrip won the race.
I looked at him like he had two heads. Here, one of the two greatest NASCAR drivers to live had just died in a crash in front of 17 million viewers, and he wants Waltrip’s face to dominate the front?
He was pretty forceful in his assistance, but despite being half his age, I held my ground.
I told him we’d look ridiculous if we didn’t play up Earnhardt’s death.
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We ultimately compromised, and the front page had two equally-sized photos splitting the Sports front page: one of Earnhardt’s car crashing, and Michael Waltrip celebrating.
The front page of The Villages Daily Sun from Monday, Feb. 19, 2001, the day after Dale Earnhardt died.
Looking back on it, I’m still not satisfied with that result.
Earnhardt’s legacy of greatness endures
It’s weird for me to think about the fact Earnhardt was 49 when he died. That’s the same age I am now.
In the quarter century since his death, it’s hard to say if any driver has had the type of impact Earnhardt had.
I acknowledge Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson would certainly be in that conversation.
As we hit this dubious milestone, it’s still one of those unforgettable days that will always remain lucid in my mind.
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I know exactly where I was and what I was doing when Dale Earnhardt died. I’m sure if you were watching that day, you do too.
Walters is Sports Editor for the Florida Times-Union and FLORIDA TODAY, two USA Today Co. news sites. Contact him at twalters@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Dale Earnhardt’s legacy: Remembering his final NASCAR race
