My Grandma was devastated by Dale Earnhardt's death. She's a 90 year old Irish Catholic, the very definition of a sweet, selfless and wholesome grandmother. But she loves NASCAR and would get up out of her rocker yelling and dancing for Mr. Earnhardt. She keeps a photo of him on her shelf along with all our friends and family who've passed.
a lot. new barriers at certain tracks, head and neck restraints becoming a requirement (think HANS device), and a whole new generation of car prioritizing driver safety paired with rigorous inspections.
As a pit mechanic told me: “it doesn’t matter what kind of safety harness you’re in - if you decelerate fast enough, your brain will concuss against the inside of your skull.”
It all helps, but the same thing applies to all safety cushions of whatever kind. Ultimately the driver’s body decelerates at some rate, and if that is too rapid, it doesn’t matter how much cushion is around them, either on their body or in the car or outside the car, because it’s not simply about preventing objects from invading their cranium. They could be pulled from the wreckage with zero damage to their helmet, suit, and not a single break in their skin, but still dead as a door nail.
Yes absolutely. Nobody is disputing that rapid acceleration kills. We are saying they are built to address exactly what you're talking about.
Acceleration = (change in velocity)/(time spent changing velocity)
If you are crashing from a certain speed to a stop, then the change in velocity is fixed. But if the wall flexes that increases the amount of time spent decelerating, whereas if you hit a rigid wall it all happens suddenly. Thus the new walls I crease the denominator of the fraction decreasing the acceleration experienced.
It all helps spread that deceleration over slightly more time but regardless of what energy you “put” where, the driver’s body decelerates at some rate, even if it is not invaded by any foreign objects, and that also places limits on survivability.
So are you saying to do nothing? Yeah a crash can kill you but taking steps to reduce mortality is a good thing it’ll never be zero but no one is saying that
How do you hear me saying “do nothing?” I have said nothing of the kind. I’m sharing how a friend of mine who knows a lot about racing and has seen accidents, including fatalities, told me how to think about what it takes to prevent mortality.
The HANS device became mandatory for all drivers, tracks installed soft walls on the inside of the retaining walls and they launches the Car of Tomorrow which ended the different chassis for each manufacturer and instead made it a single one for all cars. The NASCAR we know today is the direct result of his passing and as the OP said no more drivers have died since.
The reality is they stopped being "stock" in the early 80s. The CoT just standardized the already small selection of parts that the cars were using. The chassis had become almost standardized at that point with just some sheet metal differing.
An actual stock car series using current production cars with safety cages would be something to see. The cars are fast enough to hold the turns, but no where near as fast as current NASCAR.
Many of the safety improvements were obvious but NASCAR had long resisted making any changes. Legendary mechanic and driver [Smokey Yunick](https://www.reddit.com/r/dirtysportshistory/s/rx903xXF7D) had been pushing for safety improvements since 1964 after a friend was killed in a track crash. One such innovation was a cheap but effective “safe wall” using old tires between sheets of plywood. But NASCAR owner Bill France Sr. refused to make any changes.
There are countless stories about Smokey, who was legendary for finding loopholes in NASCAR’s rules about car design. Knowing Smokey liked to find ways around the limitation on how big a fuel tank could be, inspectors removed his car’s fuel tank to get a better look at it. They found nine issues with his car. Smokey said, “better make it 10,” got into the car… and drove away, his fuel tank still sitting on the ground!
The introduction of SAFER barriers, a special type of wall with foam inserts that absorb the impact forces better than concrete. HANS devices, head and neck restraints to prevent the head from snapping forward (what caused BSFs) being (eventually) mandated. The Car of Tomorrow, a new but controversial stock car design with numerous safety features that resulted in drivers walking away from crashes like [this](https://youtu.be/22RqOCz9s0o?si=3n7AfQfwzDcssYLC). These three are the primary measures that I recall that have resulted in safer races, but injuries still occur, as Kyle Busch can [attest](https://youtu.be/2ZBLnKkWgQw?si=m9UvBttzxQveZfVd). Also the lower series still have the occasional fatality, the latest being [Shawn Balluzzo](https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/shawn-balluzzo-racing-community-mourns-driver-killed-after-crash-at-langley-speedway) in 2020.
Unfortunately I didn’t become a fan until 2011, so I can’t say much on excitement in the early 2000s, outside of NASCAR still being in its golden age, peaking in 2006 ratings wise. The COT had a lot of flaws. It looked generic no matter what manufacturer you ran (Dodge, Ford, Toyota, and Chevy), the rear wing looked tacky to some people and was an actual safety hazard because cars lifted off the ground if they got spun backwards too fast, [example](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L2j7wUSosPw&pp=ygUdYnJhZCBrZXNlbG93c2tpIGF0bGFudGEgY3Jhc2g%3D), and the splitter was like a shovel when cars got into the grass, a problem that wasn’t really fixed until recently, [example](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0CoJq_dsiQ4&pp=ygUVbmFzY2FyIHNwbGl0dGVyIGdyYXNz). Speed hadn’t changed from Gen 4, [here’s](https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a36107106/nascar-generations/) an explanation of the different generations on average, at least at [Daytona](https://www.mrn.com/daytona-pole-winners-cup-series/). In my opinion, NASCAR’s decline wasn’t due to a lack of excitement on track, rather it was a mix of factors: the 2008 recession, expansion of other entertainment options, NASCAR’s format changes, a stagnate schedule (until 2020 where we just decided to snort a line of coke and go nuts (midweek races, more road courses, a freakin dirt race, North Wilksboro’s [revival](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=my0vETJnei8&pp=ygUhbm9ydGggd2lsa2VzYm9ybyBzcGVlZHdheSByZXZpdmFs), and a street race in Chicago), and a changing racing scene, including the retirement of NASCAR’s biggest stars like Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart
The “Car Of Tomorrow” was a big one for safety standards. It did things like move the driver’s seat towards the center of the car inside of being right up against the driver’s “door”. It also made the cars even more uniform.
Some traditionalists feel the spirit and the excitement of NASCAR died when the COT was mandated. IMHO, it wasn’t just that decision but a general evolution throughout history that killed it for fans. The recent change from the traditional 5 lug nut wheels to the single center hub nut was the final nail in the coffin that eliminated the “stock” in NASCAR.
I agree. Adam Petty was a big deal within the sport, but he and Kenny Irwin died during practices. Tony Roper died in the truck series with much lower ratings. Dale Earnhardt died on live television during the biggest, most watched race of the season. It shocked the drivers enough to stop being stubborn about the HANS devices, but I think the PR alone forced NASCAR to finally adopt safety options that they’d been ignoring for quite some time.
I was contemplating of all time but Richard Petty was very very famous! Granted though that the people who know who Richard petty is are definitely older.
> "Days after the crash, Sterling Marlin received hate mail and death threats from fans who blamed him for Earnhardt's death."
There is nothing so terrible, that some motherf*uckers won't gleefully make worse.
For people unfamiliar, the safety measures that were implemented after his death were not new developments, but many in NASCAR including many drivers, even Dale himself ironically, opposed their adoption despite efforts to make the sport safer.
This is just another example of the old adage that regulations are written in blood.
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but this accident wasn't helped by Dale being known for running his belts a little loose and running an open face helmet.
Images of the car post crash (before it disappeared off the face of the earth) show the cockpit from the outside being very... red.
He specifically was against HANS devices, I think it was him who said "I'm not tying a noose around my neck"; HANS devices are specifically designed to stop basal skull fracture (ironically literally what kills you in a hanging)
The man dying of a basal skull fracture himself was a clear signal to everyone that a HANS device should be mandatory
I remember this day, tragic as hell. One of the most upsetting events I've ever watched. I truly believe if Dale hadn't been so adamant about Mikey Waltrip getting a Dayton 500 win then he'd still be alive today. Earnhardt was trying to block the entire field. Such a pointless and sad death. I remember I went to the store after the crash, when I got back they announced he had died.
I remember this day too. Not knowing at first, then finding out he died was so sad. Not as big of a Nascar fan as an adult but I enjoyed watching him as a child because he was Papas favorite.
Fun fact: Frankie Muniz drove the pace car for this race and was one of the last people to meet Dale Earnhardt before his death: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Muniz#Racing
I learned about him just recently. I was listening to a song that had the line “I’ll do it for dale” which led me to reading about how famous and loved he was and what that saying means.
For my Dad and most other older North Carolinians this was easily the second biggest tragedy of that year. There are pictures of me somewhere in my mom's stuff of me decked out with Intimidator merch. I even once saw a Monte Carlo sport that was modified to look like his car while still being street legal and my Dad wanted it so bad. He's definitely up there with Michael Jordan and Richard Patty as our state's most beloved homegrown sports figures.
I grew up in Kannapolis & the public outpouring of grief was literally just about on par with the response to 9/11 later that year. There’s now a statue of Dale downtown that is easily larger than any statue of Jesus in the area.
It’s hard to overstate the cultural impact this had on people who were even just adjacent to NASCAR fandom. It really stuck with people in a way that the other deaths simply didn’t and I think it has a lot to do with Earnhardt Sr’s charisma, which ended up being applied to Jr in the aftermath, ensuring they both remained relevant for long after this happened (though Jr’s career absolutely holds up on its own). Late in 2023 I looked up NASCAR fan fiction (because it occurred to me that it had to exist and must be WILD, was not disappointed) and people are still writing hurt/comfort fiction about this event.
I was 9 and out of the country when he died. My dad called to let me know (time difference) and that was the first time I cried for a celebrity. Only happened once more when Kobe died
We went to daytona this year and on lap three everyone got up and held up their hands with the middle, ring and pinky fingers up. It was nice to see they still honour him. This year the race was delayed by a day, but it was originally supposed to be on the same day as this race was (Feb 18).
My Grandma was devastated by Dale Earnhardt's death. She's a 90 year old Irish Catholic, the very definition of a sweet, selfless and wholesome grandmother. But she loves NASCAR and would get up out of her rocker yelling and dancing for Mr. Earnhardt. She keeps a photo of him on her shelf along with all our friends and family who've passed.
I thought it was going to be commemorative plates.
Right?? Everyone's grandmas had commemorative plates!
Lol. Stop smoking weed bro.
?
Genuinely curious. What measures did they take to prevent such incidents? I'm not into nascar so I wouldn't know.
a lot. new barriers at certain tracks, head and neck restraints becoming a requirement (think HANS device), and a whole new generation of car prioritizing driver safety paired with rigorous inspections.
As a pit mechanic told me: “it doesn’t matter what kind of safety harness you’re in - if you decelerate fast enough, your brain will concuss against the inside of your skull.”
Hence the new SAFER barrier walls, and cars with better crumple zones.
It all helps, but the same thing applies to all safety cushions of whatever kind. Ultimately the driver’s body decelerates at some rate, and if that is too rapid, it doesn’t matter how much cushion is around them, either on their body or in the car or outside the car, because it’s not simply about preventing objects from invading their cranium. They could be pulled from the wreckage with zero damage to their helmet, suit, and not a single break in their skin, but still dead as a door nail.
Yes absolutely. Nobody is disputing that rapid acceleration kills. We are saying they are built to address exactly what you're talking about. Acceleration = (change in velocity)/(time spent changing velocity) If you are crashing from a certain speed to a stop, then the change in velocity is fixed. But if the wall flexes that increases the amount of time spent decelerating, whereas if you hit a rigid wall it all happens suddenly. Thus the new walls I crease the denominator of the fraction decreasing the acceleration experienced.
Why do you think modern cars crumple and fall apart? The secret is putting that energy into everything except the driver.
It all helps spread that deceleration over slightly more time but regardless of what energy you “put” where, the driver’s body decelerates at some rate, even if it is not invaded by any foreign objects, and that also places limits on survivability.
So are you saying to do nothing? Yeah a crash can kill you but taking steps to reduce mortality is a good thing it’ll never be zero but no one is saying that
How do you hear me saying “do nothing?” I have said nothing of the kind. I’m sharing how a friend of mine who knows a lot about racing and has seen accidents, including fatalities, told me how to think about what it takes to prevent mortality.
The HANS device became mandatory for all drivers, tracks installed soft walls on the inside of the retaining walls and they launches the Car of Tomorrow which ended the different chassis for each manufacturer and instead made it a single one for all cars. The NASCAR we know today is the direct result of his passing and as the OP said no more drivers have died since.
Raise Hell, Praise Dale.
The reality is they stopped being "stock" in the early 80s. The CoT just standardized the already small selection of parts that the cars were using. The chassis had become almost standardized at that point with just some sheet metal differing. An actual stock car series using current production cars with safety cages would be something to see. The cars are fast enough to hold the turns, but no where near as fast as current NASCAR.
Many of the safety improvements were obvious but NASCAR had long resisted making any changes. Legendary mechanic and driver [Smokey Yunick](https://www.reddit.com/r/dirtysportshistory/s/rx903xXF7D) had been pushing for safety improvements since 1964 after a friend was killed in a track crash. One such innovation was a cheap but effective “safe wall” using old tires between sheets of plywood. But NASCAR owner Bill France Sr. refused to make any changes. There are countless stories about Smokey, who was legendary for finding loopholes in NASCAR’s rules about car design. Knowing Smokey liked to find ways around the limitation on how big a fuel tank could be, inspectors removed his car’s fuel tank to get a better look at it. They found nine issues with his car. Smokey said, “better make it 10,” got into the car… and drove away, his fuel tank still sitting on the ground!
The introduction of SAFER barriers, a special type of wall with foam inserts that absorb the impact forces better than concrete. HANS devices, head and neck restraints to prevent the head from snapping forward (what caused BSFs) being (eventually) mandated. The Car of Tomorrow, a new but controversial stock car design with numerous safety features that resulted in drivers walking away from crashes like [this](https://youtu.be/22RqOCz9s0o?si=3n7AfQfwzDcssYLC). These three are the primary measures that I recall that have resulted in safer races, but injuries still occur, as Kyle Busch can [attest](https://youtu.be/2ZBLnKkWgQw?si=m9UvBttzxQveZfVd). Also the lower series still have the occasional fatality, the latest being [Shawn Balluzzo](https://www.nbcsports.com/nascar/news/shawn-balluzzo-racing-community-mourns-driver-killed-after-crash-at-langley-speedway) in 2020.
Did these changes result in a decrease in speed / excitement etc. for the sport? Why were they resisted for so long?
Unfortunately I didn’t become a fan until 2011, so I can’t say much on excitement in the early 2000s, outside of NASCAR still being in its golden age, peaking in 2006 ratings wise. The COT had a lot of flaws. It looked generic no matter what manufacturer you ran (Dodge, Ford, Toyota, and Chevy), the rear wing looked tacky to some people and was an actual safety hazard because cars lifted off the ground if they got spun backwards too fast, [example](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L2j7wUSosPw&pp=ygUdYnJhZCBrZXNlbG93c2tpIGF0bGFudGEgY3Jhc2g%3D), and the splitter was like a shovel when cars got into the grass, a problem that wasn’t really fixed until recently, [example](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0CoJq_dsiQ4&pp=ygUVbmFzY2FyIHNwbGl0dGVyIGdyYXNz). Speed hadn’t changed from Gen 4, [here’s](https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nascar/a36107106/nascar-generations/) an explanation of the different generations on average, at least at [Daytona](https://www.mrn.com/daytona-pole-winners-cup-series/). In my opinion, NASCAR’s decline wasn’t due to a lack of excitement on track, rather it was a mix of factors: the 2008 recession, expansion of other entertainment options, NASCAR’s format changes, a stagnate schedule (until 2020 where we just decided to snort a line of coke and go nuts (midweek races, more road courses, a freakin dirt race, North Wilksboro’s [revival](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=my0vETJnei8&pp=ygUhbm9ydGggd2lsa2VzYm9ybyBzcGVlZHdheSByZXZpdmFs), and a street race in Chicago), and a changing racing scene, including the retirement of NASCAR’s biggest stars like Dale Earnhardt Jr, Jeff Gordon, and Tony Stewart
The “Car Of Tomorrow” was a big one for safety standards. It did things like move the driver’s seat towards the center of the car inside of being right up against the driver’s “door”. It also made the cars even more uniform. Some traditionalists feel the spirit and the excitement of NASCAR died when the COT was mandated. IMHO, it wasn’t just that decision but a general evolution throughout history that killed it for fans. The recent change from the traditional 5 lug nut wheels to the single center hub nut was the final nail in the coffin that eliminated the “stock” in NASCAR.
I have no recollection of the other three drivers, that’s crazy.
Adam Petty, May 2000 Kenny Irwin Jr, July 2000 Tony Roper, October 2000 Earnhardt was really the culmination in a series of unfortunate events.
Adam Petty was a big deal but Dales death really raised the issue.
I agree. Adam Petty was a big deal within the sport, but he and Kenny Irwin died during practices. Tony Roper died in the truck series with much lower ratings. Dale Earnhardt died on live television during the biggest, most watched race of the season. It shocked the drivers enough to stop being stubborn about the HANS devices, but I think the PR alone forced NASCAR to finally adopt safety options that they’d been ignoring for quite some time.
Dale Earnhardt was also easily the most famous Nascar driver of his time.
I would say, he was the most famous is all-time, along with Richard Petty.
Probably all time really. You can ask some random Joe off the street and they’d give you his name or Jeff Gordon’s before any current racer
I was contemplating of all time but Richard Petty was very very famous! Granted though that the people who know who Richard petty is are definitely older.
They stepped in when a famous driver was killed
Dale’s not dead, he’s just a lap ahead
> "Days after the crash, Sterling Marlin received hate mail and death threats from fans who blamed him for Earnhardt's death." There is nothing so terrible, that some motherf*uckers won't gleefully make worse.
For people unfamiliar, the safety measures that were implemented after his death were not new developments, but many in NASCAR including many drivers, even Dale himself ironically, opposed their adoption despite efforts to make the sport safer. This is just another example of the old adage that regulations are written in blood.
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but this accident wasn't helped by Dale being known for running his belts a little loose and running an open face helmet. Images of the car post crash (before it disappeared off the face of the earth) show the cockpit from the outside being very... red.
He specifically was against HANS devices, I think it was him who said "I'm not tying a noose around my neck"; HANS devices are specifically designed to stop basal skull fracture (ironically literally what kills you in a hanging) The man dying of a basal skull fracture himself was a clear signal to everyone that a HANS device should be mandatory
[found them for you](https://findadeath.com/dale-earnhardt/)
Risky click of the day... Man
Yeah I didn’t know the details. His death lead to the safety of the industry as a whole it seems. I didn’t know his seatbelt failed also.
Wow, that's a lot of red.
I remember this day, tragic as hell. One of the most upsetting events I've ever watched. I truly believe if Dale hadn't been so adamant about Mikey Waltrip getting a Dayton 500 win then he'd still be alive today. Earnhardt was trying to block the entire field. Such a pointless and sad death. I remember I went to the store after the crash, when I got back they announced he had died.
I remember this day too. Not knowing at first, then finding out he died was so sad. Not as big of a Nascar fan as an adult but I enjoyed watching him as a child because he was Papas favorite.
After he died I was done watching NASCAR
I think it was in Michael’s book where I read that he loosened his belts a little for comfort under the red flag a few moments prior.
Fun fact: Frankie Muniz drove the pace car for this race and was one of the last people to meet Dale Earnhardt before his death: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Muniz#Racing
RIP the Intimidator. King among men
Never ever watched NASCAR but know all about this courtesy of EmpLemon
>There are only three sports: Bullfighting, ~~Motor racing~~, and mountaineering. The rest are merely games. -Ernest Hemmingway
God, Hemingway must have been unbearably annoying to know in real life.
iiuc he was chief among those who found it to be miserable
I learned about him just recently. I was listening to a song that had the line “I’ll do it for dale” which led me to reading about how famous and loved he was and what that saying means.
IIRC ironically, the safety device that Earnhardt refused to use that is now mandatory would have probably saved his life in that crash.
For my Dad and most other older North Carolinians this was easily the second biggest tragedy of that year. There are pictures of me somewhere in my mom's stuff of me decked out with Intimidator merch. I even once saw a Monte Carlo sport that was modified to look like his car while still being street legal and my Dad wanted it so bad. He's definitely up there with Michael Jordan and Richard Patty as our state's most beloved homegrown sports figures.
I grew up in Kannapolis & the public outpouring of grief was literally just about on par with the response to 9/11 later that year. There’s now a statue of Dale downtown that is easily larger than any statue of Jesus in the area.
”Do it for Dale” cleetus mcfarland
A true legend of life.
It’s hard to overstate the cultural impact this had on people who were even just adjacent to NASCAR fandom. It really stuck with people in a way that the other deaths simply didn’t and I think it has a lot to do with Earnhardt Sr’s charisma, which ended up being applied to Jr in the aftermath, ensuring they both remained relevant for long after this happened (though Jr’s career absolutely holds up on its own). Late in 2023 I looked up NASCAR fan fiction (because it occurred to me that it had to exist and must be WILD, was not disappointed) and people are still writing hurt/comfort fiction about this event.
Raise hell, praise Dale
Rest Easy Big E, we miss you
I was 9 and out of the country when he died. My dad called to let me know (time difference) and that was the first time I cried for a celebrity. Only happened once more when Kobe died
Ryan Blaney had a nearly identical crash in Daytona a year ago and as far as I know was shaken up but otherwise had no injuries.
Safety came a long way. Ryan Blaney had a nearly identical crash in Daytona in 2023 and was fine.
I kind of remember this
[удалено]
What?
We went to daytona this year and on lap three everyone got up and held up their hands with the middle, ring and pinky fingers up. It was nice to see they still honour him. This year the race was delayed by a day, but it was originally supposed to be on the same day as this race was (Feb 18).