Where were you and how did you feel when you learned of Dale Earnhardts passing?

Question

Where were you and how did you feel when you learned of Dale Earnhardts passing?

Answer 1

Well I didn't watch nascar back then but I remember my bro coming home from watching that race over at his friends house. He walked in the door and was white as a sheet and I was like what the heck happened to you??

Answer 2

I felt scared when Schrader called the ambulance to help.He looked in and sorta stood there for a second.I was praying he was only knocked out.But then I turned on the local news station not long after that and heard "A very sad tragedy in sports occurs today..."

I knew it was him.

Answer 3

I remember watching him wreck.......but then I had to go to the hospital to see my Grandma.  My mom called and told me the news.  I was sick.  I just thought how did it happen.  My bf (now husband) was/is a HUGE Dale Earnhardt fan, and I just thought o my gosh.  The Legend Lives on.  3

Go Dale Jr 88

Answer 4

i was staring at the tv in shock

Answer 5

at home watching and total shock, depression and sadness

Answer 6

I was really young and was in shock  



I got the story from fox news the next morning and woke up at 6 in the morning just to see what happened  

My grandfather is a jeff gordon (and Kyle Busch) fan so he was like who are you going to follow now then he told me about junior

Answer 7

Disbelief

Answer 8

I had watched the race and really didn't think it was that bad of a wreck. I noticed Darrell Waltrip was constantly looking over toward the wreckage and he was saying "I hope Dale's ok" and had a quiver in his voice. At that point I realized that the man everyone thought was invincible might actually be hurt. I was hoping he just had the wind knocked out of him, but about 10 minutes after the wreck, Mike Joy said he was still inside the car.

By this time, I was thinking maybe he had broken an ankle or something and might miss a race or two, and this could be causing him to be stuck in the car. No matter what, I didn't want to picture the fact that he could be gone. I think my emotions were up anyway seeing Michael Waltrip and Dale Jr. cross the line 1-2 (was not a fan of either) and I was happy to see him win, just so I could see Dale Sr. go over to victory lane and give him a big hug. They started interviewing Michael in victory lane and I was still thinking about Dale Sr. because he was nowhere around victory lane. I expected him to be the first person over to congratulate Michael on the win, but he was nowhere to be found.

That was one of the saddest parts to me, because you knew he would have been so happy to see Michael in victory lane after 450 or so races, and the fact that he was not standing in victory lane with him was unthinkable to me.

I believe they showed Dale Sr. being taken out on ambulance, and I just hoped that he was still ok and just a little banged up. This was the impression Mike Joy gave me, but the fact that it took them so long to get him out made me think it was pretty serious.

Then later that day I was sick to my stomach wondering when they were going to update his situation (I never was a fan of his, but I think all NASCAR fans were affected by it).

I was in my room and was just trying not to think about it, as it was becoming more obvious that this was a serious accident, even though it didn't look it.

Then my dad (also not a fan of Dale Sr.) came into the room and had a sad look on his face and at that point I was like "please don't say it" and he just looked at me and said "Earnhardt's dead" and I was just sitting there and took a deep breath and wondered how he could die. I tried to convince myself that it was a dream, or that he would be back the next week at Rockingham, and that this was just an illusion.

But 7 years later and he is still gone, and it's hard to imagine what the sport would be like if he was still here. I think he was definetely one of the greatest of all time, even though I wasn't a fan and it's hard to imagine that he is not going to just show up on the track each Sunday...

Answer 9

We were at Daytona the day he hit the wall, and watched as they tried to get him out of the car......

it was horrible, everyone was crying and no one could believe of all people, who had wrecked so bad.

and later, after taken to the hospital, Mike Helton came on the speaker, and said we have lost him...

and later in the news broadcast, when he said he was gone on TV and radio, it was still like a dream...this is one race, I wish we had not gone to........

we go to Daytona each year, and it is just not the same without Dale Sr....

and walk up each year and see him standing there, his statue, is heart wrenching..

Answer 10

I was at home watching the race. It was the first race i had ever seen. Finding out later that Dale was dead i was truly shocked.

Answer 11

Me, my cousin and uncle were watching it, by the reaction of DW we knew something was up.  Cell phones were not as available at that time. We had some friends there, after the race they called us from their analog car phone.  They did not know for sure, but they told us it was not good.  My uncle was a big Earnhardt fan, he had actually met him before.  We were speechless.  I saw the final word on ESPN later on.  It was profound to me as a young man, to learn that the Intimedator had been lost.   Sad to me, sad to all..............rest in peace SR.

Answer 12

At work when my dad called....pretty sad day

Answer 13

I was in misery and felt like I had a sword in my soul....R.I.P. Dale Earnhardt

Answer 14

Sad

Answer 15

Dale Sr. passing away for Nascar fans is/was the equivalent of Jerry Garcia passing away for Grateful Dead fans.  (I am a Nascar fan and not a Grateful Dead fan)

I felt disbelief, shock..

I guess that is the way people felt when Kennedy got shot..

I was in TGI Friday's (bar) watching the race on TV

Answer 16

watching the race.when he hit the wall and the tires were still spinning i knew something was wrong i didn't think he passed away until i heard D.W talking!

Answer 17

i was watching the race and didnt think any thing was really wrong until they showed dale jr full out sprinting toward the acident or was it the ambulance?

Answer 18

I was in the hospital after having my first child and so none of us were exactly worried about the race then.  I didn't even know it had happened, ( like i said it was our first baby and the first grandchild for my parents so people were in and out of the hospital to see me like every 5 minutes so i never even turned on the TV) anyway  when we got home and got on line to check out some news and we were filling out some stuff in the baby book like biggest news on the day of your birth and in sports news it was the death of Earnhardt Sr. We were just in shock and could not believe my dad didn't hear about it and tell us because he had always been a big Sr fan.

Answer 19

Well, I was at my sister and bro in law (who was and still is a Dale Sr. fan) when the wreck ocurred.  I thought he'd be ok. Then the next morning, at my apt.,  I turned on the new's and they showed Dale's face and said he didn't survive. My jaw just dropped, I couldn't believe it. Then there was sadness for his family and friends.  My bro in law was so shocked, my sister said he walked around for 2 day's saying "I just can't believe it".

Answer 20

I was watching the race, I knew it the minute the car started to block. I am not sure why or how, but I just knew it. I felt the way I would feel anytime someone looses their life, sad.

Answer 21

What a day. I watched the race and knew that Dale was in the accident but didn't think much of it because it dodn't look that bad.............My wife, the kids and I went out to eat and when we returned home my phone rang. My buddy said, did you hear about Earnhardt? I said, yeah I saw him crash at the end of the race and he said, yeah but did you know that he died??? I said NO WAY, it wasn't that bad of a crash and then I turned on the TV and saw the horrible news.........It was a sad sad day and it just goes to prove that anyone can go at anytime....................RIP #3, I miss ya!!

Answer 22

i was watching the race and was watching it and when i saw dale wreck i was like OK not to be he should hop right out of the car any second and stagger over to the ems or something when i saw Kenny stick his head in and get out an take off i knew something was wrong then they said it on nascar.com dale Sr was killed from the crash but other people say he died of a heart attack ever notice how fast the step mom had everything to do with the wreck sealed and not open to the public ? ? ?  the source said if you can find the rare in car view for dale Sr you will see he was leaned over with his head down on 1 side of the seat plus you noticed he didn't even try to turn the car or anything to make it an easyer  hit

Answer 23

I was at the race, everyone was in shock, and there was not a dry eye at the race track, it was so so hard to believe, and so sad, it took me nearly 2 yrs to get over it..

Go Dale Jr & Hms

Answer 24

well i was like 4 or 5 when that happened and i remember running around my house then when he crashed i stopped in front of the TV

i don't know but after the race my dad was all over nascar.com

and i remember being confused

and since i was 4 or 5 i didn't really care