Earnhardt will be sorely missed

When Dale Earnhardt slammed into the wall during the final lap of the Daytona 500, it wasn't the first time he had been in a serious accident. Notorious for his aggressive driving, Earnhardt had seen many of his risky maneuvers on the track pay off over the course of his 23-year Winston Cup career. \nThe only difference Sunday was that he didn't crawl out.\nEarnhardt won 76 races and seven Winston Cup championships during his career, which ties him with Richard Petty for the most titles. His trademark paint-trading style of driving and menacing persona earned him the nickname of "The Intimidator" among drivers on the circuit. He brought a rare brand of confidence and bold tactics to the stock car circuit, helping transform NASCAR into one of the most popular and exciting sports in the country. Fans either loved or hated Earnhardt, but regardless of personal preference, everyone respected and feared him.\nSunday, he was doing what made him famous on one of the tracks that made him famous -- fighting hard for position at Daytona International Speedway. \nWhat should have been a satisfying finish after a long, hard-fought race changed in a split second going into turn four. \nIf Earnhardt had finished the final lap, he would have seen his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., finish just ahead of him in second. And he would have seen Michael Waltrip, who drives a car owned by Earnhardt, win his first Winston Cup race in 463 tries.\nDrivers take an obvious risk every time they suit up for a race, but many go into each race with a brash sense of invincibility and almost seem to welcome the risk. Earnhardt took his boldness a step further -- he shunned many of NASCAR's innovative safety devices and criticized NASCAR for requiring drivers to put restrictorplates on cars to slow them down. \nHe said the restrictor plates took the reality and excitement out of the sport. Earnhardt suggested restrictor plates might end up causing more crashes, because the slower speeds tighten the packs and leave less room for error.\nHow ironic that he died in a restrictor plate race trying to distance himself from a pack of trailers.\nThe news coming out of Sunday's race should have been how successful the newly formed Dale Earnhardt Inc. had been, with cars finishing 1-2-3. It should have been an optimistic outlook at the rest of the season. \nBut it wasn't.\nDale Earnhardt should be at home right now with his wife and son, celebrating the great beginning of the 2001 season. He should be looking forward to next week's race at Rockingham and gearing up to make a run at a record eighth points title.\nBut he isn't.\nInstead, the sports world lost one of its greatest performers and personalities, Teresa Earnhardt lost her husband, and four children lost their father -- at the age of 49.\nIt kind of makes wins and losses seem insignificant.