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October 18, 2002
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Sterling Marlin knows what Deborah Renshaw is going through, and says she needs to forget about her crash that killed another driver.
Marlin was involved in a crash at Daytona International Speedway last year that killed seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt. Many fans blamed Marlin for the wreck, and he received some death threats.
Now, the 25-year-old Renshaw is being blamed by some for the crash Oct. 9 at Lowe's Motor Speedway that killed ARCA driver Eric Martin.
"It's pretty rough," Marlin told the Tennessean on Tuesday. "I know how she feels. This is something that will go with her for the rest of her life. But she has to put it out of her mind if she's going to keep racing."
Dan Renshaw, Deborah's father, said she has received some hate mail: "I'd say that 99 percent of the mail has been very positive and supportive, but there has been a little of the other stuff, too. She's dealing with it pretty well. She's been through it before."
Renshaw, set to move up to NASCAR's Busch series next season, was practicing for the ARCA race when she broadsided the disabled car of Martin, instantly killing the 33-year-old driver.
Renshaw has had a difficult season. In July, drivers plotted to get her disqualified at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, and a car was entered solely to finish behind him to facilitate a protest. A minor violation was found, and Renshaw lost her sixth-place finish and her points, effectively ending her quest to win the season title.
OBITUARY: Bob Gregg, known as "Bullet Bob the Barefoot Boy" because of his penchant for racing shoeless, died at 82 in Vancouver, Wash.