Sports: Black Sunday

Black Sunday

Fans are shocked by the death of Dale Earnhardt, whom so many of them came to Daytona to cheer.

By PETE YOUNG

DAYTONA BEACH -- By 7:30 p.m., the enormous American flag in the middle of Daytona International Speedway was at half-staff.

A little earlier, a Dale Earnhardt fan had walked somberly across the track, removed his black Earnhardt T-shirt and placed it on the painted infield grass, just above the giant "T" in Daytona.

Earnhardt, the seven-time Winston Cup champion and NASCAR's most prominent and popular figure, died Sunday of a likely basal skull fracture sustained in a last-lap crash at NASCAR's most revered event, the Daytona 500.

Legions of devastated Earnhardt fans mourned the loss of their hero.

"We just heard about a half an hour ago, and it's traumatic. I've been a fan of his since (Earnhardt's Winston Cup rookie year of 1979)," said Gary Wetzel, 43, of Parrish, who attended the race with his wife, Liz. "To me, he was the greatest driver that's ever lived. He ranks right there with Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt.

"He single-handedly, along with Petty, put NASCAR on the map. I mean, when you come to a race, 50 percent of the people are wearing black. This takes the fire out of it."

Earlier, as Earnhardt, 49, lay in Halifax Medical Center, his status unknown, supporters gathered outside, eyes moist, hoping for the best.

"We knew Halifax hospital was over here and we figured we'd come over to see if there was any news," said Chris Bejarano, 40, of Phoenix, an Earnhardt fan for seven years. "We watched the IROC race (at Daytona two days earlier) and Dale almost won that until he got taken down to the inside and blocked out by Eddie Cheever.

"But after the race was over, (Earnhardt and Cheever) were hugging, and I thought, 'This guy is just such a class act. He's a great guy with great character.' "

Earnhardt's monumental success, uncompromising driving style, rugged persona and Southern roots lended to his overwhelming popularity. In a sport noted for the loyalty of its fans to drivers, Earnhardt devotees were the most numerous and intense. He may have been the most popular driver in racing history.

"It was his indestructibility. It seems kind of odd to say that now, but it was the way he had a daredevil approach to racing," said Don Tooley, 52, of Orlando. "He did things other people didn't dare to do."

Tooley, like tens of thousands of others at Daytona, was wearing an Earnhardt T-shirt Sunday. Tooley said he was at the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and has attended the race 35-40 times. Earnhardt was his all-time favorite driver, a liking he passed on to his son.

"Everything. I liked everything about him," said teary-eyed Beau Tooley, 16. "His personality -- it was just him, the way he treated everybody."

The 1998 Daytona 500 champion, Earnhardt's black No. 3 Chevrolet was worshipped by hundreds of thousands of fans and equally disliked by those who backed rival drivers. The most feared NASCAR driver, he was known as "The Intimidator."

Bejarano was sitting in the bleachers near Turn 4 where Earnhardt, running in third place right behind his son, Dale Jr., slammed into the wall. He was just a few hundred yards from the finish line.

"I was real happy that Michael Waltrip (who drives for a team owned by Earnhardt) won the race, but I couldn't take my eyes off Dale," Bejarano said. "We saw the Jaws of Life cutting him out. They were working in a hurry, real frantic to get him out of there."

"It looked bad. They popped him on a stretcher and his legs and feet weren't moving," said Erik Gilbert, 35, of Tucson, Ariz., who was sitting next to Bejarano and watching through binoculars while Bejarano snapped pictures.

Earnhardt supporters were left trying to come to terms with the tragedy.

"There are going to be some dramatic changes in NASCAR, not only in safety but in fan support," Wetzel said. "It's hard to put into words. It's a sad day for NASCAR, it really is."

Added Don Tooley, who has attended the Daytona 500 since he was 10 years old: "I'm not sure I'll be back."