I wonder if he ever have thought his death would have caused sooooo many safety changes in racing? From the man who fought for the restrictor plates to come off and basically said if people didn't want to drive fast, they didn't have to. Can you imagine him wearing the HANS Device? What would his thought on the COT be?
2007-03-30 05:51:47 · 30 answers · asked by TDub 4 in Sports ➔ Auto Racing ➔ NASCAR
no and earnhardt got the resrictor plates put on to start with because before they were put on bill elliott smoked everyone at the superspeedways,earnhardt whinned until they did something to stop elliott from running away from the field elliott owns all the speed records on the superspeedways so dont even try to say he wanted them off he may have said he did later on because he knew they would never take them off but in the late 80's when elliott could not be touched at these tracks he was the first to cry wanting them put on!
2007-03-30 10:57:13 · answer #1 · answered by Billy S 6 · 4⤊ 2⤋
It wouldn't matter to Earnhardt, he would race the COT and win with it. Probably the only mandated Safety Feature he would have complained about would have been the full face helmet. He had never worn anything but an open face. NASCAR left the option to the drivers as to the HANS and Full Face Helmet until after his death. Most drivers opted for the HANS after his death, before it became mandatory. After all, if superman can die, then so can I. Earnhardt's lasting legacy is, fewer will die doing what they love! Earnhardt just may have saved your favorite driver's life through shear stubborness.
In response to Billy S's ridiculous claim that Earnhardt lobbied NASCAR to re-insituitute the use of restrictor plates, it is fitting that your nickname monogram is BS.
NASCAR re-instituted the restrictor plate only on superspeedways as a result of Bobby Allison's crash in the Winston 500 in 1987, where his car very nearly penetrated the fencing along the main grandstand. Had his car completetly compromised the fence, possibly hundreds, if not thousands could have been killed. Before mandating the restrictor plate, NASCAR - over the next 2 superspeedway races, utulized a smaller carburator, a 390 cfm instead of 750 cfm. NASCAR and NASCAR only felt that the smaller carb was insuffificient to slow the cars as much as they wanted.
Earnhardt, as was his nature, would never have been in favor of slowing the cars, at all. Your comment is totally illogical as, if Elliot was the fastest car, and all others were slower, why would any driver want an across the board slowing of the cars as Elliot would logically still have an advantage. I believe Elliot still won the second Daytona restricted race. Bobby Allison won the first restricted Daytona 500. Allison also won the first 390 cfm carb superspeedway race and Elliot won the second.
Earnhardt didn' win his first restricted race until 5/6/1990 at Talladega. He followed that with 2 straight wins in restricted races. He went from there to dominate with the most laps led in restricted races. Doesn't mean he liked it, only that he was good at it.
"If you're not a race driver, stay the hell home. Don't come out here and grumble about going too fast."
-- Earnhardt, on drivers complaining about the speeds of race cars. Earnhardt wasn't the biggest fan of restrictor-plate racing at Talladega and Daytona, but considering his 13 Cup victories at the two monsters, it didn't bother him, either.
From NASCAR.com
My personal favorite Earnhardt quote:
If they don't like the speeds they are going, then they need to tie kerosene rags around their ankles to keep the ants from crawling up their legs and eating their candy a**! Do you want to race or don't you? I want to race."
Earnhardt believed NASCAR shoud just build higher walls and stronger fencing.
Billy S, if you have any information to the contrary, POST A LINK!
Bill Elliot, by virtue of the restrictor plate still holds the Daytona record of 210.364 mph. However, his Talladega record of just over 212 mph is no more.
Rusty Wallace tested an unrestricted car at Talladega in 2004. He hit one speed trap at just over 228 mph and had an average speed of over 221 mph. He subsequently called the experience as being "out of control".
Earnhardt would have called him a candy a**.
Wallace also said that given time to tweak the car, he could envision speeds of 230 plus, average.
They guessed at the gearing and shock/spring package as it had been 18 years since a car had been allowed to run unrestricted.
Most long time NASCAR fans loathe restrictor plate races for the same reason Earnhardt did. "It ain't racin".
New fans like it OK, but methinks they are just confusing excitement with anxiety. Your pulse rate can increase during a heart attack as well, but I don't see many people volunteering for one!
Smokey Yunick said it best: "When is NASCAR going to get their head out of their a**. They just killed Dale Earnhardt".
So true, Smokey!
He never was one to mince words as he once told "Big Bill" France that "Little Bill" would take 5 years in the 5th grade to get an idiot's license. "Big Bill" responded by saying he "could do it in 4 years."
From Yunicks third 500 page volume relating his history in NASCAR entitled, "All Right You Sons-A-B*tches, Let's Have a Race!"
Bobby Allison won the first 390 cfm carburator race and Elliot won the 2nd.
Allison also won the first restrictor plate race while Elliot won the 2nd.
Earnhardt didn't get his first restricted win until 5/6/1990 at Talladega. He won the next 2 and thereafter led the most laps and had the most wins. Doesn't mean he liked it, only that he was good at it. If Elliot couldn't keep pace, perhaps Ernie just couldn't figure it out.
2007-03-31 16:11:47 · answer #2 · answered by crunch 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Didn't he refuse safety devices? He didn't seem like the kind of man who would make excuses or change his own ways. He was what he was-a true driver. I think he would be pissed over Dale Jr. claims that he should be given 51% of a company he didn't build!
2007-03-31 14:03:53 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He doesnt really care about any of that and yes he probally would like the cot. But what he does care about is that his son cant win a race. hes probably like man i wish i was down there to teach my son a thing or 2 about how to win a nascar race.
2007-03-30 11:10:51 · answer #4 · answered by Qt PIE 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sr. is looking down cusing out nascar for changing the sport tht he loved so much. The COT is a pice of Sh** and i understand nascar wants to make it safe but those car fall apart way to much. and with these new cars the sport is going to get borning because they are slowing a fast sport down
2007-03-30 07:54:14 · answer #5 · answered by FIREFOX 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
He would love the COT, because as Darrell Waltrip said, all of the old-timers like the car, its the younger generation who hate it. DW said it drives like the old cars did, so I think Dale Sr. would like the COT.
2007-03-30 06:08:46 · answer #6 · answered by Stew 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunatly his death did spark a rash of saftey innovations.I think with his eye he,d be seeing NASCAR starting to get close to being right,noy real close but in the right direction.
That's all I have to say about that.
2007-03-30 15:13:56 · answer #7 · answered by blakree 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If Dale could have known he was going to die, Trust me he would have been getting his hands on every safty device he could. About the COT. I would say he would Drive what ever he could as fast as he could, and be happy to do it.
2007-03-30 12:53:44 · answer #8 · answered by NapaBoy 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I doubt he's impressed with all the advances in safety, not that he'd ever use them. No HANS, loose belts & open-face helmet was his way. He's looking up & just doesn't care.
2007-03-31 16:21:32 · answer #9 · answered by schizophreniabeatsdiningalone 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm guessing, damn I wish I had the HANS device for that race. And, everybody quit whinning like little girls and just drive the friggin COT!!!!!!!
2007-03-31 15:19:25 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋