why do ppl literally worship dale earhard after death but hated him before death like gordon?

Question

im juss wonderin
(who wants a best answer)

Answer 1

Very good point.People jumped on the Senior wagon after his death.I have followed him since the Late Model Sportsman division in the 70's and was a serious fan.No I did not jump to Gordon norJunior,both good drivers in their own right.
Every trip to Talladega the linesat Seniors souvineer trailer is always 4 or 5 deep and people buy everything Senior.I sold and traded cards at the time and after his death I pulled all(including autographs) off the sales displays.Even today people want to buy certain Earhardt items,they have certain card numbers or certain die cast items.Thes reminds the people of the times he was racing.
Gordon items are hot and they get hotter after each victory and will continue even after he stops racing.

Answer 2

Dale was an imposing,intimidating driver.
His death put a period at the end of his life and career.
That is when the "fans" came out of the woodwork.
Now dont get me wrong he had a great big following before he passed.Its just that everybody wants to be associated with a rugged, tough guy winner.It helps complete us sometimes.
I miss his competitive racing,his banging people out of his way.
He was good for the sport.As for Gordon, why would a guy be a Gordon fan?Usually its just women & children...

Answer 3

People liked Dale Earnhardt before his death. Jeff Gordon and him had a great rivalry in the mid to late 1990's. I think people still like Dale for what he did for the sport. He had seven championships and seventy-six wins. On top of that he was viewed as a blue-collar driver, who worked his butt off to get to where he was at, the pinnacle of NASCAR. I think you tend respect people more after death and view them in a good manner. And Dale Earnhardt is a good example of this philosophy.

Answer 4

Spell his name right, you infidel!

D-A-L-E E-A-R-N-H-A-R-D-T

I did not hate him. I do not HATE anyone. I just like some drivers more than others.

I was not a big fan of Big E. But, I will tell you one thing. I cried the day he died. I honestly did. The golden age of NASCAR ended when Dale Earnhardt hit the wall in turn four at Daytona in 2001.

I am not a big fan of Jeff Gordon's either. However, I respect him for the fact that he is one of the sport's all-time great drivers, just like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip.........

Answer 5

I likes earnhardt when he drove the #15 Wrangler Thunderbird, but when he and Ricky Rudd traded rides in 84 I no longer pulled for him cause he'd went over to Chevrolet. then when the Goodwrench sponsorship came along with the black car and black drivers suit (I still remember the radio and TV guys joking about his "Darth Vader" look), it seemed as though he really did go over to the Dark Side. How many guys were spun out on the last lap by that black car, only to have Earnhardt say in victory lane "well that's racing".. if dale had stayed with Ford his entire career NASCAR would never have let him turn into the dirty driver he was with Chevy. I admired his talent but it's just kind of a cop-out on some of those finishes, if you can't pass 'em, wreck 'em.

Answer 6

I have always wondered that myself. I remeber a LOT of people being glad that he wasn't winning much towards the end of his career. He wasn't called the Intimidator for being a swell guy on the track. He was a really good guy off the track and a big part of the growth of NASCAR. Every sport needs an anti hero so you can not only cheer for your guy but also boo the villian. He played the role perfectly and actually relished being the guy people loved to hate. As long as their making noise you must be doing something right. Love him or hate him I think everbody respected him and felt a tremendous loss when he left us so suddenly. I think many non fans started paying more attention to NASCAR after he died and a lot of them jumped on the Sr or Jr wagon.

Answer 7

Earnhardt Sr was alot like Tony Stewart.... " Here I am, get out of my way, and race the way I think you should race" that pretty much gives you 2 choices, either you agree or disagree. And if Big E ran all over a favorite driver without appologizing for doing what it takes to win, then he made enemies fast.

Answer 8

Dale was a man that didn't put on airs. He was who he wanted to be and he worked hard to get there. Not everyone liked his style of racing and there was times that he rubbed people the wrong way on the track to win. By the way it's spelled Earnhardt.

Answer 9

I did'nt hate Him, He just came in as, I was in the middle of being a Bobby / Davey Allison fan. people who did hate Him, did so for the same reason that, they hate Gordon, today. He Won...A LOT! I don't worship Him nor, did I follow His career very closely, back then. still, I did enjoy watching Him race. He was a very exciting driver to watch. His driving style was very aggressive and, well...Intimidating.

Answer 10

I can answer because I was one of those people.After he was gone I missed his competitiveness and respected what he had done.I didn't like Gordon either for the same reason-They were better than the rest .It taught me to respect what Earnhardt accomplished and that's why I no longer hate Gordon because I respect him and what he's done.