#3 Goodwrench Hauler Takes One Final Ride

So, is it going into the museum or what?
I thought it was going to be the pic that goes with this story (sorry, I can't find a 'clean' image on short notice)

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"The Final Ride"

I took this picture on February 19, 2001 as we made our way home from Daytona. This was the day after the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt. We listened to a traffic report from the traffic helicopter and he said that Dale’s hauler was going north on Interstate 85 in North Carolina and that nobody would pass him. As his hauler made its way up Interstate 85, we stopped to take this picture and I was amazed at what I saw! I looked back down the interstate and not a single vehicle would pass him! The traffic behind him was backed up over two miles! Everyone had their headlights on for as far as you could see. As he drove by us, there was a peace and quiet that I had never felt before. It sent chills up and down my spine. This picture was taken at about 4:30 PM as the sun was setting and I thought the sunlight reflecting off of the hauler made the time of day fit with the feeling of the moment. Yes, this was a tragedy but to see this show of respect, is something that I will never forget!
Steve James 2-19-01
 
Cool but very sad. I often wonder how different Nascar would be had Sr not been killed. He would be retired now of course but....

No "CoT", maybe no mandatory SAFER barriers, or HANS devices, etc.

I do think he would have won an 8th Championship though. Seemed like that '01 season was going to be his for some reason.
 
I bet old Dale would've hated the chase. He would've told Brian France to go **** himself when he heard that idea. LOL

LOL he was reluctant to change , that's for sure .Would've been hard to get him to give up that open faced helmet too. He might have retired early rather than change to the chase , cot , etc.
 
Kinda makes you wonder what it would look like to still see Dale's hauler roamin the country.
 
I said Dale's hauler. Same paint scheme, style, sponsors, and signature. Take ya back to the old days. Not one of RCR's young gun replacements.

If Dale wouldn't have passed I think we still would have seen the COT and Gen 6 car because the cars have always evolved no matter who was racing. The HANS device was already introduced before Dale's death but was not mandatory. The SAFER barrier is pretty much a direct result of the wreck so that prob wouldn't be around. I think the main difference you'd see is the coverage of NASCAR wouldn't be so cheesy (flashy effects, digger the gopher, turtle guy etc...). There would be more to talk about that dealt with actual racing. About the points system, it's hard to say. I think Dale would respect JJ in the same way he respected Gordon off the track. DEI would certainly be in much better shape & who knows if Jr could have been more competitive for championships.
 
If Dale wouldn't have passed I think we still would have seen the COT and Gen 6 car because the cars have always evolved no matter who was racing.

"On January 11, 2006, NASCAR announced the Car of Tomorrow after a seven-year design program sparked mainly by the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr."

I agree we would have eventually seen a new car, but I don't think it would have been anywhere near the crap the CoT was. I think they would have designed one for better racing and not focused so much on the safety aspect of the car.

The HANS device was already introduced before Dale's death but was not mandatory.

Correct, and Earnhardts death is what made the HANS or Hutchens device mandatory.
 
"On January 11, 2006, NASCAR announced the Car of Tomorrow after a seven-year design program sparked mainly by the death of Dale Earnhardt Sr."

I agree we would have eventually seen a new car, but I don't think it would have been anywhere near the crap the CoT was. I think they would have designed one for better racing and not focused so much on the safety aspect of the car.

And that would have been a good thing? :huh:
 
Having a car lean more towards safety or racing, is like trying to determine security vs freedom.
 
I went to the museum back in 04 and that hauler was in there at the back of the building, so the video is probably 9 or 10 years old but still great. Another great tribute to Dale.
My opinion on how things would be now had Dale lived, at least 1 more championship or more. Safer barriers still would have been installed because I remember Dale always sayin put in soft walls and that he would rather wait on clean up then see drivers get killed. As far as the chase goes, I can just picture him taking Brian out back behind the woodshed for a little attitude adjustment. DEI would have been a top team by now and JR. would have been more of contender for a championship year after year.
Just my thoughts on how things might have been.
 
I'd much rather have seen them worry about designing a car that was safer and produced better racing, not just a safer car.
Oh, okay. I understand where you're coming from.

That said, while this will undoubtedly be an unpopular opinion, I liked the COT once they replaced the wing with the spoiler. I was kinda surprised when they first announced the new Gen 6 cars because I felt like the racing in 2011 and 2012 was actually pretty good overall. Mind you, I like the Gen 6s too.

Having a car lean more towards safety or racing, is like trying to determine security vs freedom.
Yeah, that's a good analogy. It is somewhat of a balancing act. Thankfully NASCAR tends to err more on the side of safety these days. It's just a shame that we had to lose Sr. and several others for all these safety advancements to happen. But hindsight is 20/20, I suppose.

Interesting, I didn't know Sr. was one of the ones advocating for softer walls. You learn something new every day.
 
Oh, okay. I understand where you're coming from.

That said, while this will undoubtedly be an unpopular opinion, I liked the COT once they replaced the wing with the spoiler. I was kinda surprised when they first announced the new Gen 6 cars because I felt like the racing in 2011 and 2012 was actually pretty good overall. Mind you, I like the Gen 6s too.


Yeah, that's a good analogy. It is somewhat of a balancing act. Thankfully NASCAR tends to err more on the side of safety these days. It's just a shame that we had to lose Sr. and several others for all these safety advancements to happen. But hindsight is 20/20, I suppose.

Interesting, I didn't know Sr. was one of the ones advocating for softer walls. You learn something new every day.
I remember him sayin something like I would rather have them clean up debris from the wall than to have to clean him off the track.
 
Oh, okay. I understand where you're coming from.

That said, while this will undoubtedly be an unpopular opinion, I liked the COT once they replaced the wing with the spoiler. I was kinda surprised when they first announced the new Gen 6 cars because I felt like the racing in 2011 and 2012 was actually pretty good overall. Mind you, I like the Gen 6s too.

Yeah, that's a good analogy. It is somewhat of a balancing act. Thankfully NASCAR tends to err more on the side of safety these days. It's just a shame that we had to lose Sr. and several others for all these safety advancements to happen. But hindsight is 20/20, I suppose.

Interesting, I didn't know Sr. was one of the ones advocating for softer walls. You learn something new every day.
I'm the opposite -- I didnt mind the racing in 2008/2009 THAT much, but I thought 2012 sucked.
 
If memory serves right, didn't people write on that hauler as it was leaving Daytona that night? I remember seeing a Tribute hauler for sale a year or two later...
 
I know people were writing all over the souvenir trailers for the rest of the year. I signed several in '01.
I think one of those is what miler is talking about, If I see it I'll know also because I'm on it as well.
 
If memory serves right, didn't people write on that hauler as it was leaving Daytona that night? I remember seeing a Tribute hauler for sale a year or two later...

I know people were writing all over the souvenir trailers for the rest of the year. I signed several in '01.

If you rewatch the video, look on the inside walls of the building at all the black tile squares. They all look to be signed. I was wondering if they tiled the room, then had fans come in and sign every tile, or it almost looks like they cut up the souvenir trailer with all the signatures and used that to tile the room.
 
No "CoT", maybe no mandatory SAFER barriers, or HANS devices, etc.

I do think he would have won an 8th Championship though. Seemed like that '01 season was going to be his for some reason.

Maybe not but we would probably have a new, more safe car anyway.

And I dont know about that 8th championship. Old Dale was like Gordon is now. Winning few races in-between but not really been a real threat for the championship.

We'll never know however.
 
And I dont know about that 8th championship. Old Dale was like Gordon is now. Winning few races in-between but not really been a real threat for the championship.

Not sure what makes ya say that, considering he finished 2nd in the standings just a year before in 2000?
 
Not sure what makes ya say that, considering he finished 2nd in the standings just a year before in 2000?
Hard to say how well he would have done as the years pushed on. I sure miss seeing that car on the track though!

As far as signing the hauler. The only haulers that I remember being signed were the souvenir haulers around the track. My wife & I signed a few of them throughout that season. There was barely a square inch on those haulers that weren't signed. Anything that could be reached was signed.
 
My wife got on my shoulders to sign one.
 
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