Feb. 20, 2001

SportsLine.com received an overwhelming amount of forum posts following the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt, Sr. at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 18. Fans of Dale Earnhardt share their thoughts and memories of one of NASCAR's greatest ever.

We watched for Earnhardt

The greatest driver in the history of NASCAR died today. He was a true champion and he will always be. Whether you loved him, as I did, or loathed him, you always watched the races to see how he was doing. We will never replace him. We can only hope that the other drivers will rally together to carry on the torch of NASCAR as Dale would have wanted. -- DE4EVER1

Above and beyond the call of duty

I was at the Daytona 500 in 1996. He was signing autographs and we had waited a long time (my wife, daughter and I). After about 45 minutes, we got up to him and NASCAR officials told the crowd, "Alright folks, that's enough, we've got a race to start here." Dale, himself, said, "Oh come on!...Just a few more fellas." He gave my daughter the thrill of her life by signing an autograph for her, and then I Jokingly asked him if I could take a look at his car. He said sure. After staying for 20 more minutes signing autographs, he led me down pit-lane and let me take a quick peek at his car. -- SDFLKJSDF

My first Earnhardt encounter

I was still a kid and went to the Atlanta 500. I saw that No. 3 Wrangler car coming off turn four, bumping and grinding. I knew then that I would grow up an Earnhardt fan, forever. I've kept up with him since and as tears roll down my face now, I know he is in heaven with Davey and Alan. God has the best NASCAR team now. See ya in heaven, Dale. -- PAISNINO

Bringing joy to a little girl

I have a little sister that is seven years old and she has had two back surgeries to correct scoliosis caused by a birth defect. She is a big fan of Earnhardt and wanted to meet him. So last year, he took some time out of his schedule and spent a day with her. She later got to see him race. It was the biggest thrill in her life. My sister spent the day crying her eyes out after they announced his death. -- DREACON

Hang in there Junior

I know how it is to lose a father, as I lost mine only three years ago. I grieve for Dale Jr., realizing his loss is going to be the biggest challenge he will ever face. Junior, please hang in there and remember, your dad is always with you. Mine is and I know it. You will get signs occasionally from him telling you so. I'm sorry for you, your family, the fans and NASCAR. We have all lost a great role model and friend. -- CLW5150

A memory of my son and Dale

I have been a very big fan of Dale Earnhardt's for a long time. My son used to tease me about it all the time, but I would always watch and cheer him on no matter where he was in the race. Christmas 1998, my son gave me a commemorative cigarette lighter with Dale Earnhardt's image on it. That lighter means a lot to me. You see, I lost my son at the age of 27 from massive heart failure on April 3, 1999. I have always cherished the lighter and now I will cherish it for my racing hero as well. -- COFFEECUP101

It'll be hard to watch a race

I am just crushed. I truly loved the man. It is going to be almost impossible for me to watch racing again. He was the heart and soul of racing. My heart goes out to the Earnhardt family. I know at a time like this there is no consolation for the deep hurt of his loss. We loved him and will miss him dearly. -- KATHYCOC1

Sneaking in to meet Earnhardt

I remember when I was a little girl, my mom sneaked us into the pits at the Richmond raceway because I wanted to meet Dale Earnhardt. I got to take a picture with him and even got his autograph. My mom passed away this past summer on July 8, 2000 from lung cancer. She was 53. I guess in a way I feel like I have lost two special people and I have a memory that will last a lifetime. My heart goes out to his family. Please accept my deepest sympathy. -- JENJ11

My favorite color was black

As a young child, I first started watching racing with my grandparents. My favorite color was black. Therefore, I was rooting for Dale Earnhardt. As I grew older, I grew to admire the man, himself, and his racing style. I am 19 years old now and I'm in total shock. All I know is he will never be forgotten and no one will ever rank higher on my list of great champions then Dale Earnhardt. He will live for eternity in all of the hearts of NASCAR Winston Cup fans. -- STEVE20000

Never laughed so hard the day I met Dale

I had the luck of meeting Dale in 1983 when I was working on a TV crew for a race in Richmond. My fondest memory of Dale Earnhardt ... If you have ever sat through a rain delay at Bristol you know they can last a while. Dale and Rusty (Wallace) were inside Rusty's hauler and we had to get out of the rain, so they invited us in. For the next hour or so, I got the inside scoop on what these guys talk about when they sit around. I have never laughed so hard in my life. They sat there and talked about old racing days and things that had happened to them while they were racing. It was Great! Over the last 20 years I have rooted for Dale and he will always be in my thoughts. I heard someone say yesterday that this was like when JFK was killed. To me, this is the most painful death I've dealt with in my life and I'm sure it's the same for a lot of others, and there is some comfort in that. The fact that Dale was loved by so many people is overwhelming. It is a pure tragedy. Life will go on without that black No. 3 going around, but I know that it will be missed by more people than I can imagine. -- RELPAYME