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Statements About Earnhardt
Teresa Earnhardt: "On behalf of Taylor, Dale Jr., Kerry, Kelly and the entire Earnhardt family, which also includes all the employees of Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, we want to sincerely thank everyone that offered their condolencesduring our very tragic loss.  This outpouring has been overwhelming.  We kindly ask that you keep our family in your thoughts and prayers..  We also thank you for your memorials and ask that in lieu of flowers that you consider donations to:
Carolina Foundation - Attn: Honor of Dale Earnhardt
PO Box 34769
Charlotte, N.C. 28234-4769"
There are many more statements, and I will be adding them to a second page tomorrow the 21st.
Steve
Dale Earnhardt, Jr:  "We'll get through this.  I'm sure he'd want us to keep going, and that's what we're going to do."

Rusty Wallace: "Patti and I are both having a hard time dealing with this.  It's such a tragic loss.  We're grieving just like so many people are today with such a loss.  He and I were about as close of friends as you can get in our sport with the competition and all that goes along with it.  We've had some helluva battles out there on the race track through the years, but we've had so many good times off the track.  I can't help but think about all the fun we've had out on the water with the big boats and all.  We've had some helluva good times out on the boats down in the Bahamas.  We were both on the boats down in Daytona for all those days.  All the ups and downs we've both experienced...that all comes to mind.  I just keep on running that last lap in my mind and keep saying to myself, 'Man if I'd just been able to give him a little tap from the rear...that could have meant all the difference in the world.'  It's just a helpless feeling I have.  I have to think that the way it happened and where it happened...he and his old buddy Neil Bonnett are up there doing something fun together right now.  It's just such a hard blow to the sport for everybody involved and for me personally.  Patti and I both want to extend our thoughts, prayers, and sympathy to Teresa, Taylor Nicole, Dale Jr., Kerry, Kelly, and the whole Earnhardt family.  Our hearts go out to all of them, to all his many fans and friends all over the world and especially to all the employees at Dale Earnhardt, Inc., and at Richard Childress Racing."
John Hendrick: "Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports is deeply saddened by the death  of Dale Earnhardt.  Our prayers are with his family and that they find strength during this difficult time.  He was a great competitor and a true friend to everyone in the NASCAR family.  Dale's contributions to the growth and popularity of our sport are immeasurable.  He was also a great human being, husband and father.  He will truly be missed.  We ask everyone to join us in our prayers for Dale and his family."

Jeff Gordon: "Brooke and I are deeply saddened by this devastating loss.  Not only is it a huge loss for this sport, but a huge loss for me persaonlly.  Dale taught me so much and became a great friend.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Teresa and the entire Earnhardt family."

Humpy Wheeler: "He was a good friend and I'm still in shock.  Thi s is a terrible, terrible loss and, for me, it ranks right up there with J FK.  Dale was the Michael Jordan of our sport.  We always thought of Dale as being invincible, so when he didn't climb out of that car after the wreck, I knew it was bad.  I talked to him this morning b efore the race and he was poised to challenge for an unprecedented eighth championship and was really looking forward to a fantastic season.  I knew Dale's father, Ralph, and I've known Dale since he was a little boy.  He had things pretty tough when his father passed away w hen he was young and I was so proud of the way he turne dout and  the way he represented our sport.  Behind that macho facade was a real sensitive individual who did a lot of things for a lot of people and didn't want any publicitity in return.  He was part of a very loving family and was truly an extraordinary human  being. To think he is not around anymore is incomprehensible. Right now, we've got to do what we can do to help his family get through this terrible time.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his mother, Martha, , his wife, Teresa, and his children-Kerry, Dale Jr., Kelly and Taylor Nicole.  We will never fill the void left by the loss of Dale Earnhardt."
Richard Petty: "Like all of the NASCAR family, I was stunned and saddened by the loss of Dale Earnhardt. We shared a common bond in championships as well as a mutual respect.  Our family has raced against his family since this sport began, going back to when my dad and I raced against Ralph Earnhardt.  My thoughts and prayers and that of the entire Petty organization are with Teresa, Kerry, Kelly, Dale Jr., Taylor and the rest of the Earnhardt family."

Eddie Gossage: "The death of Dale Earnhardt is heartbreaking for millions of racing fans around the world.  I, too, am heartbroken.  Athletes in other sports would be wise to follow Dale's model of what a champion is supposed to be.  He had great dignity-both on the track and off.  I know people would question why people  risk such great odds to race automobiles.  But i'm certain Dale would tell you that he lived his life to the fullest and his life was better for being a particpant in the arena.  While many people may not understand this, Dale understood better than anyone.  We want to express our sympathies to Dale's wife Teresa, his children, his mother and the rest of his family as well as Richard Childress Racing and the people of Dale Earnhardt, Inc.  We will remember them in our prayers."

Larry McClure: "Dale Earnhardt's death is a tremendous loss to our NASCAR family and to the entire nation. Whether you liked him or not, he stood as a hero. Many looked up to Dale as a man who stuck to his convictions. Earnhardt set the stage in Winston Cup. What he did, everyone followed. He was a fierce competitor, one that we did battle with many times. He lived a life that was full. As a father, a husband and a businessman, Dale experienced success. He showed people that they can follow their dreams and reach their goals. Dale accomplished more in his life than most of us ever could. It is unfortunate. All of us in the NASCAR community live on the edge. The drivers are on the edge all of the time, every weekend. This seems more of a shock to people, because the wreck did not look that bad. When someone so talented is involved in such a deal, it is unbelieveable. I know we will all go into the garage at Rockingham next weekend and expect to see that sly grin that Earnhardt patented. It is going to be tough on NASCAR fans and Dale Earnhardt fans. For those of us who saw him and talked to him every weekend, it will take a long time to deal with this horrible loss. Cherish the memories of Dale. Realize we were lucky to be able to share his life with him. Finally, believe. If you believe in Christ, the pain will be easier to handle."

Dale Jarrett: "As millions of race fans mourn the loss of the man they knew as 'The Intimidator,' the sport and the race that he truly loved has taken from me one of my best friends. I know I should feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to race with, tangle with, sometimes outrun, and like most usually finish behind, the greatest driving talent NASCAR racing has ever seen. I am thankful for that opportunity but, more importantly, I am most grateful that I had the chance to know Dale Earnhardt in a way that so many people could only dream of. He was a true friend -- someone I could always depend on to give me an honest answer and, at the very least, his opinion. I looked up to him not only because of his driving skills, but because he was so much more to so many people, including me and my family. Kelley and I choose to remember this incredible racer for his caring and giving personality. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Teresa and the kids in this time of mourning. But knowing Dale, he would rather this be a celebration of his amazing accomplishments. This, we will do in his honor. Just know, Dale, that we love you and we all are truly going to miss you. Thanks for making our sport what it is today and for being my friend."

Jimmy Spencer: "I really don't know what to say. I can't believe Dale Earnhardt isn't with us anymore and that he's not going to be out there every week in that black number three. There isn't anyone I loved racing more than him because he was the best and you always want to challenge yourself against the best. The thing about Dale Earnhardt is that there were two Dale Earnhardts -- the Dale Earnhardt that raced you for every inch on the race track and the Dale Earnhardt who cared about making people happy. He loved my dad and he loved my mom. Every time he saw me he'd ask how my mom and dad were doing. Every time he saw my mom he grabbed her hand and would stop and talk for a minute. He did it just last week at Daytona. I've got so many Dale Earnhardt stories I could write a book. I remember he came to my mom and dad's house in Berwick (Pa.) and I'll never forget it. We crashed three or four cars one night in my dad's junkyard and just had a great time afterwards just laughing and eating dinner. Then there was the time in 1988 when we raced up Route 136 from his old shop in Kannapolis to his new facility. It was late at night. He had a pickup and I had a pickup and he beat me. He never let me forget that and rubbed it in every chance he got. I'll miss him. There isn't one person in NASCAR that won't say they'll miss him. I was talking to my dad today and I said to him, 'What are we gonna do as drivers?' We all congregated around him. He was always one of the first drivers to go out for pre-race introductions and I don't care if you were Rusty Wallace or Dale Jarrett or who it was, we all talked to him because he was the guy. That 3 car scared every driver because they knew what was coming. Dale Earnhardt never gave up. He didn't care if he was five laps down, you were going to have to work to get past him. He would race you just as hard for 20th as he would for the win and us as competitors all realized that and expected that from him. I said some things a few weeks ago that looking back in hindsight I wish I could take back. I'm sorry for what I said, but at the time I felt I needed to speak up because T. Wayne (Robertson) was like a father to me, and I just felt that Dale Earnhardt the race car driver should have been there. I don't mean to slight any of the other top drivers in our sport, but if there was an autograph session and it was Dale Earnhardt against anybody else in the garage area, he would outdraw them two or three to one. Why? Because they want to meet John Wayne. He could probably outdraw any professional athlete in the world and maybe even the President of the United States. He had that kind of power. It's really hard to express just how sad I am. All I can think about is Teresa and the whole Earnhardt family. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them."

Steve Page: "Dale Earnhardt may have been the most talented driver ever to climb in a stock car, but his loss will be felt well beyond the racing community. Dale was one of the most distinctive personalities in the world of sports. His image as a fierce competitor, as the relentless pursuer in the black car personified the qualities that have characterized history's greatest athletes. There were no fans more passionate or loyal than Dale Earnhardt fans. On behalf of all of those fans who have turned out to see Dale at Sears Point Raceway over the years, we offer our thoughts and prayers to the Earnhardt family."
Michael Waltrip: "I just couldn't wait till I got that big grab on the neck, that big hug, I just knew any minute Dale was going to join me in victory lane, and say, 'That's what I'm talking about, right there.' That wasn't to be.  My belief is in twinkle of an eye you're in presence of the Lord.  And that's where I think Dale is."
A.J. Foyt: "It was a terrible accident and my heart goes out to his family because   they are the ones who suffer most.  Racing lost one of the greatest stock car drivers that ever lived and I lost a great friend, somebody that I respected highly."
tt Bodine: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Earnhardt family. We have lost the greatest driver to ever sit in a NASCAR Winston Cup car. He was a fierce competitor and a true champion. We will miss him terribly"

Ed Clark: "American auto racing has lost its Babe Ruth, Arnold Palmer and Michael Jordan. To millions of Americans, Dale Earnhardt was so much a part of what life was all about. He expressed drive and determination in everything he endeavored to do. He loved his profession like none other, and there is simply no way this void can ever be filled. Racing has lost its best ambassador."

Joe Gibbs: “On behalf of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, we would like to extend our heartfelt sympathies to Teresa and the entire Earnhardt family as well as everyone at Dale Earnhardt Incorporated and Richard Childress Racing. While Dale was a fierce competitor on and off the track and leader in the community, he was a member of our family and as you can imagine, we are grieving that loss.”

Bobby Labonte: “I, like everyone else, am in shock with the passing of Dale  Earnhardt. Besides being an incredible driver and spokesman for the sport he so  loved, he was a true friend and has been a major influence on my life and career. Understandably, my family’s thoughts are with Teresa, Kerry, Kelly, Dale Jr, and Taylor Nicole as well as all of the employees and their families at Richard Childress Racing and Dale   Earnhardt Incorporated. May God bless all of them and watch over them in this time of need.”

 

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