Comments on TRADING PAINT!: Do We Need Vigils, Souvenirs To Keep Earnhardt's M...

I agree Jerry, Dale SR will never be among us agai...

2009-02-21T10:46:00.000-06:00

I agree Jerry, Dale SR will never be among us again. We need to move on. But, that said, maybe we need to take a moment ever year either at the first, last or even the race closest to Memorial Day to publicly read the names of every NASCAR driver who died ontrack. Then we can have a moment of silence for each one, all special and deserving in their own way, who died doing what they loved

This is yet another reason why Richard Childress n...

2009-02-20T00:07:00.000-06:00

This is yet another reason why Richard Childress needs to put the 3 back on a race car. Yes, it will be difficult for some fans to accept, but it's time to move on, and it wouldn't be the first number that belonged to a beloved driver to re-emerge. I'm sure all of us still think about Davey Allison when we see the 28 car, and Alan Kulwicki when we see the 7 car. The fact that those cars are now driven by different people doesn't really seem to matter to most. I think it would be the same if Jeff Burton were sporting the 3 on his car. Plus that would be pretty special since he was Dale Earnhardt's choice to drive the 3 car when he retired (according to a Childress interview on Speed). It might also drive home the fact to these perpetual mourners that he ain't coming back no matter how much they may want him to.

Jerry some of us do this because it is a way to re...

2009-02-19T21:33:00.000-06:00

Jerry some of us do this because it is a way to remember someone who was a special person to us. I do the same for my mother and father who have both passed and for all the 9/11 victims. Think of it as I do. On 9/11 I was 3 blocks from the World Triad Centers, when my mother passed I was in Iraq (first tour of two), when my father passed I was by his side, and when Dale passed I was setting just down from turn four at Daytona. These things mean a lot to me and I will remember them for ever. As for making money from the loss of someone that is special in a lot of peoples harts, I think everyone who does this should be ashamed of themselves. But I have fought for the freedom to do these things, and as log as someone wants to do this it is there wright here in the USA. Also I am not hiding behind anything my e-mail is glowens2003@yahoo.com if anyone wants more, I will be happy to answer you.

Who knew Tony was prescient? 'Without Dale Jr.,DEI...

2009-02-19T19:40:00.000-06:00

Who knew Tony was prescient? 'Without Dale Jr.,DEI will merely be a museum'. Good job,Teresa.

Why does everyone blame Teresa? Richard gets a cut...

2009-02-19T18:41:00.000-06:00

Why does everyone blame Teresa? Richard gets a cut too. 35% goes to Teresa, 35% goes to Richard, 20% goes to MA and 10% goes to Nascar. Teresa can't use the #3 unless Richard approves it.

Thank you, Taglia and Dutty. I couldn't have said ...

2009-02-19T17:27:00.000-06:00

Thank you, Taglia and Dutty. I couldn't have said it better, especially Dutty's explanation. You nailed it perfectly. Thanks again to both of you for your support and loyalty.

I couldn't agree with you more Jerry. Honor the m...

2009-02-19T17:17:00.000-06:00

I couldn't agree with you more Jerry. Honor the man by remembering him in your hearts, not with your wallets. Your wallets are only keeping TE on vacation. Maybe if she were forced to earn her money on the racetrack, the teams performance would be better!

My dad has told me, "Son, when it's my time to go don't cry for me, I've lived a good life. Prop me up next to a keg and let's have a party."
And even more bluntly, my grandmother who hates long, sad funerals and memorials has told me on more than one occasion, "Make sure my funeral isn't any longer than 30 minutes. If it is I'm getting up and walking out!"

I would challenge the folks who spend money on the memorabilia of those passed, did a family member or friend of yours not have more of an impact in your life than Dale Earnhardt, Elvis, or James Dean? Why aren't you wearing T-shirts for that person?

"It's not as cool" would be the only answer I would accept. The memorabilia exists due to the propaganda machines, which are shameful.

Jerry,I could not agree with you more. And for al...

2009-02-19T17:02:00.000-06:00

Jerry,
I could not agree with you more. And for all those who disagree, read further…
In Memory of those who have gone before him, and have not had a yearly vigil.
From 1991 to present:

1991 August 11
NASCAR driver J.D. McDuffie is killed in an accident during the Budweiser at the Glen Winston Cup race at Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Top

1992 August 13
Three days before the Champion 400 at Michigan International Speedway, 27 year old Clifford Allison—son of Bobby and younger brother of Davey—is killed during a practice run.
May 15
Philippine IndyCar driver Jovy Marcelo, 27, is killed in an accident while practicing for his first Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Top

1994 February 11
Four years after suffering a serious head injury in a crash that threatened his career, NASCAR veteran Neil Bonnett, 47, is killed on the first day of practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
February 14
Three days after Bonnett's crash (the day of his funeral, in fact), 31 year old rookie driver Rodney Orr dies from injuries sustained in a practice run crash at Daytona.
April 30
Formula One rookie Roland Ratzenberger, 31, of Austria, dies during qualifying for the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy.
May 1
Three-time Formula One champion Ayrton Senna, 34, dies during the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, of injuries he sustained after his car went off the track, slid across a long grassy area, and hit a concrete wall. A national hero in his native Brazil, President Itamar Franco declared three days of national mourning and closed schools on the day of his funeral.
Top

1996 May 17
IndyCar veteran Scott Brayton, 40, wins the pole position for the 1996 Indianapolis 500 but is killed after a tire deflation causes his car to crash into a retaining wall during a practice run at the Indianapolis (Ind.) Motor Speedway. He becomes the 40th driver to be killed at the sports' most famous race track.
July 14
Rookie driver Jeff Krosnoff, 31, dies from injuries sustained in an accident on the 92nd lap of the 95-lap Toronto Molson Indy at Exhibition Place. Krosnoff's car made wheel-to-wheel contact with another car, sending it into the air, over a concrete barrier, and into a tree. A track employee was also killed in the accident when he was struck by Krosnoff's wrecked car.
Top

1997 January 11
NASCAR truck series driver John Nemechek, the 27 year old younger brother of Winston Cup driver, Joe, dies from serious head trauma during an accident at Homestead, Fla.
Top

1999 September 11
Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) driver Gonzalo Rodriguez, 27, of Uruguay, is killed during practice for the Shell 300 at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Calif.
October 31
CART series driver Greg Moore, 24, of Canada, dies in a crash in the final race of the 1999 season at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Moore lost control of his car at 220 mph on lap 10 and crashed into a wall, sending his car into wild spins.
Top

2000 May 12
NASCAR driver Adam Petty, 19, is killed after his car spins out and crashes into the wall in Turn 3 at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H. A fourth-generation NASCAR driver (along with great-grandfather, Lee, grandfather, Richard, and father, Kyle), Petty was practicing for a Busch series race the following day.
July 7
Eight weeks to the day after Adam Petty's crash, NASCAR Winston Cup driver Kenny Irwin is killed in the same turn on the same race track in Loudon, N.H., during practice for the thatlook.com 300. Irwin's car hit the concrete wall and flipped on its roof. Both Irwin's and Petty's crashes at the speedway are blamed on a stuck accelerator that prevented the drivers from slowing down.
October 13
NASCAR Craftsman Truck series driver Tony Roper, 35, dies in a crash during the O'Reilly 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas. Roper's car brushed another during the 32nd lap and slammed head-on to the wall, bursting into flames and spinning out of control.
Top

2001 February 18
Seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt, 49, dies in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Earnhardt is killed when his car bumps Sterling Marlin's car and spins out, is hit on the side by Ken Schrader's car, and crashes head-on into the outside wall at approximately 180 mph. Earnhardt is the 27th driver to die at Daytona since the track opened in 1959.

I don't have a problem with people criticizing me....

2009-02-19T16:36:00.000-06:00

I don't have a problem with people criticizing me. But man up or woman up and at least give your real name if you're going to criticize me. Otherwise, it just shows a lack of credibility on your part -- that you want to hide behind anonymity, while I'm not hiding behind anything. And as for the other anonymous poster who mentioned about the JFK plates, etc., thanks for the info. But you also missed the main point I made: do we have vigils and memorial services every year for icons like JFK and Martin Luther King, who, in the whole big scheme of things, were much bigger and important in life than Dale Sr.? Selling souvenirs of a dead race car driver, or commemorative plates of a assassinated president or civil rights leader still points to the same thing: someone is blatantly still trying to make a buck off their memory. If they didn't care about the money, they should give those items away for free -- in that person's memory -- or become non-profit companies that give all profits to charity. Think about it ...... JB

Collectibles Today releases a new plate of JFK eve...

2009-02-19T16:18:00.000-06:00

Collectibles Today releases a new plate of JFK every June. Last year upper deck paid the Kennedy family 2.2 million so they could get 2 papers or pictures that JFK signed. Upper Deck takes the part that is signed and cut it. Than they put it into a card and put it in packs. Topping the list for the second year running, is the former King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley. Without so much as lifting a finger, the Memphis Flash earned a whopping $52 million in the last year. That's more than some of the music industry's biggest living acts command--Justin Timberlake pulled in $44 million last year; Madonna $40 million.

Article Controls
email

print

reprint

newsletter

comments (1)

share

del.icio.us

Digg It!

yahoo

Facebook

rss

Yahoo! BuzzThe 30th anniversary of Elvis' death helped boost attendance and merchandise sales at Graceland, and new ventures such as an Elvis Sirius Satellite Radio show add to a long list of publishing and licensing deals.

Debuting on the list in third place is Australian actor Heath Ledger, most famous for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight, the latest installment of the Batman movie franchise. At the time of his tragic overdose in January, the 28-year star seemed poised on the cusp of a lucrative film career.

Ledger had reportedly secured a deal for his role in The Dark Knight that included merchandising (think Joker action figures) and a percentage of film revenues. With The Dark Knight grossing $991 million in box office revenue worldwide, we estimate his earnings at $20 million.

http://www.forbes.com/2008/10/27/top-dead-celebrity-biz-media-deadcelebs08-cz_ph_1027celeb.html

I love it when brave souls is a hearty "you suck" ...

2009-02-19T16:05:00.000-06:00

I love it when brave souls is a hearty "you suck" and then don't take ownership of their sentiment.

Actually, what I think he meant to say, Jerry, was "Right On" to let you know how much he agrees with what you said. I'm trying to remember what the last JFK merchandise was I saw advertised. And for the life of me, it's just not coming to me.

A much better tribute to him would have been Teres...

2009-02-19T15:10:00.000-06:00

A much better tribute to him would have been Teresa keeping DEI alive! To late for that now!

Thank you!!!

2009-02-19T15:06:00.000-06:00

Thank you!!!

Every year on 9/11 they read all the names that we...

2009-02-19T14:44:00.000-06:00

Every year on 9/11 they read all the names that were killed. We hold a moment of silence when the first plane hit tower. Elvis, James Dean, Albert Einstien, Tupac, JFK have all come out with merchandise every year. Dale was in the top 10 in sales. Jerry Bonkowski you suck!

Maybe it is time to stop these things, but this ye...

2009-02-19T14:13:00.000-06:00

Maybe it is time to stop these things, but this year, possibly the gathering at DEI was about mourning the loss of it too. I know that his name is still apart of a race team, but the 'Garage Mahal' is no more. If it took only 8 years for something like that to fail, all factors aside, then what will happen to these start-up teams who are trying to build now.

I know Jr. leaving was a blow to DEI, but there was one person who could have stopped that, and she is the CEO. But I have to think that Dale would have told Jr. to go drive for someone else if the job wasn't getting done at DEI...I honestly do. I just wonder if there will be anything left for Kerry, Kelley, Jr. and Taylor when TE is done with it.

I have thought the same thing for years. I think ...

2009-02-19T13:49:00.000-06:00

I have thought the same thing for years. I think all the 'special' souvenirs and the candlelight vigils are an insult to his memory and a shame to his name.

Dr. King Deserves Better in Charlotte, NC!

2009-02-19T07:42:00.000-06:00

Dr. King Deserves Better in Charlotte, NC!