If Dale Earnhardt Sr. didn't crash on turn 4...
- Thread starter The Bman
- 27 comments
- 26,375 views
- 1,134
- NapoleonMikey
I dont think NASCAR would be all the much different. Might have taken a little longer to implement a lot of the safety stuff.
I think sports car racing would be different though. Seeing as how he was looking to race at the 24 hours of Le Mans with Corvette Racing. His personality would have been nice to see on that side.
- 33,155
- Hammerhead Garage
It's impossible to predict what would have happened. You might as wel ask what would have happened to America if JFK hadn't been assassinated for all the good your speculation would do.
- 26,247
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
I sometimes wonder this myself. I don't know if Dale Sr. would probably still be racing or not. He would have been 59(?) years old now. The domino effect would be if Dale Jr. wouldn't get so much popularity. So you'd have to look at this from two different sides- how much more Dale Sr. would still be racing, and would Dale Jr.'s star be as high now if it wasn't if Dale Sr. didn't have that fatal crash.
Otherwise, this is a loaded question full of all sorts of variables.
Otherwise, this is a loaded question full of all sorts of variables.
- 1,978
- Ohio
- IceManPJN
- IceMan PJN
It might have expedited the implementation of some safety measures in NASCAR a bit, but not in motorsports in general and the safety measures would have come anyway sooner or later. While the useful HANS device would have saved Earnhardt from his basilar skull fracture, the HANS device wasn't created as a result of Earnhardt's accident. Rather, it had been designed back in the early 1980s almost two decades prior to Earnhardt's death and the intent to use it in motorsport was spurred on for many years by the fatalities of drivers from all sorts of motorsports, including F1 driver Roland Ratzenberger who died of a basilar skull fracture during qualifying for the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix that saw the death of Ayrton Senna the following day (not a basilar skull fracture, I should note).
- 1,134
- NapoleonMikey
I know this quite well, that's why i left it to NASCAR only. Earnhardt was basically the Aryton Senna for NASCAR. His death brought about a wave of changes for safety in NASCAR. The mandatory use of HANS along with the safer barrier walls. Im sure these things would have come soon or later to NASCAR, but how much later if it weren't for his death?
- 2,886
Considering that NASCAR had been more reactive than proactive about safety before Earnhardt's death, it probably would have been someone else that would have died/been seriously injured before they had done anything.
I think the fact that Earnhardt was the face of NASCAR, being so popular caused a big shockwave throughout all stock car racing when he died, I know several fans who think NASCAR has never been the same since Sr.'s death.
I think the fact that Earnhardt was the face of NASCAR, being so popular caused a big shockwave throughout all stock car racing when he died, I know several fans who think NASCAR has never been the same since Sr.'s death.
- 44,184
- Blackburn
- Furinkazen_54
- 24,608
- Anoka, MN
Irwin Jr. and Petty died in 2000, as did Tony Roper(Truck series race at Texas).
- 1,142
- Clayton/ NC/ US
- Sanderson1981
- 746
Theres been many accidents in the past couple of seasons in which i believe ad it not been for the immense safety work done because of is death we would have had a couple more to the list.
- 5,379
- Yokohama
- F1fan1
I seem to remember someone else died in similar circumstances, shortly before Dale Sr died. He may have been a Nationwide driver. They didn't do anything about it then. Sometimes, it takes a big name to have an accident, before people take notice.
Edit: I was thinking of Adam Petty. Along with Kenny Irwin Jr and Tony Roper(and of course, Dale), there were four deaths in Nascar in the space of a year.
Personally, I think he would still be racing some way or another. Maybe still in Nascar, or maybe he would have done something else. Something tells me, he would have wanted to be racing for as long as he could.
- 717
- FactoryDriver
NASCAR might've been even more popular than it was in the mid-2000s. And it was exploding then. Maybe you would've seen a couple non-traditional manufacturers get involved. Perhaps you don't get the "Car of Tomorrow" that looks awful, bears no resemblance to the street cars on which NASCAR is supposedly based, and turns people off from the sport. But I think you still have the collapse in attendance and ratings as the economy tanked.
In the end, I still think you have the same fundamental problems though: races that are too long, Jimmie Johnson (who isn't particularly likable or dislikable, like say ... Sebastian Vettel
) winning way too much, bland tracks that are really hard to differentiate from one another, and a points system (the Chase Cup) that over-rewards consistent finishes as opposed to winning. The sport is just boring now.I think if you want to fix NASCAR, it really ought to be more like V8 Supercars. De-emphasize the ovals (by far the hardest part since there aren't that-that many circuits in the US that can handle a full NASCAR field, and the new circuits don't want to become relics before they're even finished being paid off), shorten the races, make the cars look a LOT more like street cars (if V8S can make them safe, so can NASCAR), and place a major points premium on winning.
- 24,608
- Anoka, MN
As with most things, too much is a good thing. In this case that thing is 1.5 mile ovals. They can and do provide some great finishes but at the same time get boring as they are all the same basic shape. I think it has also shaped the way people think of ovals and think there all the same. I would like to see more tracks like Darlington, Phoenix, Martinsville etc. that are unique.
I would love it if NASCAR also took more from the V8 series' than just the cars, as you said the races are too long, I would love if they adopted a formula like the V8's have and have relatively short races and a few endurance races thrown in, only without the multiple drivers.
I also don't feel the CoT wouldn't have happened, the "old" car was based on the same basic design that was first used in 1966, that's 40 years on the same basic chassis design. Although I feel they didn't go the right direction with it, the CoT was needed.
I would love it if NASCAR also took more from the V8 series' than just the cars, as you said the races are too long, I would love if they adopted a formula like the V8's have and have relatively short races and a few endurance races thrown in, only without the multiple drivers.
I also don't feel the CoT wouldn't have happened, the "old" car was based on the same basic design that was first used in 1966, that's 40 years on the same basic chassis design. Although I feel they didn't go the right direction with it, the CoT was needed.
- 28,500
- Bratvegas
- GTP_Liquid
NASCAR has been space frame/silhouette based racing for a fair number of years now.
You seem to be thinking of showroom stock or pure stock. FIA Group N is production based racing.
As for Dale, I think he would still be racing, but maybe at a lower level or on a lesser scale. Much like Senna, I think it was the death of a big name that acted as a catalyst for improved safety, so maybe things like SAFER barriers and/or HANS might have taken a bit longer to catch on.
- 40,419
He's referring to the cars actually having the shapes of the cars they are supposed to be based on, which was still at least somewhat the case before the CoT. Granted, nowhere near as much as it was in the 80s, but as it is now it is still pretty pointless even having three manufacturers in the series.
- 9,053
- Murica
- BasedAckbar
Dale made NASCAR much more approachable and broke stereotypes of being a race series just for the "hicks".
I mean people still talk about him, and they aren't NASCAR fans themselves.
I mean people still talk about him, and they aren't NASCAR fans themselves.
Last edited:
- 628
- Atlanta, GA, USA
- Bhowe83
Earnhardt was actually playing a big role in the initial creation of the COT (NASCAR had planned this since the late 90's and began creation around the early 00's). If Dale hadn't have died, I believe the COT would have been a much better succes at its initial release and the racing would have and still be subsequencialy better.
Also, Dale Jr. would still be at DEI and Sr. would probably have retired to be a crew-chief/ car owner for Dale Jr. and DEI. I feel like Jr. with Dale Sr's help would have succeeded much more and be a championship contender more often.
Also, Dale Jr. would still be at DEI and Sr. would probably have retired to be a crew-chief/ car owner for Dale Jr. and DEI. I feel like Jr. with Dale Sr's help would have succeeded much more and be a championship contender more often.
- 1,403
- mooresville, NC
- FRT_LEGACY97
^+1 and yes Sr. was one of the greatest NASCAR drivers ever, tying Richard Petty with 7 cup series championships. Also, not many people know this but Dale did not die of being crushed to death. He died of a snapped neck due to his seat belts not being fastened and when he hit the wall he was killed instantly. He was already dead when the roof caved in. But, Even if he had his seat belts on the roof caving in would have killed him anyways. So the Earnhardt bar(or Tuthill bar depending on where your from) was a revolutionary safety improvement for stock car racing. Also not well known, Sr. is buried next to his car.
no actually there is a new chassis the driver is now closer to the center of the car.
no actually there is a new chassis the driver is now closer to the center of the car.
- 2,186
- W-S, NC
- WillyTwoScoops
Why is this even being brought up because of his crash? It almost seems like all the others didn't matter.
NASCAR probably wouldn't have pushed as hard for COT and maybe no chase but that's only thing I see being different. Harvick might have not got the break either though.
NASCAR probably wouldn't have pushed as hard for COT and maybe no chase but that's only thing I see being different. Harvick might have not got the break either though.
