68SSCamaro's blog

Dale & the #3

Friday March 21, 2008 @ 05:35 PM EDT

Yesterday “Catfish” posed an excellent question regarding the “number” or the “Man”. I know what is is for me , the Man but i also have a strong bond to that number.

Car numbers used to be just that to me back in the day before this sport became the marketing phenomenon that we have now. Dale was driving the blue and yellow Wrangler car when he first became a constant “blip” on my radar, I’ve thought long and hard about it but I can’t remember if that number really mattered to me then, it may be more "old timers disease " than anything else but I don’t remember it really mattering to me.

What I do remember is when he became the “Man in Black” and I saw that Black ball cap with the #3 on it, I had to have one and I’ve worn many of them to shreds since that time. I was a painter the last 20 or so yrs. of my workin’ life so I have ruined many of them . I still have the one I wore in 2001 hangin over my work bench in my shop. they can throw it out when i kick the bucket myself but not one second before.

After “Daytona 2001” , no matter where I went there was always somebody , whether I knew them or not who would see that hat on my head and would flash me a three fingered salute. I know that they had absolutely no freakin’ idea how much that meant to me and I would have really liked to have told them but a grown up hippie doin the “ugly cry” in “Wally World”…..well you can visualize.

Before Dale Earnhardt I only had one Hero , a man that never let me down or made my life more difficult than it already was. He taught me to fish, hunt, build a fire….and probably not on HIS list, he showed me how to put one out (thats a whole blog in itself). He was always grinnin’ like a polecat cuz no matter what he was doin’, He was havin’ fun. I lost him when I was 18, just when I needed someone like him in my life more than ever…….he was my Dad. It’s been 30 yrs. I thought I was ready to write about him but I was wrong, it’s still too Raw and uncomfortable for me to think about, but Its’ down and I’m not gonna backspace it out. I thought I would never Idolize anyone else after that day until I watched this wild,
reckless talented race car driver that had that same “I’m havin a good time” grin on his face" win, lose or draw…..he had me from that point on.

I got the "Dale Earnhardt 5 cd box set as a present from my “Ol Lady” a couple of months back, I still have not gotten up the courage to open it and stick one of the disks in the dvd player, its been 7 yrs. and I’m still not ready, hopefully one day I will be.

I’m really glad that Richard has found that place in himself to let that #3 go, I’m gonna work on doin’ the same myself. I hope his Grandson makes him as proud as my 2 heros have made me.
peace
68§§

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