The Day the Music Died

5 thoughts on “The Day the Music Died”

1. Dear Drew,

   I still remember that crash all to well. It seemed so innocent at the time it happened. In other races (not just NASCAR but also indy racing, formula one and monster truck racing) I’ve seen cars that went end over end multiple times. Crashes that sent debris into the crowd. Cars that were on fire, incidents where you wondered how the driver was going to survive. By comparison Dale’s didn’t look so bad. That was part of the reason his death came as such a shock.

   I’ll be honest. I haven’t enjoyed any form of auto racing since that day.

   All the best

   Louis

2. Good Morning from Omaha,

   like louis I remember watching the tape of Dale earnhardt’s accident and everyone was saying it was not that severe of a crash. I guess as a result of his death the engineers came up with a “ham” harness, I think that is what it is called. It holds the driver in the seat from 5 different points and even has some snaps to hold the head and helmet in place.

   I can’t believe its been 10 years since he died. I was n0t a fan of NASCAR and will probably not be but the guys in charge responded a day late and a dollar short to this death.

   As you get older you discover that it takes an accident and serious injuries to encourage the powers that be to make changes. The same thing is happening with football helmets and concussions. There have been enough injuries and lawsuits to get the attention of manufacturers and so changes are on the way.

   You know the old saying, “its all fun and games until someone gets hurt.”

   Strive for excellence, nothing but your best.

   Gene

3. The HANS device (Head and Neck Support device) was designed in the 1980s and slowly refined during the 1990s and was being used by a some drivers. Most drivers, Earnhardt included, did not like the HANS device because they felt it would restrict their head movement and interfere with their driving. Refinement sped up after the death of Dale Earnhardt and by about 2005 most auto racing organizations required the use of the HANS. The HANS device sits on the driver’s shoulders and holds the head from whipping forward during a crash. Earnhardt die from a Basilar skull fracture when he crashed into the wall. I remember everyone saying that the crash did not look that hard. Another safety device implemented after that crash was shock absorbing walls around the track.

4. Louis, Gene and WM,

   Thanks for the comments today. This one was kind of hard to repost after everything that happened that day. But the tenth year has been mentioned a lot lately so I thought maybe those who haven’t seen it might want to see it. Thanks for the insight as well on the HANS device. My brother, Allan, called tonight. He owns the original of this cartoon and wondered how I got it off his wall and on the blog without him knowing about it. He mentioned the SPEED network on cable is airing a special called “The Day” about the tragic event. He found it informative and worth the watch. So I set the DVR for it.

5. I remember it all to well also. My folks were visiting and my dad walked in about 2 minutes after the crash. He took one look at me and asked what was wrong. I still have no idea why I “knew” this was a bad crash, but I did. There was something about the angle of it that just told me The Intimidator was going to be seriously hurt. Of course I never dreamed it would be would turn out the way it did.

   I also remember seeing your cartoon in The Rocky and thinking how great it was. I still rank it up there with your all time best cartoons.