Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?

Subject: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: wdyat12
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 11:20 PM

The great Dale Ernhardt passed away today going 190 mph. What a loss to his family and the racing world. I searched the archives for Nascar racing songs and came up with a blank. Can anyone put me on to some racing tunes?

wdat12

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 11:44 PM

Yeah, there's a few and the driver's did some themselves, but a lot of them are about the likes of what happened today. I'm a huge fan. I've watched, races, and been involved with racing of various types as long as I can remember and today takes me back to 1964 when I found out that Fireball died a month after his crash at Charlotte. Lots of ironies in what happened today...............But more than anything else, I can't imagine NASCAR and racing without Dale Earnhardt........................

Spaw

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: wdyat12
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 11:47 PM

Spaw,

That wreck just blew me away.

wdyat12

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 12:13 AM

The big wreck before that was classis superspeedway restrictor plate crashing. This was such a great race today.........The other mods that have freed up the engines and lessened the effect of the plates have indeed made things so much more exciting. Earnhardt's accident was one of those innocuous looking crashes, but they are the ones that do the most damage.

What this will do to NASCAR at this point in time is simply too hard to grasp. Tragic as the losses last year were, things happen to younger drivers and to men of lesser talent. Earnhardt was the most influential driver in NASCAR in the past 20 years. He was possibly the greatest stocker driver of any time. This is like the loss of Jimmy Clark, Mark Donahue, Ayrton Senna........all bigger than life, all seemingly invincible, and all now gone.

It's easy for people to say what they will about racing accidents and racers and fans. I know some cannot understand why dying in a dangerous sport can make some of us feel so bad. But it's about skill, about ability, about the work it takes to do something at a level far beyond what the rest of us can even relate to. Yeah, things happen in racing, its dangerous. real fans and real racers don't remember as many crashes as we do great performances. If you saw Jackie Stewart drive in Can-Am, where you could see into the cockpit so well, its easier to understand. I watched him at the Glen many years ago and I could have put a one inch stripe on the tread of his front tires and placed two dimes on the track in #7 and he'd have hit them EVERY TIME. That was what Earnhardt was to stock cars. Hard to believe..........

Spaw

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: wdyat12
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 01:57 AM

Spaw,

With your knowledge of racing, have you ever considered writing any race tunes?

wdyat12

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: bob schwarer
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 06:27 AM

Marty Robbins wrote one. It was published in Sports Illustrated many years ago.

Earnhardt was racing. He will be missed.

Bob S.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: Kim C
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 10:10 AM

I am not now and have never been a race fan BUT I have always known who Dale Earnhardt was. Wasn't a golf fan either but I knew who Payne Stewart was too. You can't help but notice people who are outstanding in their field even if you don't regularly keep up with what they do.

It is a tragic thing but somehow it is comforting to know he died doing what he loved. He really did give his life to racing.

I think the time is right for someone to write the Ballad of the Intimidator.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 01:16 PM

I dunno' Kim.........Most of those things come off pretty hoaky, no matter how well intentioned. The other night I was surfing some NASCAR sites and ran across this one about Fireball Roberts and though it really portrays a good bit of accuracy about that crash and the general feelings of all toward him, its just way too sappy to be taken for real. Glenn Roberts didn't need it to be remembered.

Dale Earnhardt needs nothing to be well remembered in the minds of racers and race fans.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: Kim C
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 01:30 PM

well, you're right, I won't argue that. :)

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: Pseudolus
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 01:34 PM

Truly a sad day for the Earnhardt family, friends and fans. Jim Croce did a song called "Rapid roy that stock Car Boy". Not sure if that falls into the exact category you were looking for.

Frank

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 01:58 PM

"The great Dale Ernhardt passed away today going 190 mph"

...not to make light of a great tragedy, (I was watching)..but he died going 0 mph.

The camera shot of Waltrip and Dale jr. almost at the finish line while the dust from the accident swirls in the background was chilling.

They can mess with the ruls all they want and argue over the 'best' way to provide 'good racing' with the safest procedures, but driving 190 mph is inherently dangerous, and drivers died before the rule change, and will again. Without restrictions, they just go faster & faster until friction and centrifigal determine the limits..with restrictions, they drive in bunches with no way to spread out. I don't see any real solution.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 02:46 PM

It is an inherently dangerous sport and the risks are mant even with the latest in safety gear. Things have improved dramatically since I saw my first race but there will always be accidents and people will die. In this case, the stature in the sport of a man like Earnhardt simply makes it especially hard. Racing in all its forms will continue because the competitve desire will continue to burn.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: Kim C
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 10:26 AM

Well, Spaw, I was watching the local news last night, and they were interviewing a local songwriter who's been a friend of the Earnhardts for several years. He had already been writing a song for Dale, just as a personal gift to a friend, not for commercial release or anything like that. Dale knew his friend was working on a surprise for him but unfortunately he never got to hear it.

Subject: RE: Tune Req: Nascar Racing Songs?
From: Steve in Idaho
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 01:58 PM

Kyle Petty has a couple of albums out about racing. They are very good and you should be able to access them at any of the larger record sellers.
When I go I hope it is watching my Son doing better than I did. I'm near certain that Dale was watching two of the people he loved doing their very best. The interview with Dale just prior to the race with Darrell Waltrip was also quite prophetic.
He will indeed be missed. Steve