Dale Earnhardt's widow sent this letter to
to USA TODAY so she could speak to his fans
around the world.
I can never fully express my immense gratitude
for the overwhelming support we have received.
It would be easy at this time to get lost in
the sadness of losing a loving husband,
father and grandfather.However, I and our
family, as well as everyone at Dale Earnhardt
Inc., have chosen to take this time to reflect
not on the sadness we feel today,but on the
joy Dale Earnhardt the man brought to us
and Dale Earnhardt the driver brought to so many fans for so many years.
It is a joy that will carry us through the sadness
and grief of this day and many days to come.
For our children,Kerry,Kelley,Dale Jr.and
Taylor,he was a father whose pride in his
children was greater than even his strongest
desire as a competitor.
For his mother, Martha,he was a son who always
wanted to make sure she had what she needed.
For his brothers and sisters,he was always
an influential part of their lives.
For his employees,he could be both demanding
and praising and had the ability to create
the same desire to win in the crews and
drivers that he had in himself He was very
proud of what the teams at Dale Earnhardt Inc
had been able to do in a very short period of time
and the people who helped it happen and supported
its acceleration.
For his fans,there simply was no one more
sensational and with that I agree.
There were two sides to Dale Earnhardt,
and I am so blessed to have known both
for the qualities they carried.
The public Dale Earnhardt wanted to be the best.
The competitive drive that burned inside of him
gave him the passion to win.If he was racing,
he wanted to win the most races and championships.
If he was fishing, he wanted to catch the most fish.
The private Dale Earnhardt,the husband and father
and son and brother,wanted to be the best as well.
He struggled with that at times.Emotions didn't
come as easy to this man who stirred so much
emotion in other people.but as his children grew
and began making decisionsof their own,he saw
that most of the time,they made the decision by
asking themselves,"What would dad do?"
I will ask myself that in the coming days and weeks
and for a long time after that, I'm sure.
"What would Dale do?" I think what Dale would do,
and what Dale would want us to do,is remember the
joy that his life brought.Remember the things
about him that made you happy,that you were his fan.
Remember the man who loved life.
He was the happiest person I know,and that can
comfort us all.
