Remembering a racing legend
Paul Clinton
FAIRGROUNDS -- Fans of Dale Earnhardt on Friday spent time at the
Orange County Fair milling about an exhibit dedicated to the racing
legend, who died in a crash in February.
Some visitors heard about the fair’s memorial tribute to Earnhardt and
came for just that reason.
“We really liked him,” said Sam Hyatt of Westminster. “We do miss
him.”
During the two weeks of the fair, dozens of visitors filled a black
notebook with memories and thoughts about Earnhardt, a seven-time Winston
Cup champion who became known as “The Intimidator” for his aggressive
driving style.
Part of the exhibit was organized by Gary Downe, a fan of the NASCAR
legend who supplied his collectibles to the fair. The exhibit was
stationed in the Collections building, at the western edge of the
fairgrounds.
Downs, in a note, said he would send the tribute book to the Earnhardt
family after the fair ends.
In what seemed similar to the heart-rending tributes to fallen war
heroes, Downs included a framed photo of Earnhardt with the message:
“Farewell, Brave #3.”
Earnhardt’s black car bore that number when he lost control of it in
the fourth turn of the last lap of the Daytona 500 and crashed head-on
into a retaining wall. He was killed instantly.
The tribute exhibit, a tall glass case in the building’s hall,
included several prizewinning collections of Earnhardt memorabilia.
Mike Basso of Lake Forest captured the blue ribbon for his set of
candid, glossy photos of Earnhardt at various races.
Second-place winner Theresa Basso displayed a series of collectible
toy NASCAR stock cars and an open letter about her idol.
“Dale Earnhardt was a true gentleman, but he was very competitive,”
Basso wrote. “Come race day, all that was on his mind was winning.”
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.