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.”