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The late Dale Earnhardt
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I once heard that the late Dale Earnhardt was planning on retiring from NASCAR and go sports car racing full time. This was around the time when he competed in the 2001 Daytona 24 hour race. Does anybody know if this is true?
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He said it in public.
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Yeah I read in USA Today in June that he was going to retire from NASCAR at the end of the 2002 season. The article said his dream was to go to Le Mans. I remember Johnny O'Connell saying some like, 'Of course he wants to drive the Corvette, it has twice the tire, twice the downforce, and half the weight!" Im not a NASCAR guy, but it would have been interesting to see La Sarthe's reaction to the Intimidator.
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I remember Dale saying that because he wanted a different experience and a shorter schedule. He was getting older. Jeff Gordon also said something similar after a daytona 24 that he did not plan on racing in NASCAR when he is old and that the DP's were really fun to drive.
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I remember Dale saying that because he wanted a different experience and a shorter schedule. He was getting older. Jeff Gordon also said something similar after a daytona 24 that he did not plan on racing in NASCAR when he is old and that the DP's were really fun to drive.
JG on Windtunnel Sunday said he wants to run/win Lemans with Corvette.
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Thank you for your answers.
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Yeah, that was a memorable moment back in 2001. Hopefully, there will be a dream team of Gordon, Earnhardt Jr. and Stewart in a Chevy Corvette GT2 at LeMans.
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It would've been an interesting thing to see, very unfortunate that we never got that opportunity. He did great in the Corvette in the 24 hours
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Too bad about Jr.
Since being toasted extra-crispy his handlers have steered him away from sports cars. Although being focused on the series at hand is a good thing ......since a championship has not materialized yet.
Someday though...maybe. I just hope some of these drivers mean LeMans racing when talking sports cars...not just the January Nascar test at the Rolex.
Since being toasted extra-crispy his handlers have steered him away from sports cars. Although being focused on the series at hand is a good thing ......since a championship has not materialized yet.
Someday though...maybe. I just hope some of these drivers mean LeMans racing when talking sports cars...not just the January Nascar test at the Rolex.
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It would've been an interesting thing to see, very unfortunate that we never got that opportunity. He did great in the Corvette in the 24 hours
The guys on the P&M;team said they were astounded at how quickly Dale picked up the course and the car, and the drivers were impressed with how much he hauled his weight and didn't just put in laps. One of the major problems with NASCAR is that they race from February to November, and by September they just want the season to be over. But with the amount of time they spend racing every weekend and doing promotional work the rest of the time, NASCAR drivers do not have the time to make a commitment to anything else. It's like being a musician, living your life on the road or in airplanes. And when Goodyear develops a 10-inch snow-tire for road-courses, you can kiss January good-bye, too.
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Who cares...He's Dead!
