THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 30, 1996 TAG: 9607300449
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: INDIANAPOLIS LENGTH: 68 lines
Dale Earnhardt was moving more slowly than usual Monday in the wake of one of the worst accidents of his NASCAR Winston Cup career. But he was keeping a full schedule - and giving thanks that he wasn't hurt worse.
``All I can say is I was very lucky,'' Earnhardt said in a statement released by his team Monday.
He was lucky indeed. Anyone who saw the remains of his Chevrolet Monte Carlo and saw how badly the roof was caved in knows how lucky Earnhardt was to escape his crash Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway with nothing more than a fractured sternum and fractured collarbone.
Earnhardt was released from Carraway Medical Center in Birmingham at 8:15 a.m. Monday after an overnight stay following his crash while leading the DieHard 500 on Sunday.
``He was ready to go - ready to get out of Birmingham,'' said Ty Norris, his assistant business manager.
``He's very sore, but he's walking around,'' said team publicist John Rhodes, who was with Earnhardt on Monday morning. ``He's the same Earnhardt. He just can't do things as fast as he wants.''
Earnhardt flew from Birmingham to Lexington, N.C., on Monday and promptly went to car owner Richard Childress' shop in Welcome to see his team and to have a strategy session with Childress.
There, they decided that Mike Skinner would drive in relief of Earnhardt in Saturday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Earnhardt canceled a press conference today in Indianapolis but will arrive Wednesday or early Thursday, will practice at least a lap and will qualify, Rhodes said. Skinner will practice the car in Wednesday's four-hour practice session.
Earnhardt will start Saturday's race, and undoubtedly he'll go as far as he can go. He won't decide how far until the race.
Earnhardt said the fact that he survived his crash without more serious injuries was a tribute ``to the high safety standards required by NASCAR, and it also shows what a great race car the guys at Richard Childress Racing build.''
Earnhardt's roll cage caved in after a direct hit from an oncoming car, which hit Earnhardt's car while it was on its side. The roof was caved in at the front center a good 2 feet. Earnhardt was not crushed because he was to the left of the cave-in and he sits low in his seat anyway.
The accident occurred on lap 117 while Earnhardt was leading the race, won by Jeff Gordon. It involved 11 cars and happened only 14 laps after a 15-car pileup on the backstretch.
Earnhardt was leading, with Ernie Irvan behind him and Sterling Marlin to his right, a half-car-length behind.
``The 28 (Irvan) turned into me and the 3 (Earnhardt) and wrecked a bunch of cars,'' Marlin said.
Irvan said it wasn't that simple.
``The 4 car (Marlin) wanted to go by Earnhardt, and I didn't go with him,'' Irvan said. ``So he was just juking - trying to get real close to Earnhardt and he run into my right front fender.''
Marlin's car turned into Earnhardt's, sending it almost head-on into the outside wall. It flipped on its side and was pounded by several other cars.
``Earnhardt was probably one of the worst ones about taking and running up beside somebody and getting almost against them,'' Irvan said. He added that the side-by-side drafting technique is ``exactly what the 3 car did all day.
``Sterling just learned from that, so that was what Sterling was trying to do,'' Irvan said. ``Sterling was trying to pinch against the 3 car, so that way the 3 car wouldn't be able to get the draft.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dale Earnhardt was hospitalized overnight after his crash Sunday at
Talladega. by CNB