Ten stories you need to read again
December 22, 2001
1:51 PM EST (1951 GMT)
The following are stories that appeared on NASCAR.com in 2001 that we feel represent the year that was in NASCAR.
Topic: Schrader: The man who saw Earnhardt
Date posted: April 16, 2001
Excerpt:: What Schrader saw was NASCAR's seemingly indestructible superhero sitting lifeless in the very same seat in which he'd conquered the world for years.
Upon impact, Schrader assumed Earnhardt might be injured but had no idea his life was in jeopardy.
"I had no idea how severe it was until I walked up to the car because I wasn't thinking anything like that," Schrader said. "When I came out of the infield care center and got bombarded with interview requests, I just said one little thing. I didn't feel like it was my place to tell the world what the deal was. I knew it was bad."
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Topic: One year later
Date posted: May 10, 2001
Excerpt:: The kid with the infectious smile and unyielding determination was gone, and the effect it had on his family, fellow competitors and everyone else in the racing community for that matter, was gut wrenching.
And while Petty's death sent tremors throughout the NASCAR family, it stung to the core at Petty Enterprises. Adam Petty was the future that all involved at Petty Enterprises were building towards, and the void left in Randleman, N.C., is one that may never be filled.
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Topic: A.J. Alsup: No time to sleep
Date posted: July 31, 2001
Excerpt:: A.J. Alsup is one such aspiring talent, only his story is a bit different than most. Alsup, you see, came from a racing family, is well-spoken, has some cash saved up and, oddly enough, has beaten Harvick head-to-head.
Still, he's struggling just to pay the tire bill.
The primary aspect about racing that makes it so brutal is that there's no real justice," said Alsup, smoking a cigarette while kicking back on his porch swing at his home in Huntersville, N.C. "It's not necessarily how hard you work, and it's not necessarily how bad you want it and it's not necessarily how much homework you do to get there.
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Topic: A hometown reacts
Date posted: August 22, 2001
Excerpt:: As much as the NASCAR community was awaiting the results of the investigation into the death of Dale Earnhardt, so were the hometown fans of Dale Earnhardt.
Residents of Kannapolis, N.C, Earnhardt's hometown, were vocal about the 324-page report, released Tuesday by NASCAR.
Herb Cauble, 53, runs Towel City Retreading in Kannapolis and provided tires to both Dale and his father Ralph Earnhardt when they started racing. He said he watched bits and pieces of the press conference and read some published sections of the report.
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Topic: Serving his country
Date posted: October 12, 2001
Excerpt:: The events of September 11th have caused many people to set their priorities straight. The attacks have even prompted one NASCAR crew member to change careers.
When the NASCAR Busch Series season ends in November, David Swann will leave his position as the tire specialist for the No. 26 Chevrolet driven by Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Instead of gearing up for next season, Swann will be putting on his U.S. Air Force uniform as he re-enlists for four years.
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Topic: A son's second loss
Date posted: October 11, 2001
Excerpt:: As Kerry Earnhardt sped through Turn 3 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Oct. 4, four laps remained in the EasyCare 100 and the prospect of leading the field to the checkered flag was rapidly becoming reality.
Sadly, that checkered flag never waved.
As Earnhardt, the race leader, entered Turn 4, he came upon a much slower lapped machine and jammed on the brakes, allowing his dear friend Blaise Alexander, with whom he'd engaged in a fierce dogfight for the lead all night, to draw up beside him and inch into the lead.
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Topic: Garage trickery
Date posted: Feb. 13, 2001
Excerpt:: Tony Furr's excitement when talking to the media could be likened to that of a trip to the dentist. It bites, but it's just something you've got to do.
Even so, Furr on Tuesday openly discussed the hefty fine NASCAR slapped him with Monday, and the four weeks he'll have off to think about it.
Furr, a veteran crew chief with a history of testing rules limits, was fined $12,500 and given a four-race suspension from his duties for using illegal rear suspension parts and an illegal fuel cell in Jerry Nadeau's No. 25 Chevrolet.
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Topic: A young man becomes a star
Date posted: April 2, 2001
Excerpt:: The impact Steve Park, 33, has had in his fourth year in the series for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. is nothing short of immense.
Park, who signaled his arrival in the sport's upper echelon with his win last August at Watkins Glen International, has become the standard-bearer for DEI.
While Michael Waltrip won the season-opening Daytona 500 and Dale Earnhardt Jr. the Bud Pole for the Harrah's 500, Park has consistently been the most-competitive and well-placed DEI driver at the season's first seven races.
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Topic: Boys will be boys
Date posted: Sept. 6, 2001
Excerpt:: Stacy Compton's last Sunday drive ended on the tip of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s bumper, and even after he had a chance to cool off at Darlington Raceway last weekend, the Melling Racing Dodge driver didn't know quite what to make of the last two months of the season. He said he's tangled several times with "Little E's" No. 8 Chevrolet in that span.
"There's 42 cars out there you can race with and one you can't," the bitterly disappointed Compton said. "I can race with everybody out there, and everybody's give and take.
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Topic: A father's wish fulfilled
Date posted: Sept. 30, 2001
Excerpt:: Sometimes with hope and patience, even the most unspeakable tragedy will eventually result in triumph.
Jason Dahl, Dahl, the 15-year-old son of United Airlines Flight 93 Captain Jason Dahl, was astonished upon hearing the news that he would actually meet the three-time Winston Cup champion, who currently leads the standings. He was unsure how he would react. His reaction wasn't uncommon.
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