Richard Petty remembers first thing he said when | Sports News

Richard Petty revealed the first thought that crept into his thoughts upon studying that Dale Earnhardt handed away.

Though the affect initially seemed to be comparatively average in comparison with different crashes that transpired during the historic NASCAR race, the world quickly discovered that the collision was extreme enough to trigger deadly inside accidents. An post-mortem later revealed that Earnhardt — the daddy of Amazon Prime Video broadcaster Dale Earnhardt Jr. — suffered basilar cranium fracture, which happens on the base of the cranium and is attributable to fast deceleration forces.

While chatting with Forbes’ Jim Clash on Tuesday, Petty shared that he was at Daytona International Speedway for Earnhardt’s last-ever race. “Yes, I was right here at the racetrack,” he said. “When it happened, I just thought it was another wreck.”

It wasn’t till Petty was boarding a airplane to move home that he understood the true magnitude of the tragedy that came about. “As we were getting on the airplane to leave, somebody came by and said that Dale didn’t make it,” the 88-year-old recalled. “I responded, ‘You can’t be serious, he just ran into the wall.’ They said, ‘Yeah, he broke his neck or something.’”

At the time, Petty swiftly paid his respects to Earnhardt earlier than sending properly needs to his household. “Like all of the NASCAR household, I used to be shocked and saddened by the loss of Dale Earnhardt,” he said. “We shared a common bond in championships as well as a mutual respect. Our family has raced against his family since this sport began, going back to when my Dad and I raced against Ralph Earnhardt.

“My thoughts and prayers and that of the entire Petty organization are with Teresa, Kerry, Kelly, Dale Jr., Taylor and the rest of the Earnhardt family.”

In the years since Earnhardt’s untimely death, Petty acknowledged that the number of massive wrecks at superspeedways like Daytona has increased exponentially. “You’ve got a different society now, these kids coming in at 18- or 20-years old,” he famous.

“They get on computers and simulators and stuff, and they think they’re racecar drivers, you know what I mean? So when they get in the car, they still think they’re sitting there with that [simulator] safety.

“They don’t know the dangers, didn’t come through the ranks of running on Saturday nights and turning over 14 times, going through fences and seeing other drivers doing the same. In fairness, some have come up through go-karts and Legend cars, but it’s nothing like going to the big time.

“Another thing is parity. Out of 40-some cars in a race, at least 30 are capable of winning under the right circumstances. The top-10 can be racing, and maybe you are running 11th half-a-lap behind. If there’s a big wreck in front of you, first thing you know you’ve won the race. And that’s the way it’s been for a while.”