Dale Earnhardt

Drivers were indeed encouraged, with 41 out of 43 drivers wearing them at the Pepsi 400 by Meijer at Michigan International Speedway on August 19, 2001 two days before NASCAR's report came out. Michigan has the most registered boats (over 1 million) of any state in the Union. Consonant with its report, NASCAR declined at the time to require drivers to wear the uncomfortable head and neck restraints, NASCAR president Mike Helton saying "We are still not going to react for the sake of reacting." However, it did state that it "encouraged their use". See Lighthouses in the United States. NASCAR however, did not respond. They were built to project light at night and to serve as a landmark during the day to safely guide the passenger ships and freighters traveling the Great Lakes. When the greatly anticipated official NASCAR report[2] (http://www.nascar.com/SPECIAL/er/download/), which had cost over a million dollars, was published on August 21, 2001, however, it cited collision with another car, the speed and angle of impact, and separation of the seat belt as factors in the fatality. After NASCAR's report, Simpson retired, citing the stress as "too much." The Simpson company attorneys asked NASCAR to unequivocally assert that. The first lighthouses in Michigan were built between 1818 and 1822.

On the same day as Myers' report was made public, NASCAR announced its own investigation, after having remained silent for six weeks since the accident. state. I've been living in daily hell.". Michigan has over 130 lighthouses, the most of any U.S. Simpson's founder, Bill Simpson, called the report "the best news I've heard in seven weeks. Michigan is nicknamed the "Great Lakes State", and also the "Wolverine State", from a nickname earned during the Toledo War. Steve Olvey, medical director of Championship Auto Racing Teams for 22 years, and Wayne State University crash expert John Melvin also agreed with Myers' report. Navy's USS Michigan was named in honor of the state.

Dr. The U.S. Philip Villanueva, a University of Miami neurosurgeon who had previously analyzed the crash for the Sentinel before the autopsy records were available, said he had reached the same conclusion, but had wanted to examine the autopsy photos to be certain. postal abbreviation is "MI" (traditional: "Mich."). Dr. Its U.S. On April 10, 2001, Myers published his report rejecting NASCAR's explanation, finding that Earnhardt's death was in fact the result of his inadequately restrained head and neck snapping forward, independently of the broken seat belt (making the question of proper or improper installation moot). In turn, residents of the lower peninsula may be jokingly referred to as "trolls" -- because they "live below the Mackinac Bridge." As the Lower Peninsula is famously shaped like a mitten, residents often use their left hand or right palm as a shorthand "map" to illustrate which part of the state they hail from.

Barry Myers, a Duke University expert on crash injuries, to independently study Earnhardt's death. An individual from Michigan is called a "Michigander" or "Michiganian." A resident of Michigan's Upper Peninsula ("the U.P.") is often called a "Yooper" (or U.P.'er). After a short court battle, it was mutually agreed to appoint Dr. The clang and clamor of metro Detroit's crowded thoroughfares and busy factories stand in vivid counterpoint to the tranquility found in virtually every corner of the state. The Orlando Sentinel attempted to acquire Earnhardt's autopsy records and photos for study, autopsy records being normally public documents in Florida, but Earnhardt's widow, Teresa, (along with public opinion) prevailed upon a judge to seal the records. Michigan is simultaneously known for its cities, supported by heavy industry, and its pristine wilderness, home to more than 11,000 lakes. On the other hand, NASCAR also did not wish to be seen as negligent in not requiring adequate head and neck restraint for drivers in the wake of five fatal accidents in the past 11 months, including popular drivers Kenny Irwin, Jr., Tony Roper, and Adam Petty, grandson of NASCAR's most legendary driver, Richard Petty. Benton Harbor is the poorest city in Michigan, with a per capita income of $8,965.

Certainly, being held responsible for the death of NASCAR's most popular driver was not a desirable prospect for Simpson. Detroit, with a per capita income of $14,717, ranks 517th on the list of Michigan locations by per capita income. The manufacturers of seat belts for NASCAR, Simpson Race Products of Charlotte, North Carolina, maintained that the belt had failed because it had been installed in an unapproved fashion in order to increase Earnhardt's comfort, an allegation that had been supported by some who were familiar with the situation. Only three of these cities are located outside of Metro Detroit. Steve Bohannon said he thought the faulty belt had allowed Earnhardt's chin to strike the steering wheel, killing him. Of these 20 locations, half are located in Oakland County, just north of Detroit. Daytona International Speedway physician Dr. census² of 2000:.

At a news conference five days after the fatal crash, NASCAR officials announced that a seat belt had broken in Earnhardt's car. As ranked by per capita income, as of the U.S. The Fox television commentators' call of the final lap of the 2001 Golden Corral 500, with Harvick defeating Jeff Gordon by .006 seconds, and the images of Earnhardt's longtime fueler, Danny "Chocolate" Myers crying after the victory, are among of the most memorable moments in recent motorsports history, In 2004, his life story was made into a television movie by ESPN titled, 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story. Other important cities include. Three weeks after Earnhardt's death, young California driver Kevin Harvick, hired to replace him in the now-renumbered and repainted #29 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet, scored a win at Atlanta. The largest cities in Michigan are (according to the 2000 census):. The winner of that race, Michael Waltrip, was one of Dale's closest friends, and drove for DEI. See: List of cities, villages, and townships in Michigan.

finished second when his father died at the 2001 Daytona 500. See also Highway map of Michigan. Dale Jr.
. are both NASCAR drivers. The three largest Protestant denominations in Michigan are: Baptist (16% of the total state population), Lutheran (8%), Methodist (7%). Kerry and Dale Jr. The religious affiliations of the people of Michigan are:.

(both from his second marriage to Brenda Gee), and daughter Taylor (from his third marriage). The five largest ancestries in Michigan are: German (20.4%), African American (14.2%), Irish (10.7%), English (9.9%), Polish (8.6%). At the time of his death he was survived by his third wife Teresa and four children: Son Kerry (from his first marriage to Latane Brown), Kelley, Dale Jr. The racial makeup of the state is:. In contrast with his image as a hardnosed competitor on the track, off the track he was known to his friends as someone who was charitable and generous, but kept that side of himself private from the rest of the world. Census Bureau estimate): 10,079,985. He enjoyed the company of his family, being in the outdoors, hunting and fishing, and actively working his farm in Kannapolis, riding a tractor instead of a racecar. Michigan's total population (2003 U.S.

Earnhardt kept his private life generally private. See also: List of companies based in Michigan. It is remarkable that his son, Dale Jr., is still officially marked as "Earnhardt Jr." on the ticker, even though there is no longer a need to distinguish between father and son on the racetrack. Michigan is primarily known as the birthplace of the automobile industry. However, it is also home to a thriving tourist industry, with destinations such as Traverse City, Mackinac Island, Saugatuck and the entire Upper Peninsula drawing vacationers, hunters and nature enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada. Earnhardt's death drew a considerable reaction from the nation, NASCAR, and of course grief-stricken fans. See also Protected areas of Michigan, List of Michigan state parks. People either loved him or hated him, but he was arguably one of the most popular drivers in the sport. Detroit, Michigan is the only major city in the contiguous United States that is actually due north of Canada.

Dale Earnhardt in NASCAR was a very polarizing figure. No point in Michigan is more than 6 miles (10 km) from an inland lake or more than 85 miles (137 km) from one of the Great Lakes, and the state has more than 11,000 inland lakes and more than 36,000 miles (58,000 km) of rivers and streams. Although Earnhardt eventually formed his own racing outfit--Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI)--his loyalty to and friendship with Richard Childress kept aligned with RCR as a driver. The Great Lakes which touch the two peninsulas of Michigan are Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. The sinister looking all-black Goodwrench Chevrolet became the best-known car driven by Earnhardt. This equals the length of the Atlantic Coast, from Maine to Florida. Earnhardt drove a Chevrolet model, that moved through the decades as a Lumina and later a Monte Carlo. An additional 879 miles (1415 km) can be added if islands are included.

The #3 was sponsored by Wrangler Jeans, and later by Goodwrench. Other than Alaska, Michigan has the longest shoreline of any state -- 2,242 miles (3,607 km). While Earnhardt and Childress decided to split after the 1981 season (Earnhardt drove for Walter Moore, and Childress hired Ricky Rudd), they returned for 1984, and created one of the most successful teams in motorsports. The two peninsulas are surrounded by an extensive Great Lakes shoreline. That partnership won 69 of Earnhardt's 76 races. These two sections are connected only by the five-mile-long Mackinac Bridge -- the third longest suspension bridge in the world. Earnhardt never liked Stacy, and when independent driver Richard Childress was given an offer to retire and let Earnhardt take over his #3 car, complete with Earnhardt's Wrangler Jeans sponsorship, Childress gave up his ride to field cars for Earnhardt. The heavily forested Upper Peninsula (often called simply "The U.P.") is as large as Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island combined, but has less than 330,000 inhabitants, who are sometimes called "Yoopers" (from "U.P.'ers") and whose speech has been heavily influenced by the large number of Scandinavian and Canadian immigrants who settled the area during the mining boom of the late 1800's.

Stacy. The Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten and is 277 miles (446 km) long from north to south and 195 miles (314 km)from east to west. D. Michigan consists of two peninsulas:. In 1981, after a successful two and a half year stint with car owner Rod Osterlund, winning the 1980 championship, Osterlund sold his team to J. The highest point in the Lower Peninsula is not definitely established but is either Briar Hill at 1,705 feet (520 meters), or one of several points closely nearby. As of 2005, no other Nextel Cup race car has used this number, and NASCAR has considered officially retiring it. The highest point is Mount Arvon in the Upper Peninsula at 1,979 feet (603 m).

Dale drove the #3 car for most of his career, spanning the late 1970s until his unfortunate passing in 2001. Michigan also borders Minnesota, Illinois, the Canadian province of Ontario, and the Canadian First Nation (Indian) reserve of Walpole Island, but only on water boundaries in the Great Lakes system. Although he had won at Daytona many times in many different races--including six Budweiser Shootouts, two Pepsi 400s, twelve Gatorade Twin 125s (including ten in a row from 1990 through 1999) and six IROC races--it took him until 1998 to win the Daytona 500, on his twentieth try. Michigan borders Indiana and Ohio to the south, and Wisconsin to the southwest of the Upper Peninsula. He won 76 points races overall, fourth on the alltime list. Georgia has a slightly larger land area, however. Earnhardt himself had 10 wins at Talladega alone. Michigan encompasses 96,810 square miles (250,630 square kilometers), making it the largest state east of the Mississippi River if territorial water is included.

Restrictor plates are used at two superspeedways, Daytona and Talladega, where drafting also plays a large role in who wins — subsequently Dale Earnhardt and the teams he had worked with all do very well at those tracks. See: List of Michigan Governors, List of United States Senators from Michigan, List of United States Representatives from Michigan. Earnhardt discovered "side-drafting." Earnhardt was also known for his dominance at restrictor plate racing. As of April 2001, there were 127 charter townships in Michigan. In addition to a hard-charging racing style, Earnhardt was known for being excellent at drafting, the phenomenon where two cars lined up together go faster than one car alone. There are two types of townships in Michigan: general law and charter. Charter township status was created by the state legislature in 1947 and grants additional powers and stream-lined administration in order to provide greater protection against annexation by a city. During his career, Earnhardt won the NASCAR Championship seven times, tying the record of the legendary Richard Petty. Additionally, his prize winnings totaled more than $41 million. Cities and villages are vested with home rule powers, meaning that they can do almost anything not prohibited by law.

For his aggressive driving style, Earnhardt quickly won the nickname "The Intimidator." He is generally credited with authorship of the quotation "second place is the first loser." His aggressiveness was always businesslike and in the service of competitive success, however; he was never vindictive or purposelessly aggressive on the track. Michigan counties and townships are statutory units of government, meaning that they have only those powers expressly provided or fairly implied by state law. Dale Earnhardt began with his racing career two years later, and by 1979 he had won the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award. Still, with 10 million residents, Michigan remains a large and influential state and ranks 8th in population among the 50 states. His father, Ralph, died of a heart attack while working on his race car in 1973. Since World War II, Detroit's industrial base has eroded as auto companies abandoned some of the area's industrial parks in favor of less expensive labor found overseas and in southern U.S. states. Earnhardt grew up in a racing family. Since 1838, the city has also been noted for its thriving furniture industry.

He died in a racing accident in turn four on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Grand Rapids, the second-largest city in Michigan, is also a center of automotive manufacturing. He was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina. It was a development that not only transformed Detroit and Michigan, but permanently altered the socio-economic climate of the United States and much of the world, for that matter. Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001) was an American NASCAR driver. The birth of the automotive industry, with Henry Ford's first plant in the Highland Park suburb of Detroit, marked the beginning of a new era in personal transportation. The belt separation was not the cause of Earnhardt's death. Michigan's economy underwent a massive shift at the turn of the 20th century.

The separation of the left lap belt was not a result of design or manufacturing defect, but caused by improper installation. Thought to be useless at the time of its addition to Michigan, it was soon discovered that the Upper Peninsula was a rich and important source of lumber, iron, and copper, which would become the state's most sought-after natural resources. The belts, as installed, did not conform to manufacturer installation requirements. Ultimately, Congress awarded the "Toledo Strip" to Ohio, and Michigan, having received the western part of the Upper Peninsula as a concession, formally entered the Union on January 26, 1837. The belts met the NASCAR rule book requirements. The dispute eventually culminated into what would be known as the Toledo War when Michigan and Ohio militia maneuvered in the area. The belts were of high quality in workmanship and there were no design or manufacturing defects. A state government was formed in 1835, although Congressional recognition of the state languished due to a boundary dispute with Ohio, with both sides claiming a 468 square mile (1,210 km²) strip of land that included the important port city of Toledo on Lake Erie and an area to the west then known as the "Great Black Swamp".

By the 1830s, Michigan had some 80,000 residents, more than enough to apply for statehood. The population grew slowly until the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, which brought large numbers of settlers. Michigan passed to Great Britain in 1763 and then to the new United States two decades later. Most of the rest of the region remained unsettled by whites, however.

The town became a major fur-trading and shipping post. Clair and Erie. In 1701, explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Detroit on the straits between Lakes St. Michigan was explored and settled by French voyageurs in the 17th century.

The name is derived from Lake Michigan, which in turn is believed to come from the Chippewa Indian word meicigama, meaning "great water." Bounded by four of the Great Lakes, Michigan has the longest state shoreline in the continental United States, and more recreational boats than any other state in the union. Michigan is a state in the United States. List of people from Michigan. List of Michigan counties.

List of highways in Michigan. List of Michigan-related topics. List of Governors of Michigan. Michigan is the only state composed of two separate peninsulas.

The state soil, Kalkaska Sand, ranges in color from black to yellowish brown, covers nearly a million acres (4,000 km²) in 29 counties. The state wildflower, the Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris), is a federal-listed threatened species. The state gem chlorastrolite, literally the green star stone, also known as the Isle Royale greenstone is found on Isle Royale and the Keweenaw. The state stone, the Petoskey stone (Hexagonaria pericarnata), is composed of fossilized diatoms from long ago when the middle of the continent was covered with a shallow sea.

The state motto, Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice is Latin for "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you", a paraphrase of a statement made by British architect Sir Christopher Wren about his influence on London. State nicknames include the Wolverine State, Great Lakes State, Mitten State, and Winter Water Wonderland. State soil: Kalkaska Sand. State gem: Isle Royale greenstone (also called chlorastrolite).

State stone: Petoskey stone. State tree: White Pine. State wildflower: Dwarf Lake Iris. State flower: Apple Blossom.

State fossil: Mastodon. State reptile: Painted Turtle. State fish: Brook Trout. State mammal: White-tailed Deer.

State bird: American Robin. State song: My Michigan (official, but disputed amongst Michiganders). State motto: Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice. Alpena IceDiggers, North American Hockey League.

Traverse City North Stars, North American Hockey League. Saginaw Spirit, Ontario Hockey League. Plymouth Whalers, Ontario Hockey League. Flint Generals, United Hockey League.

Port Huron Beacons, United Hockey League. Kalamazoo K-Wings, International Hockey League. Muskegon Fury, United Hockey League. Grand Rapids Griffins, American Hockey League.

Grand Rapids Rampage, Arena Football League. Detroit Demolition, National Women's Football Association. Detroit Fury, Arena Football League. Grosse Ile, $42,150.

Beverly Hills, $43,452. Northville, $43,454. West Bloomfield Township, $44,885. South Gull Lake, $45,175.

Huntington Woods, $45,264. Sylvan Lake, $48,744. Grand Beach, $51,788. Grosse Pointe, $53,942.

Grosse Pointe Farms, $54,846. Birmingham, $59,314. Bloomfield Township, $62,716. Michiana, $63,558.

Orchard Lake Village, $67,881. Grosse Pointe Shores, $69,639. Franklin, $71,033. Bingham Farms, $74,588.

Lake Angelus, $83,792. Bloomfield Hills, $104,920. Barton Hills, $110,683. East Lansing (Home of Michigan State University).

Holland (Home of the Michigan Dutch). Frankenmuth (Michigan's Little Bavaria). Midland (headquarters for the Dow Chemical Company). Traverse City (the Cherry Capital of the World).

Marquette (Largest city in the Upper Peninsula with 19,661 people). Battle Creek (Cereal City U.S.A.). Livonia, population 100,545. Ann Arbor population 114,024 (the home of the University of Michigan).

Lansing population 119,128 (the state capital). Sterling Heights population 124,471. Flint population 124,943. Warren population 138,247.

Grand Rapids population 197,800 (The Furniture City). Detroit population 951,270 (also known as "Motor City" and Motown). Non-Religious – 9%. Other Religions – 4% (mostly Muslim and Jewish).

Other Christian – 1%. Roman Catholic – 29%. Protestant – 54%. 3.3% of the population is of Hispanic origin, a category that may include members of any race.

1.9% Mixed race. 0.6% American Indian. 1.8% Asian. 14.2% Black.

80.2% White. state taxes. Automobiles (General Motors, Ford, Daimler-Chrysler), Amway, Cereal (Kellogg's), Copper, Furniture (Steelcase, Herman Miller, Haworth), Iron. Major industries/products