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. It is also one of the highest scoring states on advanced placement tests. 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". It has one of the lowest high-school dropout rates in the nation and is tied with New Jersey for having the 2nd highest percentage of students who go on to college after high-school. NASCAR however, did not respond. Massachusetts is known for having one of the best public school systems in the nation. 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. Massachusetts also is home to well-known independent research institutions, including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory.

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. Music schools include Berklee and the New England Conservatory. I've been living in daily hell.". Other notable Massachusetts colleges include Hampshire College and the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts). Simpson's founder, Bill Simpson, called the report "the best news I've heard in seven weeks. In addition to MIT, technology-oriented universities include Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and University of Massachusetts Lowell, which includes the former Lowell Institute of Technology ("Lowell Tech"). 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. Massachusetts is home to one Ivy League university (Harvard) and four of the Seven Sisters (Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe College (now a research institute at Harvard), Smith, and Wellesley).

Dr. News & World Report, 10 of the nation's top-50 colleges and universities are located in Massachusetts: Amherst College, Boston College, Brandeis University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Tufts University, Wellesley College and Williams College. 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. According to U.S. Dr. Massachusetts hosts more prominent colleges and universities than any other state in the 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). The population of metropolitan Boston surges noticeably during the school year due to the concentration of colleges and universities in the area (see list of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston).

Barry Myers, a Duke University expert on crash injuries, to independently study Earnhardt's death. Eight Boston-area institutions (Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Tufts, and UMass/Boston) call themselves "research universities;" they became, according to them, "engines of economic growth" following World War II, and currently contribute $7 billion annually to the local economy [3] (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/econimpact.html). After a short court battle, it was mutually agreed to appoint Dr. population, but is home to many of its most renowned preparatory schools, colleges, and universities[2] (http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/) (see full list of colleges and universities in Massachusetts). 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. Massachusetts contains only 2.5% of the U.S. 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. Massachusetts cities and towns of historical or cultural importance include.

Certainly, being held responsible for the death of NASCAR's most popular driver was not a desirable prospect for Simpson. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a total of 50 cities and 301 towns, grouped into 14 counties. 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. See also: List of Massachusetts counties; List of cities in Massachusetts. Steve Bohannon said he thought the faulty belt had allowed Earnhardt's chin to strike the steering wheel, killing him. Barnstable and Dukes Counties have adopted modern county charters, enabling them to act as efficient regional governments. Daytona International Speedway physician Dr. The governments of Bristol, Plymouth, and Norfolk Counties remain substantially unchanged.

At a news conference five days after the fatal crash, NASCAR officials announced that a seat belt had broken in Earnhardt's car. This law was later amended to abolish Hampshire County on January 1, 1999; Essex County on July 1 of that same year; and Berkshire County on July 1, 2000. Chapter 34B of the Massachusetts General Laws (http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/gl-34B-toc.htm) provides that other counties may also vote to abolish themselves, or to reorganize as a "regional council of governments", as Hampshire and Franklin Counties have done. 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. The law abolishing Middlesex County also provided for the elimination of Hampden County and Worcester County on July 1, 1998. 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. Later that year, the Franklin County Commission voted itself out of existence. The winner of that race, Michael Waltrip, was one of Dale's closest friends, and drove for DEI. The government of Middlesex County was officially abolished on July 11, 1997.

finished second when his father died at the 2001 Daytona 500. Mismanagement of Middlesex County's public hospital in the mid 1990s left that county on the brink of insolvency, and in 1997 the legislature stepped in by assuming all assets and obligations of the county. Dale Jr. The government of Nantucket County, which is geographically coterminous with the Town of Nantucket, is operated along similar lines- the town selectmen (executive branch) act as the county commissioners. are both NASCAR drivers. Thus, residents of the other three Suffolk County communities do not have a voice on the county commission, but all the county expenses are paid by the city of Boston. Kerry and Dale Jr. The government of Suffolk County was substantially integrated with the city government of Boston more than one hundred years ago, to the extent that the members of the Boston city council are ex officio the Suffolk County Commissioners, and Boston's treasurer and auditor fulfill the same offices for the county.

(both from his second marriage to Brenda Gee), and daughter Taylor (from his third marriage). By the 1990s, most functions of county governments (including operation of courts and road maintenance) had been taken over by the state, and most county governments were seen as inefficient and outmoded. 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. However, many residents also identify with neighborhoods, villages, or other districts of their towns. 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, which in most data products considers towns to be minor civil divisions, equivalent to townships in other states (usually with much weaker forms of government). 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. This complicates comparisons with other states, as most residents identify strongly with the town or city in which they reside, and not with the "populated places" as defined and used in the U.S.

Earnhardt kept his private life generally private. In contrast, the cities and towns of Massachusetts divide up all of the land between them and there are no "unincorporated" areas or population centers. 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. County governments have significant importance, particularly to those living outside towns, and often perform major functions such as operating airports. Earnhardt's death drew a considerable reaction from the nation, NASCAR, and of course grief-stricken fans. In contrast, the state is completely apportioned into counties. People either loved him or hated him, but he was arguably one of the most popular drivers in the sport. Between the towns are unincorporated areas, usually quite large, which do not belong to any town.

Dale Earnhardt in NASCAR was a very polarizing figure. In many states, a town is a compact incorporated area. 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. Massachusetts municipalities are subject to a budgetary law known as "Proposition 2½", by which they may not increase expenditures by more than 2½% per annum without the approval of the voters in a plebiscite. The sinister looking all-black Goodwrench Chevrolet became the best-known car driven by Earnhardt. Massachusetts has a very limited home rule mechanism; in order to exercise jurisdiction outside of these bounds, a municipality must petition the General Court for special legislation giving it that authority. Earnhardt drove a Chevrolet model, that moved through the decades as a Lumina and later a Monte Carlo. These cities are legally styled "the City Known as the Town of X".

The #3 was sponsored by Wrangler Jeans, and later by Goodwrench. There are now a number of municipalities which are legally cities and thus have city councils, but retained the word "town" in their names, including Agawam, Methuen, Watertown, Weymouth, and Westfield. 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. This distinction dates to the 1820s; prior to that, all municipalities were governed by Town Meeting. That partnership won 69 of Earnhardt's 76 races. Politically, the only difference between a town and a city is that a town is governed under the Town Meeting or Representative Town Meeting form of government, whereas a city has a city council (and may or may not have a mayor, a city manager, or both). 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. Massachusetts law maintains a distinction between "cities" and "towns"; the largest town in population is Framingham.

Stacy. Massachusetts shares with the six New England states, plus New York and New Jersey, a governmental structure known as the "New England town.". D. The three largest Protestant denominations in Massachusetts are: Baptist (4% of total state population), Episcopalian (3%), Methodist & Congregationalist (tied 2%). 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 religious affiliations of the people of Massachusetts are:. As of 2005, no other Nextel Cup race car has used this number, and NASCAR has considered officially retiring it. The five largest ancestries in Massachusetts are Irish (22.5%), Italian (13.5%), English (11.4%), French (8%), German (5.9%).

Dale drove the #3 car for most of his career, spanning the late 1970s until his unfortunate passing in 2001. Historically, the coast has been much more urban than Western Massachusetts, which is very rural, save for the cities of Springfield and Worcester. 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. The bulk of this population surrounds Greater Boston, with approximately 5,800,000 people, and the North and South Shores. He won 76 points races overall, fourth on the alltime list. The population of Massachusetts is 6,433,422 (US Census, 2003). Earnhardt himself had 10 wins at Talladega alone. See the list of Massachusetts places by per capita income.

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. Other sectors vital to the Massachusetts economy include higher education, health care, financial services and tourism. Earnhardt discovered "side-drafting." Earnhardt was also known for his dominance at restrictor plate racing. Thanks largely to the Ocean Spray cooperative, Massachusetts is the second largest cranberry producing state in the union (after Wisconsin). 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. Its industrial outputs are machinery, electric equipment, scientific instruments, printing, and publishing. 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. Its agricultural outputs are seafood, nursery stock, dairy products, cranberries, and vegetables.

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. Per capita personal income in 2003 was $39,504, 4^th in the nation. Dale Earnhardt began with his racing career two years later, and by 1979 he had won the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (http://www.bea.gov/) estimates that Massachusetts's total state product in 2003 was $297 billion. His father, Ralph, died of a heart attack while working on his race car in 1973. See the articles on same-sex marriage in the United States and same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. Earnhardt grew up in a racing family. Following a November 2003 decision of the state's Supreme Court, Massachusetts became the first state to issue same-sex marriage licenses on May 17, 2004.

He died in a racing accident in turn four on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. When informed that the Democratic National Convention would be in Boston, House Majority Leader Dick Armey remarked, "If I were a Democrat, I suspect I'd feel a heck of a lot more comfortable in Boston than, say, America." While campaigning in the western part of the country, President Bush would often jab, "My opponent says he's in touch with the West, but sometimes I think he means Western Massachusetts." The stump speech that he used at many of his campaign stops included many such disparaging remarks directed at Massachusetts and New England in general. He was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina. During the 2004 Presidential Election, Massachusetts was the target of many GOP regionalist attacks along the campaign trail. Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001) was an American NASCAR driver. During the Colonial period, Massachusetts was one of the leading states in the fight for independence. The belt separation was not the cause of Earnhardt's death. The liberal tendencies of Massachusetts extend throughout American history: in the 19th century, Massachusetts was a center of abolitionism, having been the first state to abolish slavery by law.

The separation of the left lap belt was not a result of design or manufacturing defect, but caused by improper installation. Two of these governors, Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift took office when their predecessors resigned to take other positions. The belts, as installed, did not conform to manufacturer installation requirements. Although Republicans have held the governor's office continuously from 1991 to the present, many of these (especially William Weld, the first of the recent lineage of Republican governors) are considered among the most moderate or progressive Republicans in the nation. The belts met the NASCAR rule book requirements. Congress. The belts were of high quality in workmanship and there were no design or manufacturing defects. state represented by one party in the U.S.

It is the home of the Kennedy family of political fame, and routinely votes for the Democratic Party in federal elections. As of 2004, it is by far the largest U.S. Massachusetts has a reputation as being a politically liberal state, and is often used as an archetype of liberalism in the U.S. The most populated part of western Massachusetts is the "Pioneer Valley", alongside the Connecticut River, which flows across Western Massachusetts from north to south. Western Massachusetts is more rural and sparsely populated, especially in the Berkshires, the branch of the Appalachian Mountains which forms the western border of the state.

Most of the population of the Boston metropolitan area (approximately 5,800,000) does not live in the city; eastern Massachusetts on the whole is fairly densely populated and largely suburban. Boston is the largest city, located at the inmost point of Massachusetts Bay, at the mouth of the Charles River, the longest river entirely within Massachusetts. A few cities and towns on the Massachusetts–Rhode Island border are also adjacent to Narragansett Bay. Massachusetts is known as the Bay State because of the several large bays that give its coastline its distinctive shape: Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay on the state's east coast, and Buzzards Bay to the south.

The islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket lie to the south of Cape Cod. At the southeastern corner of the state is a large, sandy, arm-shaped peninsula called Cape Cod. Massachusetts is bordered on the north by New Hampshire and Vermont, on the west by New York, on the south by Connecticut and Rhode Island, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Massachusetts is commonly referred to by residents both as "the state" and as "the Commonwealth." For example, on March 22, 2005, one Boston Globe story said that opponents of a proposal saw it as "burdening the state with more law schools than it needs," while another published the same day noted that "the Commonwealth faces difficult spending choices.".

In his "Life and Works", Adams wrote: "There is, however, a peculiar sense in which the words republic, commonwealth, popular state, are used by English and French writers, who mean by them a democracy, a government in one centre, and that centre a single assembly, chosen at stated periods by the people and invested with the whole sovereignty, the whole legislative, executive and judicial power to be included in a body or by committees as they shall think proper." Source: [1] (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm). In this draft, Part Two of the Constitution, under the heading "Frame of Government", states, "that the people...form themselves into a free, sovereign, and independent body politic, or state by the name of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts." The first draft of the Constitution, and all acts and resolves up to 1780, had used the name "State of Massachusetts Bay"; but since the adoption of the second draft of the Constitution the state has always been referred to as The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "Commonwealth" for Massachusetts can be traced to the second draft of the state Constitution, written by John Adams and accepted by the people in 1780. There may have been some anti-monarchic sentiment informing the use of the word Commonwealth, which was also used to mean 'republic'.

In the era leading up to 1780, when the state Constitution was ratified, the word Commonwealth was the preferred term among political writers for a whole body of people constituting a nation or state. federal government's use of the term "commonwealth" to refer to the status of certain insular areas such as Puerto Rico. states that use the name "Commonwealth"; the others are Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky; this is distinct from the U.S. It is one of four U.S.

Massachusetts is officially termed "the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" (rather than "State") by its constitution. Retrieved March 24, 2005)
* Celebrated only in Suffolk County (Boston, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop). Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts web page (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm). (Galvin, William F., (2005).

Whenever a holiday falls on a Sunday it is observed on the following Monday. Constitution, Amendments, Article CXX (November, 1990). Mass. 1.