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Inside This Issue
The Adventures of Supermom and Referee Dad 1 99-Year-Old BettyWhite’s Secrets of Longevity 3 Reasons Your Company Should Try HR Counseling 2
Sudoku Solution
Shaved Asparagus Salad
Meet Azalea, Our New Paralegal! 3
The Man Who Changed Racing Forever 4
THE LEGACY OF DALE EARNHARDT
Known as “The Intimidator” to sportswriters who loved his rowdy personality and “Ironhead” to opponents who loathed racing against him, Dale Earnhardt Sr. forever changed racing in both his life and tragic death on Feb. 18, 2001, during the final lap of the Daytona 500. Today, Earnhardt’s legacy lives on through the racing triumphs of his descendants, like Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the safety protocols his death inspired. Earnhardt was born into a racing family in 1951 and made his NASCAR debut in 1975. He went on to win 34 races at the sport’s most popular track in Daytona, Florida, and record 76 career wins. Earnhardt’s style of racing was unparalleled, and most fans will never forget the 2000 race at Talladega Superspeedway where he barreled from 18th into first place over the final six laps. On that fateful day in 2001, Earnhardt was racing toward the finish line on the final lap — a first-place finish in his sights — when he collided with three other vehicles, rammed into the concrete barrier, and slid to a stop in the infield. Earnhardt was pronounced dead at the hospital that evening, the result of a skull fracture that happened within 80 milliseconds of the initial impact.
Almost immediately, NASCAR made sweeping changes to the sport, including requiring drivers to wear a head and neck support (HANS) device along with their helmet to stabilize the body in an accident. It was a device that Earnhardt refused to wear due to its restraint and one that potentially could have saved his life had he been wearing it. The organization also instituted improved outer barriers and seat belts. (It was previously believed that a seat belt malfunction led to Earnhardt’s death.) Along with those improvements, NASCAR continues to update its safety measures. According to ESPN, the sport has also required drivers to wear full-face helmets, and vehicles are now outfitted with shock-absorbing foam to protect drivers’ bodies from the energy produced in an accident. The work NASCAR did to improve driver safety was on full display at the 2020 Daytona 500, when racer Ryan Newman’s vehicle hit the wall, flipped upside down, and was then propelled into the air before landing in the infield. The accident was horrific, and Newman had to seek treatment at a nearby hospital — but he lived. “Those people,” Newman said to ESPN about those who made safety regulations a standard in the sport, “collectively saved my life.”
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