Earnhardt remembered

Beloved by most, reviled by others, NASCAR sorely misses the seven-time series champion whose aggressive style of racing captivated legions of stock car fans.

Earnhardt crashed on the last lap of the circuit's biggest race, careening into the wall in a wreck so mild by NASCAR standards few realized it would result in a fatal injury.

"He was an icon," said Richard Childress, owner of Earnhardt's black number three Chevrolet.

"He helped build the sport and carried to the level it was. The biggest thing, if you loved him or hated him, you always watched him to see what he was doing on the race track."

When Earnhardt died in 2001 at the age of 49 NASCAR lost its bridge between the old-style, Southern fan base and the nation's more affluent race-watcher.

Childress, however, said Earnhardt "still has that following."

"He was an everyday man," he said. "He could relate. The truck drivers, the mill worker, or the CEO of major corporation knew Dale and what he meant to the sport."

His popularity lives on today through his son Dale Earnhardt Jr (pictured), who remains NASCAR's most popular driver despite not visiting Victory Lane since 2008.

On the day Earnhardt died, Michael Waltrip won the Daytona 500 and was followed by his team mate, Earnhardt Jr, who ultimately won the prestigious race in 2004.

Earnhardt's passing, the fourth NASCAR driver to die within a one-year period, was a catalyst for safety measures such as a new chassis, driver's head and neck restraints, and energy-absorbing walls.

In 2002 the track erected a nine-foot, 1,200-pound statute of Earnhardt with left fist pumping in the air and the trophy he won from his 1998 Daytona 500 triumph on his right arm.

Many tributes to the late driver are planned for Sunday's Great American Race, including the painting of number three on the Daytona International Speedway infield.

Childress will not dwell on the tragic event of 10 years ago, preferring to celebrate the memory of the Kannapolis, North Carolina, native.

"It's a celebration of his life," he said, his voice quivering. "It's been 10 years. It doesn't seem like it's been 10 years.

"There isn't a day hardly passes that you don't think about him, but, we're here to talk about the good things."