Blackout, slump can’t change Earnhardt’s outlook

MIKE HARRIS

Thursday, Oct. 16, 1997 | 10:07 a.m.

There is very little that scares Dale Earnhardt.

Even finding a 90-minute hole in his life, when he couldn't remember a thing that had happened, didn't frighten NASCAR's "Intimidator."

But the 46-year-old seven-time Winston Cup champion had to stop and consider the possibility that his racing days might be over as doctors checked him from head to toe following the incident Aug. 31 at Darlington Raceway.

The scene is indelibly inscribed in the minds of most stock car fans, be they Earnhardt fans or haters. As the field took the green flag, Earnhardt lagged back, driving slowly around the track, glancing twice off the wall before finally finding his way to the pit lane and parking his car.

Earnhardt, who hardly knew what was happening, had to be carried from his Chevrolet.

"It puzzled me more than anything," Earnhardt said. "That night, when I really realized what happened, that was a hell of an experience. Then you begin thinking, 'What's really wrong with me?' and you go through all the testing and you find out there's nothing wrong with you. So you're that much more puzzled."

Earnhardt started remembering bits of things that afternoon. It was 8 hours later, however, before he could recall a full conversation.

"It didn't really scare me. It concerned the heck out of me," he said. "The scary thing was going to that MRI on Tuesday, wondering what I was going to find out."

That test came out fine, as did several others. In fact, Earnhardt got a clean bill of health after what doctors have concluded was simply some kind of chemical reaction to whatever he ate and drank the morning of the Southern 500.

Even before that incident, though, there were people wondering if his great career was on the wane. The last of Earnhardt's 70 victories came in March 1996 at Atlanta and, although he remains solidly in the top 10 in the standings, he rarely ran at or near the front through the first two-thirds of the season.

Since the doctor's cleared him, Earnhardt's season has picked up with finishes of 15th, eighth, second, second and third before being caught up in a 21-car crash during Sunday's DieHard 500 at Talladega and winding up 29th.

"We had a car that could have won that race," said Earnhardt, who has gone 56 races without a victory.

A little bad luck isn't going to slow Earnhardt's resurgence, though.

"My confidence has always been good," he said. "It's gotten better. It feels good to run good."

Part of the recent strong showing is the comfort level that Larry McReynolds, who took over as Earnhardt's crew chief this season, is beginning to attain with Richard Childress Racing.

"Larry has gotten better and I actually feel like we're in better tune," Earnhardt said. "We've changed some people. Fortunately, it's worked out for the best. ... I think he's learning to work with me and learning to have more confidence with me.

"Maybe the thing at Darlington helped out. We sort of stepped back and looked at things. We decided we just needed to focus on racing and not worry about winning so much."

Earnhardt says he has no doubt he'll win more races and challenge for a record eighth series title.

"When I sit down in a race car, it's like the first day I ever did it," he said. "There's nothing else on my mind. I'm not sitting there while I'm racing pondering everything that's going on in my life. I'm just focused on beating whoever is in front of me or behind me.

"We're sixth in the points, not 20th. If we were 20th, I'd be concerned. I'm concerned now to the point that I want to win. I know we can still win and we can still win the championship. I'm confident of that."

End Adv for Thursday Oct. 16