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| Another Article/Journal Thing | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 14 2006, 06:20 AM (48 Views) | |
| Deleted User | Dec 14 2006, 06:20 AM Post #1 |
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Deleted User
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For some reason or another, I've always been fascinated by death. I don't enjoy the thought of people dying, especially not myself or my parents, but I am interested and intrigued by the deaths of famous people. I'm not as morbid as some, I don't like gruesome photographs and the like, but articles and stories on the final days of an ageless icon or the untimely death of a rising star have always caught my attention. I can't explain why it attracts me like it does, and I'm not sure I really want to know the reason why it does. In 2000, death was a major story. Of course there were the tragic deaths of Adam Petty and Tony Roper and the passing of NASCAR legends Lee Petty (Adam's grandfather) and Herb Thomas. One of my all time favorite actors, Jim Varney (Ernest P. Worrell), succumbed to throat cancer in 2000, and though my fanhood of M*A*S*H was still three years away, it's important to note that M*A*S*H star Larry Linville (Major Frank "Ferret Face" Burns) also died during the year. My uncle James, a huge Dale Earnhardt fan, died the Monday prior to Earnhardt's million dollar win at Talladega (alas, his final victory as death was mere four months away for The Intimidator). There's one death from 2000 in particular though that still strikes me and haunts me and actually it coming to my mind a few hours ago is the reason for the writing of this article. Being a fan of Tony Stewart's seemingly meant you had to dislike Kenny Irwin, Jr. I did for a short time following their Martinsville dustups in October of 1999, but all was forgiven when the 2000 Winston Cup season opened with Kenny now driver of the blue and bright green #42 Bellsouth Chevy. It was a rough start to the year, as Kenny just never could get any momentum going. Then came Talladega. "The Big One" had wiped out Stewart and Bobby Labonte, and Dale Jarrett was a lap down and out of contention. As the late dicing ensued, I noticed that behind the Chevrolets of Jeff Gordon, Mike Skinner, and Dale Earnhardt was blue hood with "Bellsouth" across it. I rooted Irwin on, and though he didn't advance his position, I was thrilled to see him finally get a good finish. It would be his lone top ten in his seventeen races that year. The day before Irwin's death, I accompanied my father to a doctor's appointment he had in Marietta, Georgia. On the way back he let me go into Wal-Mart with $25 to get whatever I wanted. I got a Batman action figure, a Powerpuff Girl keychain (for my cousin), and three 1/64 scale cars: Wally Dallenbach's #75 Powerpuff Girls, Jeff Gordon's #24 DuPont, and Kenny's #42 Bellsouth car. I had gotten a Bellsouth car earlier in the year as an Easter gift, but it was a Hot Wheels car and I really wanted the Racing Champions one too. I was a bit dissappointed when I got home with the car though. The rainbow was faded a bit and the front windshield was stuck out. Still, I had my Racing Champions Bellsouth car and I was excited. Kenny won my 1/64 scale diecast car race at Talladega that evening in the new car. It was the only time I got to use it. I found out Kenny Irwin's fate on CNN Headline News Sports the next afternoon. I was utterly devestated. I vowed not to watch the race that weekend (and kept my vow for the most part, though I did watch a few mid-portion laps). I felt like I was at the bottom of the ocean, and even though the cousin I'd bought the keychain for was spending the weekend at my house, not even playing video games with her or Tony Stewart's victory in the thatlook.com 300 could make me feel better. Absurd as it may sound, I felt a bit of responsibility for the death of Kenny Irwin with my purchase the day before, and even though I tell myself it was a fluke, it still haunts me. It had been a long time since I'd really stopped and thought about Kenny, but earlier this morning (I'm typing this at between 5:30 and 6:30 am if that tells you anything) I was looking through a website with car base layers to paint cars for computer games and simulations. One of the fictional truck base schemes was spot-on copy of the Bellsouth Monte Carlo. I started thinking about Kenny, and it really bothered me and got me down. Typing this, I've got a feeling akin to that "bottom of the ocean" feel I had during the day of his death and the two days that followed. |
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| Nate | Dec 14 2006, 06:29 AM Post #2 |
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Wishes he could be like David
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good article journal thingy. :up: |
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| Orangesmoke20 | Dec 14 2006, 10:49 AM Post #3 |
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Too hot to handle.. too cold to hold... ohhhhhh yeahhhhh!!!
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the scary thing is i think i had just bought that same car the day before or the day of i cant really remember but i know it was sometime the week of |
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| CR49 | Dec 14 2006, 01:16 PM Post #4 |
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"3 Can Keep a Secret if 2 are Dead"
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Yall do me a favor and don't buy any of my diecasts if I ever have any :shifty: . I was shocked to hear about Kenny and Adam's deaths and I remember the first thing I did with both was call up my friend Chris to tell him. |
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| Nate | Dec 14 2006, 01:20 PM Post #5 |
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Wishes he could be like David
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I wouldn't waste the money anyway. I know I had that car also but I doubt I got it near his death. |
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