ear's Daytona 500, driven by Michael Waltrip. Undoubtedly Dale Earnhardt Enterprises will continue under the watchful eye of Earnhardt's widow and possibly his son.There is talk about retiring the #3 as a NASCAR stock car number. Perhaps Dale, Jr. will take the number. All of this remains up in the air as NASCAR and the family reel from the loss. There is also talk of a "Dale Earnhardt" award. All of this will be worked out as time goes on.Medical reports from the autopsy state that the cause of death was blunt force injury to the head. Earnhardt never regained consciousness after the accident and showed no signs of life after the impact. The physician in charge has stated that he does not believe that the HANS device would have made any difference in the outcome due to the nature of the injuries. All efforts, of course were made, at Halifax Hospital in Daytona, but the efforts were futile and death was pronounced approximately 20 minutes after arrival at the hospital. His wife Teresa was with him at the official time of death and Dale Jr. was at the hospital as well.Currently fans are visiting his home in Mooresville, North Carolina, where a small shrine of flowers, cards and other items are building outside the home. The grief on the faces of the fans is evident as they make comments about "racing will never be the same" and "he died doing what he loved". Dale Earnhardt was one of the most loved and most hated drivers on the NASCAR scene, both at the same time. He almost single-handedly helped to develop the market in NASCAR driver souvenirs, and sold more merchandise than any other driver in history. At the same time, many fans hated Earnhardt with a passion, all the while admiring and respecting his skill. One of those fans, President George W. Bush, phoned Earnhardt's widow, Teresa to offer the First Family's condolences. The President sat with the Earnhardt family while attending last year's Pepsi 400, and considered the Earnhardt...
