The coat of black, the trademark black shades, the rough moustache and aggressive driving made “The Intimidator.”

Beneath the coat of “The Intimidator” was Dale Earnhardt Sr., a man of pride, dedication, commitment, honor, integrity, care and passion.

His reputation on-track was as an aggressive, hard-charging driver. He was. Drivers feared him. He was receptive to squeezing into diminutive gaps to take the lead. He didn’t fear the wall. In an attempt to obtain an eighth NASCAR championship to surpass NASCAR’s “King” Richard Petty [tied with Earnhardt at seven championships], he would probably have “run over” his wife, son or mother on the track. That’s how fiercely he desired to win, he wouldn’t accept second place. Love or hate, there was no in-between stance by race fans, but respect for “The Intimidator” was mutual among them-Earnhardt was the best.

Beneath the hype of “The Intimidator,” was a man who was a hero, a legend and a genuinely good person.

Off-track, he was a humanitarian. He helped others. He was a family man, a caring man, a kind man and a great person. That was Dale Earnhardt Sr. The rough and tumble racer on-track was “The Intimidator.” His gazing perception was of a ruthless, rugged individual.

Dale Earnhardt was a hero. He was a driver’s driver, a man’s man; he was a real American hero.

If you were to take his status and bring it to other sports, he’d have been Montana and Rice, Ruth and Mantle, Jordan and Bird, Ali and Marciano, Gretzky and Lemieux. He was the best at what he did. He raced stock cars; he raced stock cars better than anyone ever did before.

Earnhardt was fatally injured in a crash in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 18, hitting the Turn-4 wall at about 180-mph, after a typical racing incident. He was in contention to win and to take his second 500 victory, but instead, he unselfishly protected the race for his son and good friend [Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr.]. He held off the charging cars of Rusty Wallace, Sterling Marlin, Ken Schrader and others. He probably could have won the race, but he opted to help his friend and son. He died on the last lap of the greatest sporting event in the world.

Earnhardt took the green flag to a land where all is safe.

Earnhardt was a part of America’s heritage and his passing leaves a vast gap, which can never be filled. NASCAR will go on, as Earnhardt would have wanted. The NASCAR grids will start with 43, but in reality there will only be 42 cars, because the pole position belongs to Earnhardt.

Heaven needed a superhero and they called upon “The Intimidator.”

Kulwicki, Allison, Bonnett, Petty, Irwin, and now Earnhardt, all gone, heaven must have one helluva stock car racing circuit. Perhaps they are racing in the “Eternity 1,000”?

At full-throttle, on the final turn … it was the way he died, the way he lived. May everyone’s thoughts and prayers be with the Earnhardt family. May he rest in peace, Godspeed.