NASCAR WCUP: Sears Point Names New Turn 2 Seating for Dale Earnhardt
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
April 26, 2001
SONOMA, Calif. (April 26, 2001) - Dale Earnhardt, who died tragically in a last-lap accident at the Daytona 500 last February, meant the world to so many people, and the fans of Northern California were no different.
To that end, Sears Point Raceway will honor the seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion by naming the first completed project in its $35 million Modernization Plan after Earnhardt. The Turn 2 Hillside Terrace seats will simply be known as the "Earnhardt Terrace." The official ceremony took place today during a NASCAR Winston Cup test session that included Dale Earnhardt Jr.
"Dale Earnhardt's legacy is so broad, from his remarkable driving skills and competitive spirit to his career accomplishments and his distinctive personality. But above it all was Dale's unique and deep-rooted relationship with the fans," said Steve Page, president and general manager at Sears Point Raceway. "I can think of no more fitting tribute than to name this spectacular new fan environment the 'Earnhardt Terrace.'"
The entrance into the Earnhardt Terrace will feature a four-foot high monument for fans as a testament to the greatest driver in NASCAR Winston Cup history. A black granite plaque at the top of the monument will bear the familiar No. 3. A second plaque on the side will have the words "Earnhardt Terrace" engraved. The area will also have a flag pole with the No. 3 waving at the top.
The monument will sit on a concrete platform overlooking sweeping views of the raceway and the surrounding Sonoma Valley. The monument will be made of the same split-face concrete block that has been used to construct the 34,000 Hillside Terrace Seats above Turns 2-4 on the road course for the Dodge/Save Mart 350, June 21-24.
Sears Point Raceway was the site of the only NASCAR Winston Cup road-course victory of Earnhardt's career in 1995.
Text provided by John Cardinale
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