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The Sterling Truth.........


I am certain that all of you are aware that Sterling Marlin has been, and is, on the hot seat as a result of his participation in the tragic crash that took Dale Earnhardt's life. I read an article in the Tennesseean a few days ago that reported Marlin's disbelief that he had anything to do with the crash. He stated that he was down on the apron, out of the way. He stated that all one has to do is to view the tape. I bookmarked that article for future reference, and when I went back to re-read it last night, it was conveniently unavailable.

Well Mr. Marlin, I did view the tape. My wife and I viewed it several times, frame by frame. Frame advance is a lot better than slow motion. It shows exactly what happened, but it doesn't explain why.

In quoting the late Sir Winston Churchill, Sterling Marlin may be guilty of a "Terminological Inexactitude" in the quoted statement he made in the Tennesseean article. He was not down on the apron until he was forced down there by Rusty Wallace about the time Dale was making contact with the wall.

The tape clearly shows Marlin's racecar's tires riding practically on the yellow line that separates the apron from the racetrack. The configuration of the three racecars of Kenny Schrader, Rusty Wallace, and Marlin, apparently took the air off of Dale's rear spoiler, causing his racecar to slightly shift sideways with the front of his racecar edging downward in front of Marlin. At this time, the left rear bumper of Dale's racecar seemed to be riding on the right front bumper of Marlin's racecar. ALSO at this time, the tape clearly shows Marlin's racecar moving away from the yellow line, up the racetrack, approximately a foot, or a little more, while the two cars were already touching. This action is what sent Dale into his final spin. Marlin's racecar came back down to where the tires were previously riding, right above the yellow line, while Dale's racecar continued to head toward the apron in front of Marlin at a more defined angle due the nudge from Marlin's racecar.

The rest is unfortunate history. Dale went down onto the apron, the racecar shifted, and he headed back up the racetrack in front of Marlin, slightly brushing the right front of Rusty Wallace's racecar before collecting Kenny Schrader. AFTER Dale brushed the right front of Wallace's racecar and collected Schrader, Wallace moved down the racetrack, forcing Marlin across the yellow line down onto the apron.
The copyright of the article The Sterling Truth......... in NASCAR is owned by Thomas M. Sampson. Permission to republish The Sterling Truth......... in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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