Not that it effected my life so much, but since I live in the South, the death of Dale Earnhart was a life changing thing to alot of people I know. I was working construction at the time and was in a pool hall with a group of yahoo's drinking a Heinken when it happened. My boss was so distraught he gave us the day off the following day. Trust me, it was a BIG DEAL if you were born and raised in the South. It must have been like when Lee surrendered at Appamattox in 1865.