A Dale Earnhardt fan visited Cabarrus County this past weekend. I know many are laughing and thinking – Dale Earnhardt fans visit Cabarrus County everyday…many of them even live here. Yes, this is true. But this past weekend one of the very first requests for a Dale Trail banner was fulfilled and the recipient visited the county.
Ruth Mattern of Wilson, North Carolina was one of the first to send her email to the offices of the Cabarrus County CVB when word of the Dale Trail banners being taken down was spread in July. Ruth also sent along photos of her shrine to Dale Earnhardt. As fans ourselves, we know that such loyalty, love and general admiration for the NASCAR icon exists. We hear from fans everyday. Ruth’s story and her photos reminded us that although its been nearly 9 years since Dale’s tragic passing during the Daytona 500, the passion for this man has not wavered one iota.
Ruth and her husband Bob traveled to Cabarrus County on Friday and met us in our offices to receive banner #32 from the original markers of The Dale Trail. Ruth arrived donned in her Dale apparel. Her handbag was black and red and featured a famous photo of Dale. Her shirt was a Dale Earnhardt black t-shirt and the photos she brought showed a room full of Dale memorabilia. They are a very nice couple and within a few minutes of meeting them you could guess they had been married a very long time and were still close. Bob stood by and snapped photos and when asked to join Ruth in a photo before the Dale Trail sign in the CVB’s Welcome Center, Bob replied “No, this is her day”.
Bob and Ruth joined us at the Nationwide Race on Friday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. I had the chance to sit and talk to them for a long time. You get the impression from them that they have never met a stranger. They are both extremely genuine and kind people. I made two new friends on Friday night.
Ruth also inspired a new section to the Dale Trail website. Very soon the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau will be launching a request to Dale Earnhardt fans to submit their photos and stories of Dale to be featured on our Dale Fans web page. We know there are great photos out there and we can not wait to see the thousands we anticipate receiving. Look for details coming soon.
Our plans for the Dale Trail permanent markers is still coming together. We are working closely with the city of Kannapolis and soon will have all the details in place. Its exciting to see the Dale Trail take on permanency.
In the meantime, thank you Ruth and Bob Mattern for joining us this weekend. Your passion for Dale Earnhardt and NASCAR racing is contagious!
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