Dale Earnhardt's Legacy Continues To Be Erased In His Home State

I don't want to scare anyone. Don't mean to cause panic. Don't want to start a five-alarm fire on an otherwise slow, sunny, care-free Saturday afternoon in March. 

But something happened just this week that deserves your attention, especially if you're a NASCAR fan or simply a fan of great American heroes. 

The legacy of Dale Earnhardt took another hit, and it happened right in his home state and right under our noses. 

It's time to protect Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR fans 

Confused? Don't worry, I'll walk you all through it. 

Up until about three days ago, the Carowinds Thunder Striker roller coaster was known as The Intimidator. 

It opened back in 2010 and was named after Earnhardt with Carowinds licensing the name through Dale Earnhardt Inc (DEI). 

Everyone loved it, obviously, and the ride was a huge hit. Has been ever since. The ‘coaster is located about 40 minutes south of Dale’s hometown of Kannapolis. He's pretty popular in that area, if you haven't heard. 

Any time you have a giant statue in the middle of town, you know you've made it. Earnhardt has one put up back in 2002. It's incredible. 

Anyway, back to this Carowinds situation …

The agreement with DEI ran out back in December, and that was that. Poof. Gone. The Intimidator is now gone forever and rebranded as Thunder Striker, which is silly. 

According to the Facebook page, the ride will still be racing-themed and known as "Carolinas' fastest, meanest hot rod." 

Except that's hogwash, because it's no longer associated with Dale Earnhardt. 

And it's a shame. 

NASCAR fans spent this past week dragging Earnhardt's widow, Teresa Earnhardt, through the mud. It's nothing new, because she's been public enemy No. 1 for fans of the sports for two decades now. 

For those who don't know, Teresa inherited DEI after Earnhardt died in 2001, and it's been a power struggle ever since. 

Things really went south when Dale Jr. left his dad's team for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 after an ugly battle with Teresa, and little nuggets have leaked in the 15 years since that don't exactly paint a great picture. 

For starters, Teresa apparently once said that they would simply "make another Dale Jr." if he ever left the team. Not great!

Then there was Dale not being allowed to take the No. 8 with him to Hendrick, Teresa reportedly stopping Kerry Earnhardt – Dale's oldest son – from launching a line of homes called the "Earnhardt Collection," and the Kannapolis Intimidators changing their name in 2019. 

Why? The minor league team – now known as the Cannon Ballers – cited their inability to market the team due to trademark rights held by Earnhardt’s estate. 

See a trend? It's happening right under our noses. 

Head on a swivel, NASCAR fans. They're coming for Dale Earnhardt. Eyes peeled. 

Raise hell, praise Dale!