Nashville is a racing town. So it was not unusual that the day after the Daytona 500, our evening news would be filled with stories about Dale Earnhardt. As the sound bytes were played, one from longtime sportscaster Rudy Kalis put the hair up on my neck. It seemed that someone had written a song about Dale. Now songwriting in this town is a major industry, so it would take no more time from a professional songwriter to turn out a song, than it takes a professional race team to change a transmission and get their guy back out there. I know that for fact, for it's how I've made a living here going on 15 years. But what red flagged me was the timing of it. It just seemed way too soon. To his credit, Rudy Kalis is a very experienced reporter, extremely nice guy, and a big supporter of racing, with seat time knowledge. A few years ago, he hit the wall hard at Nashville Speedway in a Legends car and wound up in the hospital with 56 stitches in his head. So it didn't make sense. Rudy would never promote anyone looking to cash in on the racing world's largest loss in history. So I had to watch.

As I waited for the story to appear, my thoughts flashed back to a song, I wrote for a race driver many years ago. His name was Axel Anderson and he was a true larger than life modified legend in the northeast. Axel was carving out a name for himself before Dale Earnhardt was born. But there were a lot of similarities; driving style, success, toughness, a role model for many drivers to come including his son, Wayne who captured the NASCAR Modified Championship in '94. But I wrote my song when the man was still alive as a tribute to him and those drivers of his era.

As soon as the story started to air, I realized how wrong my first impression was. Rudy had not let his viewers down. The songwriter, Eddie Reasoner turned out to be a longtime friend of Dale's and there is not a trace of what happened on black Sunday in it. Why, because he wrote it last year strictly as a personal gift for his fishing and hunting buddy. As they played a small piece of "Wheels & Pistons", I could see in Eddie Reasoner's red eyes, the inspiration that drove him to create it. His face broke in to a hopeful little grin, as the lyrics must of reminded him of their good times together. For me there was comfort and a kindred connection made right there.

After the newscast I called the station, spoke with Rudy and he gave me Eddie's phone number. Speaking with him on the phone I could tell he was still pretty shook up about it, but then again who wasn't it. We met the following morning

Eddie: "Back in the 80's I wrote the TV theme for and attended the first Buckmaster's Deer Hunting Classic, in Montgomery, Alabama. As luck would have it, the organizers had me share a room with Dale. I was already checked in and he looks in the door and asks' 'Am I in the right place? __I reply "COME ON IN THIS HOUSE!" and that was the start of it. We just hit it off and became friends immediately. I of course knew of him and his stature in the racing community, but through our love of hunting and the outdoors we began a friendship that opened the gates to my getting invited to come to the races. I had been to Daytona before as a member of Ronny Robbins band and watched his Dad Marty race there but most racing I saw was on TV.

BRISTOL

The first time I took Dale up on his hospitality to come watch the races was at Bristol. I arrived and was standing in the infield, trying to just stay out of everyone's way and he comes around the side of the car. He gives me a great big bear hug and say's "So glad your here, it means so much to me". For a man of his stature to treat me like that, made me feel like I was with family right off.

The following NASCAR off season we hunted with Davy Allison and because I'm a pilot, I now had a second NASCAR driver inviting me to the races. So I went every chance I could get. At one point, it became comical when Davy would say to me, "Now you know, you don't need Earnhardt to get into these races" Dale would say basically the same thing about Allison. I recall Davy showing me his helicopter license when he first got it.

As Dale became even bigger in the sport, I always was respectful of his space and time constraints, but he never made you feel like you were bothering him . Now as for what the man was made of off the track let me tell you this little story. A friend of mine's wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she was a Dale Earnhardt fan of the Highest Proportion. Her home and yard was full of #3 collectibles. Her last request was to someday meet him. So I called and not only did she get her request, Dale takes her out to his farm and they spent an entire day together on his tractor and riding around in his truck having a big old time. That's the kind of man he was. He did things his way because for him they were the right thing to do. He did a lot of things that way, that the world would never know about.

He was the kind of person you would hope your kids grow up to be like. As our friendship grew, sometimes our schedules prevented us from hunting together. He came back from a hunting trip in Canada that I could not make and brought me a hunting knife. I was looking at it last night. I showed up at Talladega and he won. He says" Eddie, your my good luck charm". Victory lane was one huge mob scene. They do all the media stuff and I'm over in the corner as he calls out. "Hey Reasoner, come over here and get your picture made." A few weeks later it turns up signed in my mailbox. So last year I showed up at Bristol and say " I've got a surprise for you Dale, but I can't show it to you yet" He gives me that grin and say's "It wouldn't be a song would it?" I told him I wanted to polish it up and make it presentable.Then Dale Jr. started getting successful and I wanted to write another verse and include him too. I first thought about bringing it to him at Daytona, but decided not to as it being the first race. He had a lot more important stuff to concentrate on. Then I thought Bristol would be the ideal place to give him and Teresa a real polished up version. So my main regret is, he never got to hear it. And it really was only meant for Earnhardt ears, but if it helps anyone else at this time, I suppose Dale would think it's the right thing to do.

WHEELS & PISTONS
by
Eddie Reasoner

He was just a kid from Carolina __ Must have been about 1953
When he began to listen, to the sound of wheels & pistons
Knowing someday that is right where he would be

In a race against the clock_Like a chip of the ole block
He drove hard to be the best that he could be
Not for the fortune nor the fame, just carryin' on the family name
In a Black car with a big ol' "Number 3"

He's been called the Man In Black, Intimidator of the track
The one that they call the "Top Gun"
A legend in the makin' in the sport of stock car racin'
As he drives that Chevrolet to number one!

Chorus
In NASCAR racin' to win the Winston Cup
It's every drivers dream and every champion's luck
Top speed in competition_ it's a family tradition
As Earnhardt takes the checkered flag
The Goodwrench has been good to that Chevrolet you see
Makin' sure that Number One is Number 3

He's got the team that puts the wheel's in motion
A racin' man of skill and great devotion
Hear the crowd and see the faces
Of Richard and the Aces
As he makes his final move to cross that finish line

He's earned respect and admiration from the drivers, fans and patrons
And he loves to hunt and fish just for fun
But Racin' that's his game and he Lives for Victory Lane
As he Drives that Chevrolet to Number One

Repeat Chorus

© 2000 Nash-Angeles Music BMI