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Does Oprah Hate Earnhardt?

Dalestatue

According to a story on Cup Scene Daily, the City of Kannapolis, North Carolina has taken down their “Dale Trail” banners in preparation for a visit by Oprah Winfrey. Huh? The article states that, “California billionaire David Murdock, owner of Castle & Cook developers of the North Carolina Research Center, which is being developed in Kannapolis wants to put the "best face on the city" and asked that the City take down the banners for a visit this coming weekend with a ‘very important guest’...” The guest is rumored to be Ms. Winfrey. Murdock is the same guy who put up a nine-foot high statue of Senior in one of his shopping centers.

In trying to dissect this rather convoluted tale of small-town politics, it appears to be a struggle for the city’s identity. The “Dale Trail” has 14 stops in and around Kannapolis and was obviously developed as a way to exploit the Earnhardt name in order to attract tourism. It seems like developers now want to push more of a scientific research vibe and have proposed that the "…city adopt the 'Home to Science' tagline on all we do." I guess they figure that science, not Earnhardt, puts the “best face on the city.”

I have several questions:

1. Why are those two things mutually exclusive? Promoting tourism and attracting industry through scientific research and infrastructure seem to be a good two-pronged approach.

2. Why does anybody think Oprah will care? Oprah Winfrey strikes me as an astoundingly intelligent woman. I can only assume that she does not blindly embrace the NASCAR stereotype. Even if she did, if a Dale Earnhardt inspired tourist promotion dissuades her from pursuing a business deal with David Murdock, then maybe Murdock’s deal leaves something to be desired.

While the City and the billionaire developer duke it out, I’m mostly interested in what the fine citizens of Kannapolis think. Do you think they would prefer being known as the hometown of Dale Earnhardt, Sr., or the “Home to Science”? Geez. That’s a tough one.

~Cutler

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TAGS: Dale Earnhardt, David Murdock, Kannapolis, Dale Trail, oprah winfrey

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Duh! Of course they want to be known as home to Dale Sr. You'd think that would be something that town would be proud of. Wonder how much negative impact that will leave on the city, thanks to this dude. I wonder if he ever thought to ask her if she had any thoughts on Dale Sr. I don't think it's a big secret to the world that Dale Sr is from there and it's a Nascar oriented town.

88craig
11:56:18 07-25-2008

What do these "Dale Trail" banners look like? I mean, are they gawd aweful banners like you'd find on a used car lot? Or are we talking about well-designed permanent signage?

I know this sounds silly, but that makes a difference in how your little town may "present" to prospective investors.

That aside, Kannapolis IS Earnhardt like Tupelo is Elvis. You can't take that man out of that town any more than you can take the sun from the sky...

Racer X
12:34:15 07-25-2008

Here you go, X. The Convention & Visitors Bureau paid $14,000 for the banners and brackets.

Buzz Cutler
12:46:32 07-25-2008

Oh. Those are kinda nice. No. I don't see a problem calling this guy a freaking IDIOT now...

Racer X
13:01:01 07-25-2008

Well, well. Looks like Teresa might not be the most hated woman in Kannapolis now.

CodeBlueEMT
16:45:25 07-25-2008

How quickly the city's leaders have forgotten the man that helped make the city well known. This guy is getting blown up Monday night on RaceTalkRadio!!

Dennis

Dennis
19:46:38 07-25-2008

Apparently this issue may have been misinterpreted. David Poole explains:
http://turn-lane.blogspot.com/2008/07/officials-in-kannapolis-rush-to-defend.html

archidude
20:57:27 07-25-2008

If I read correctly he is telling the truth here. Just read between lines. They took them down on purpose "at the same time." This is a bigger deal than most think.

Buck Fever
05:06:12 07-26-2008

Oprah's just mad because she will never be as succesful as Sr., as stupid as she is, the woman probably thinks it's a waste of time and "redneck"! Heck, giving away post its and other 3M products is a waste of time!

intimidator48
11:03:55 07-26-2008

Oh, I wouldn't go projecting all this on Oprah, Intimidator48. I doubt seriously she has any idea what this hubub is about. The banners should be permanent signs anyway, so they won't wear out. The idea they were talking about in the Poole article sounds kinda cool, with the tour CD and all that.

Sounds like a bunch of "rednecks" getting all sensitive and taking a perfectly logical matter too personally. Throw in a swirl of anti-intellectualism for good measure, you know, with all these technology and science guys and their lab coats. Ridiculous. There is no way Kannapolis is ever going to divorce itself from the Earnhardt legacy. It is their identity, and even these corporate and local government dafoons know that.

Racer X
12:09:56 07-27-2008

that's a bunch of freakin bolonga! I never even know about this dale trail thing until just now, and now i can't see it! (stupid oprah!) I never liked her much, and now i have a reason.

But it's really stupid for a town to take all that down, it's history man!