David Poole, NASCAR Writer for Charlotte Observer for the last 13 years, passed away today. David was one the first writers to ever help Jayski.com and myself back in 1997. No word on arrangements. Thoughts go out to David’s family. From the Charlotte Observer/Thatsracin: Over thousands of backstretches and hundreds of checkered flags, David Poole made himself into more than one of the nation’s leading authorities on NASCAR. He became a part of the sport he loved.”David Poole was as much a fixture in this sport as the actual cars themselves,” driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Tuesday.”He was a one-of-a-kind individual and an extremely talented writer.” Poole, who covered racing for the Observer, died of a heart attack Tuesday at his Stanly County home. He was 50. A native of Gastonia, N.C., Poole became the Observer’s NASCAR writer in 1997. He built a national following through ThatsRacin.com and a daily program he hosted on Sirius NASCAR Radio. The National Motorsports Press Association four times named him its writer of the year. He wrote about the sport with the enthusiasm of a fan and the critical eye of a journalist.”He could be controversial from time to time but he always wrote and spoke what he believed,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO Richard Childress Racing.”He didn’t pull any punches with anybody and that’s what people respected about him. He was good for the sport.” To honor Poole, Sirius plans to broadcast a tribute Wednesday morning. NASCAR plans a moment of silence before Saturday’s race at Richmond.”He was truly one of the nation’s best and he always wrote what he believed,” said Bruton Smith, chairman and CEO of Speedway Motorsports.”Whether you agreed with him or not, he made us all think, and that’s what the best writers do. He cared about what he did and had a passion for his work. It came through in what he wrote every day.” In announcing Poole’s death to a hushed newsroom Tuesday afternoon, Observer editor Rick Thames called him”the best in his field, there’s no doubt about that.” Thames said: “David Poole was the fans’ reporter, always covering NASCAR with their sensibilities in mind. Their passions were his passions. Their values, his values. If that occasionally clashed with the powerbrokers of the sport, so be it. David told it like it was. And by doing that, he made the sport richer and more genuine for all who love it.” After dramatic weekend crashes at Talledega “ one of which sent two spectators to hospitals “ Poole criticized the track’s design in a column headlined”Will it take a death for Talladega to change?””It seems we’ve decided we can live with that much damage being done to the sport’s customers for “good racing,'” he wrote.”How many people have to be listed in “guarded’ or “critical’ condition before we say that’s too much?” Poole graduated from journalism school at UNC Chapel Hill in 1981. He took a job at the Virginian Pilot in Norfolk but was there just two months when he got a call from the Gastonia Gazette, where he eventually became sports editor. In 1989 he left for a newspaper in Palm Beach but returned a year later for a job at the Observer in part to be closer to his family. After taking over the motorsports beat from Tom Higgins a few years later, it didn’t take him long to make his mark.”I’d go in restaurants in Mooresville and people would say, “Did you read what Poole wrote today?'” Higgins said.”And I’d say that’s the first thing I read.” Early last year, Poole told the story of Wessa Miller, a Kentucky girl with spina bifida and a passion for Dale Earnhardt. He recounted how in 1998 she met her idol at the Daytona 500, a race Earnhardt had never won. She gave him a lucky penny, which he glued to his dashboard before going on to win his first 500. A few months after he wrote the story, Poole learned that Wessa’s father faced unexpected heart surgery. Poole started an account called”Pennies For Wessa” to help the family through its troubles. Guest book: Post your condolences.(4-28-2009) Statement from Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO:”The NASCAR community is stunned and saddened by the loss of David Poole. David was as passionate about NASCAR as anyone and had very definitive opinions about the sport. He served the industry, and most importantly the fans, through his reporting and commentary in the Charlotte Observer and Sirius Satellite Radio. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Davids family and friends. He will be missed.”(4-29-2009)
