Ken
Gone but not forgotten
From RockyMountainNews.com:
Said Connected with Nextel Cup Long Ago
Once a road-course coach for Earnhardt, it's his turn on track
By Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News
February 16, 2005
Finally, Boris Said can joke about a terrifying experience. He was a teammate of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in July when Earnhardt crashed the team's Corvette C5-R into a barrier during practice at Sonoma, Calif., for the American Le Mans Series Infineon Grand Prix.
Now that the incident is past and Earnhardt has recovered, Said likes to tease Earnhardt about owing him a new car.
"We might joke about it now, but (when) you are with the guy in the infield care center, it was the scariest thing in the world," Said said. "It was weird. I had just talked to him, leaned in the car and said, 'I'll see you in a couple laps.' He took off and 30 seconds later, I looked up at the TV monitor and all the people are packed around it. I said, 'What's going on? That's a big fire; who is that?'
"They said, 'It's Junior' and I was shocked. It was the worst feeling of helplessness I've ever experienced. I just wanted to run out there, but it was too far away."
Later, during a 60 Minutes interview, Earnhardt claimed his late father, Dale, helped him scramble out of the fiery car.
"I don't want to put some weird, you know, psycho twist on it like he was pulling me out or anything, but he had a lot to do with me getting out of that car," Earnhardt told Mike Wallace.
Once out of the car, Earnhardt wanted to find the person who had helped but was told nobody assisted him.
Said could not help clear up the mystery.
"When we were in the hospital that day (Earnhardt) said, 'Hey, make sure you find the guy that helped me get out of the car and tell him thanks,' " Said said. "I didn't think anything of it. I didn't see the video of him rolling out. I went back and was asking a bunch of corner workers, 'Who helped him out?' One guy said, 'I helped him up, but he was already out.' . . . I didn't think of it for a while. That was strange. You never know."
Just as Said never expected to become friends with Earnhardt.
"When he came into Cup racing, DEI hired me to go up to Sears Point and teach him about road racing," Said said. "Some people you meet and don't get along with, and some people you meet, you just hit it off.
"Dale and I hit it off right away and we've been good friends ever since. I helped him out as much as I could on road racing and he has helped me on the ovals, especially Daytona. If Dale wasn't who he was, we would still be good friends. We just connected. Maybe our DNA is similar."
Their driving skills certainly seem to be.
After some tutoring from Earnhardt, Said finished 10th in the 2004 Budweiser Shootout at the restrictor-plate Daytona International Speedway.
"The first 20 laps, I was scared to death," Said said. "By the end of the race, I loved it. I was very pleased and even surprised myself by finishing 10th. Not having any experience, I'm sure for the majority of the people, it wasn't if I was going to wreck but what lap."
Said, a former hired gun for the two road races on the circuit, said he does not feel resentment from Nextel Cup drivers as he attempts to become proficient on ovals. "I don't think I ever had the . . . issue where I was resented because I was an outsider . . . ," Said said. "I think the reason is that I came in as a teacher helping the guys with their road-racing programs. And by doing that, I forged a lot of good friendships. So when I came in I didn't feel like an outsider, even though I am one."
Said Connected with Nextel Cup Long Ago
Once a road-course coach for Earnhardt, it's his turn on track
By Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News
February 16, 2005
Finally, Boris Said can joke about a terrifying experience. He was a teammate of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in July when Earnhardt crashed the team's Corvette C5-R into a barrier during practice at Sonoma, Calif., for the American Le Mans Series Infineon Grand Prix.
Photos By Don Grassman © Cia Stock Photography Inc.
Boris Said leads the pack along the race course at Sonoma, Calif. The longtime driver has been familiarizing himself with ovals, moving away from the more comfortable road courses. "The first 20 laps, I was scared to death," he said about his performance in the 2004 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.
Boris Said, left,and Dale Earnhardt Jr. became fast friends and teamed up to race in the American Le Mans Series Infineon Grand Prix. "Maybe ourDNAis similar," Said said.
The car caught fire and Earnhardt suffered second-degree burns on the inner sides of both legs and on his chin.
Now that the incident is past and Earnhardt has recovered, Said likes to tease Earnhardt about owing him a new car.
"We might joke about it now, but (when) you are with the guy in the infield care center, it was the scariest thing in the world," Said said. "It was weird. I had just talked to him, leaned in the car and said, 'I'll see you in a couple laps.' He took off and 30 seconds later, I looked up at the TV monitor and all the people are packed around it. I said, 'What's going on? That's a big fire; who is that?'
"They said, 'It's Junior' and I was shocked. It was the worst feeling of helplessness I've ever experienced. I just wanted to run out there, but it was too far away."
Later, during a 60 Minutes interview, Earnhardt claimed his late father, Dale, helped him scramble out of the fiery car.
"I don't want to put some weird, you know, psycho twist on it like he was pulling me out or anything, but he had a lot to do with me getting out of that car," Earnhardt told Mike Wallace.
Once out of the car, Earnhardt wanted to find the person who had helped but was told nobody assisted him.
Said could not help clear up the mystery.
"When we were in the hospital that day (Earnhardt) said, 'Hey, make sure you find the guy that helped me get out of the car and tell him thanks,' " Said said. "I didn't think anything of it. I didn't see the video of him rolling out. I went back and was asking a bunch of corner workers, 'Who helped him out?' One guy said, 'I helped him up, but he was already out.' . . . I didn't think of it for a while. That was strange. You never know."
Just as Said never expected to become friends with Earnhardt.
"When he came into Cup racing, DEI hired me to go up to Sears Point and teach him about road racing," Said said. "Some people you meet and don't get along with, and some people you meet, you just hit it off.
"Dale and I hit it off right away and we've been good friends ever since. I helped him out as much as I could on road racing and he has helped me on the ovals, especially Daytona. If Dale wasn't who he was, we would still be good friends. We just connected. Maybe our DNA is similar."
Their driving skills certainly seem to be.
After some tutoring from Earnhardt, Said finished 10th in the 2004 Budweiser Shootout at the restrictor-plate Daytona International Speedway.
"The first 20 laps, I was scared to death," Said said. "By the end of the race, I loved it. I was very pleased and even surprised myself by finishing 10th. Not having any experience, I'm sure for the majority of the people, it wasn't if I was going to wreck but what lap."
Said, a former hired gun for the two road races on the circuit, said he does not feel resentment from Nextel Cup drivers as he attempts to become proficient on ovals. "I don't think I ever had the . . . issue where I was resented because I was an outsider . . . ," Said said. "I think the reason is that I came in as a teacher helping the guys with their road-racing programs. And by doing that, I forged a lot of good friendships. So when I came in I didn't feel like an outsider, even though I am one."
