Earnhardt's widow pleads photos stay unreleased

Earnhardt was killed when he crashed in the last turn of the last lap of the February 18 Daytona 500. The seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion was killed instantly, but there have been conflicting reports on his fatal injuries.

Mrs Earnhardt spoke prior to the start of Sunday's UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 NASCAR Winston Cup race in Las Vegas.

"This is the first time I've spoken in public since we've lost Dale," said Mrs Earnhardt, flanked by her stepson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. "Honestly, I'm not very comfortable being here. It's too soon. But this issue is of vital importance - not just to my family - but to anyone ever faced with being exploited after losing a loved one.

The paper is attempting to obtain the photos under Florida's liberal open meeting laws, known as the 'Sunshine Laws.' The newspaper wants to analyse the photographs in an attempt to determine what the actual cause of death may have been. Mrs Earnhardt, however, believes that the photographs would eventually become published and distributed over the internet.

"We can't believe, and are saddened that anyone would invade our privacy during this time of grief," she said. "I want to let you know that if access to the photos is allowed, others will demand them, too. And make no mistake, sooner or later, the photos will end up unprotected and published and more certainly on the internet."

There has been a tremendous amount of speculation involving the cause of Earnhardt's death, especially after NASCAR announced his seat belt had broken during the accident. Since that time, neither the sanctioning body, nor team owner Richard Childress, have disclosed the nature of the broken seat belt.

"Releasing the pictures will serve only to violate the privacy of our family and the integrity of Dale's legacy," said Mrs Earnhardt. "Our family knows that what is happening to us is wrong and we don't want any other family in America to go through what we're going through."

Mrs. Earnhardt urged fans to contact the speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, the president of the Florida Senate and Florida Governor Jeb Bush (the brother of US President George W). She also asked that people contact the Orlando Sentinel to make their feelings known.

Mrs Earnhardt also spoke of the overwhelming show of support that has been expressed since her husband's death.

"I have something very important to say - not just to the NASCAR family and its millions of supporters, but to every family in America," she said. "It was just two weeks ago today that my husband died doing what he loved. We all miss him terribly and can never fully express how grateful we are to everyone who has shown us their support during this especially difficult and emotional time.

"The outpouring of affection for Dale and our family has been overwhelming. Since that day, we have received thousands of letters, phone calls and e-mails from around the world offering sympathy and support."