“Heroes,” the late Dale Earnhardt said. “Are there really any heroes in this world?”

Yes. Yes there are. And Dale Earnhardt was mine.

It’s hard to figure out what a hero is. A lot of folks say a person who saves lives is a hero. Earnhardt never saved any lives, at least on the surface, but his life touched so many throughout this country that the full scope of his legacy may never fully be measured.

Heroes by classification allow people to keep living, to avoid death, and that’s exactly what Earnhardt did. He picked up the hearts of thousands and gave them something to look forward to, something to live for. Earnhardt fans, the serious ones, say that a part of them was riding around in that black 3 car. Many of these fans never met the man – myself included – but he may as well have been next to kin.

Awhile back, a fan said that he still considered Earnhardt to be his favorite driver, even years after his death in the 2001 Daytona 500. Why exactly?

“Because he drove how I feel.”

Those living vicariously through Earnhardt died a little inside when he hit the turn 4 wall on that cold February day in Daytona. Over six years later, that void is still there, occasionally scratched open and filled with photographs and memories, movies and documentaries. But when the show is over, that void is still there.

Why? Heroes aren’t supposed to die.

Then again, maybe Earnhardt was bigger than the hero tag and at the same time much smaller.

He raced for blue collar America, for those who punched a clock everyday. He raced for those who had a crappy job, a bad bank account, faded blue jeans and a Chevy truck. He raced for all the average Joes. He raced for me.

Coming from nothing himself, Earnhardt weaved his own rags to riches story, a story that all his fans believed they could write if they got the chance. In my office there’s a big poster on the wall of Earnhardt sitting on his car. Above him, in big white letters, the poster reads, “Earn It.”

I’m trying, Dale. We’re all trying.

Editor's Note: If you're an Earnhardt fan or want to know what I'm talking about, tune in to CMT tonight at 8 p.m. for the "Dale" documentary.