A very cool story not told much about Dale for all the F1 fans here. Dale was a big F1 fan. With that Dale won the NASCAR race at Talladega the day we lost Senna, the first thing he said in victory lane was giving his condolences. He’d later dedicate the win to Senna, sent flowers to his family, all at the confusion to a NASCAR media that barely knew who Senna was. Greatness recognizes greatness.
Yeah, Dale Jr. talked about that on his podcast about his dad waking up early in the morning to watch F1 and how he marveled at the skill of the drivers.
Note about Dale's only 500 win: Dale was a master of Daytona in basically every other race held there. He won almost every qualifying race in the 1990s, he had a few Busch Clash wins, a handful of Xfinity Series victories, and a few Firecracker 400 Ws was well, but the 500 always seemed to allude him due to some ridiculous bad luck that was never his fault. It's a truly captivating story that followed him throughout most of his career.
Every year something absurd would stop him from winning. From a last-corner tire blowout to a goddamn seagull. There's a great video by Emplemon explaining Dale's story that's also a good introduction to Nascar as a whole
I think overall Dale won over 25 + races at Daytona. Only that 1 “500” though. I wasn’t an Earnhardt fan, but I was even ok with him winning by then. Larry Mac crew cheifed Davey and Dale to their respective “500’s”, that was a nice detail.
I've always felt bad for Michael Waltrip, forever his first career win is tainted by Dales passing. He didn't really get to celebrate that win until the Pepsi 400 on the July 4th weekend. With that famous picture of Waltrip and Dale Jr standing on top of the car in the Daytona infield
The Marlin thing was absolutely awful. He'd been around Earnhardt for decades and was devastated by the loss and then had to deal with horrible abuse from people saying it was his fault.
The story made it far and wide that it was Sterling's fault. My friend Kim told me her 9-year-old came home from school and was really mad at Marlin. His mom corrected him, but trying to explain 'one of those bad deals' to a 9-year-old is not without its challenges.
I was a big time Dale Sr fan. I watched him from the time I was a little kid and can remember back to his 8 wrangler car. The day that he died, I was completely shocked, like you said, it was Dale he can't be dead. I watched every race, every weekend back then, normally at a friend's house (we had a group of us that would take turns hosting it and we'd cook and hangout). That day I left shortly after the race ended, I knew Dale had crashed, but I had seen him and others walk away from so many worse crashes than that, that I didn't think anything about it (for an example go watch Richard Petty barrel roll down the front straight fence and then be T-boned at the end, we all thought he was dead, but he got out of that one a little worse for wear, but nothing life threatening). I got back to the house and started doing other things and my brother in law burst through the door and said "man Dale's dead" in this shocked, questioning statement, half yelling. I was like there's no way, it wasn't even that bad. We turned on the TV and sure enough, my childhood hero was gone. I was in disbelief for a while. Growing up we had been involved in local dirt short track racing, my dad had races against Dale several times when Dale was still on the short tracks, my first race was at 6wks old (my mom took some of the cotton out of my diaper and put it in my ears lol), my dad had won several Dale Sr look alike contests and he and a buddy even had a whole bar convinced that he was Dale's brother lol. So we all loved and respected Dale Sr. so it hit us all really hard. When they showed Dale's memorial service on TV my mom taped it for me, but I never could bring myself to watch it. It was a horrible deal. I remember hearing all the rumors about why he died, the helmet (he was one of the last racers to wear an open face helmet and he said it was because he could feel the wind better and it helped him in the draft. If you know about Dale, you know some of the mystic around him was that he could "see the air" coming off the cars around him, he said it was down to the helmet), the seatbelts, the way his car was set up, etc. It didn't matter to me, he was gone and wasn't coming back. I continued to watch NASCAR for a few years after that and we're still involved in dirt track racing, but to me and a lot of fans NASCAR died the day Dale Earnhardt did and it's never coming back.
Everyone watching that race expected Dale to get out of his car, just like Kenny did. Kenny knew something was wrong because Dale's window net wasn't down. I'll never forget the image of Kenny unhooking the net, looking in the car, and then turning to wave the safety crew over.
Whatever Kenny saw will haunt him for all his remaining days, too. As bad as I felt for Dale Jr and all the family and friends... I always think of how Kenny had to see that and how Mikey had what should have been his most triumphant day ripped away from him by the death of the friend who had got him there in the first place.
The quote about the HANS being "that damned noose" is actually miscreated to Earnhardt, it was actually Dave Marcus who said that, also there were only three drivers in Winston Cup who were still using open faced helmets at the time: Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Dave Marcus... Brock Beard has a couple really good documentaries on the lead up and aftermath of Dale's death Edit: those two documentaries are "Three Before February" and "500 Days: The Lost Storylines of the 2001 Daytona 500"
What was profound was that after Sennas death, Dale won his race and then said he would have run second to Senna or something, as for NASCAR everyone booed him because he was made out to be the evil guy of the sport but he liked it and his legacy will be missed, there is only ONE Intimidator of Motorsport and his name, Dale Earnhardt Senior!
Didn't he say that about Alan Kulwicki, the 1992 NASCAR Champion who died in 1993 and he said he would run second to him as long as it meant bringing him back.
Am I the only one who thinks that Dale and Senna were actually quite similar? Both were more than happy to make nice gestures to other drivers (Senna would have done similar with Ratzenberger had Senna survived, based on an Austrian flag being found in his cockpit) but when it comes to actually racing, they would be just as happy to do anything to win.
@@typeoddnamehere2362 They are actually essentially the same driver. Personality wise, they were amazing and very much loved by a lot of people. However on track, they did many very questionable things, that are forgotten nowadays, because they died the way they did.
There’s a very touching video of Earnhardt paying his respects to Senna in victory lane at Talladega on that fateful Sunday. The commentators announced the news during the race and held a few laps in silence to pay respects. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iq6mVAXegyw.html
Dale was my childhood hero, I will never forget the moment I started following him. It was a Richmond race in 1987 and under caution he hung out of the driver's window and cleaned his windshield while driving. I was a 6 year old kid astonished to see that. Dale introduced me to motorsports and I started following other series because of him. He won a race at Daytona in 1993 that my father took me to. He was riding in the backseat of a car (I guess from victory lane to the press center outside of the track) I chased the car and left my father behind in the process. He signed my shirt and gave me the hat off his head and talked to me for it felt like 5 minutes. His popularity to me always felt like he was a normal man who could do extraordinary things behind the wheel. He was what a kid dreamed to be.
I watched it. It was surreal. I remember Mike Helton doing the press conference announcing his death. I wasn’t a Dale fan but it changed the sport forever. Seeing Jr. running through the garage after the race to get to the hospital is tear jerking now. Marlin recently did an episode of Jr’s podcast and talks about it. The man is still tore up about over 20 years later.
I read an article about him still watching the video of the final laps every day and trying to figure out what he could have done differently that day. It's terrible that he has lived all these years with the guilt of that day, guilt that he really shouldn't have. He wasn't a dirty driver and even if they did touch, he never meant for that to happen. My heart goes out to him for all he's had to deal with.
@@chrispeck1325 you’re absolutely spot on. Sterling Marlin was never a rough driver. He never intentionally wrecked anyone. I wouldn’t wish what happened on anyone. I can’t imagine how hard it is to look Jr in the face knowing you were, not intentionally of course, the cause of his fathers death. Heartbreaking
I remember thinking it wasn't that big a deal, either. When I saw Ken Schraeder's reaction when he went over to the car I knew something was up, but I wasn't sure what. But the longer it went without hearing more, the worse you figured it was.
@@almostfm same. It didn’t look bad but the way Dale raced with his belts loose so he could move around was a habit from an era when drivers could do that and make it out alive. At the speeds they were running at the time it was a huge gamble. And we lost a driver that defined the sport for generations of fans.
the comparison with ken block made it hit home how much of a loss dale was. i was devastated and spent days watching his videos and reliving the highlights knowing no more would come.
Was never a big NASCAR fan, but as a motorsport fan I was aware of NASCAR goings-on. I specifically remember the day it happened as I was on a trip with my parents to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Kentucky and news of the death dominated SportsCenter that night. NASCAR was more mainstream in the American sports consciousness at that time and Dale's death was of a very similar magnitude to Hamilton dying in a crash now. We also stopped by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the way home to Minnesota a few days later and there was a large memorial to Dale outside the museum.
It was Blaise Alexanders crash in an ARCA race in October 2001, that really changed NASCAR. After this crash the HANS-device was mandatory. Not after Dale's crash.
in "the big one" crash that preceeded his fatal one, Dale came on the radio and told team owner Richard Childress "Richard, if they don't do something to these cars, it's gonna end up killing someone." At least his death wasn't in vain - his sacrifice and the advancements made because of it have saved countless driver lives since. Race in peace, Dale; we miss you 🙏
Actually, there were 3 drivers in particular who died during the 2000 season who's deaths were in vain, because had NASCAR not been more concerned with their own financial well being, they would have implemented the HANS, or Hutchens like open wheel racing had done and Dale may well have survived the crash. Also, if they had only specified that safety equipment be installed to manufacturers specs, the seatbelt would not have broken and Dale wouldn't have hit the steering wheel face first. Those are hard facts folks ignore, because the safety and science had already advanced, NASCAR just felt if they left safety up to the drivers they couldn't be legally liable.
Clearest discussion I've seen thus far of the actual point of HANS - comes across as a means to minimise excessive accelerations in all axes - wonder how much worse the porpoising issue of last year might have been without it \m/
Dale was my favorite driver, and I was actually there at his last race. I was listening to his scanner and I can tell you first hand he was not blocking for his two drivers to win the race. He was not happy with the lines that Michael and Jr was running as it was causing him to lose the draft from them. I knew something was terribly wrong after the crash cause Richard Childress was on the radio asking if he was ok and there never was a response. During the red flag the field was stopped right in front of where we was sitting and I got some pretty good pictures of Dale and his 2 drivers parked close together on the track. It was terrible news to hear later that night and in my opinion Nascar has never been the same. Great video, and thank you for sharing it.
'Blink of an eye' is a documentary about the crash. It goes into Waltrips beginnings and his first ever win. That one. It's a heartbreaker, but great documentary. Nice videos mate. Even as an American.
I was watching on TV. Live I didn't think much of the wreck - I'd seen him limp away from a far nastier-looking crash at Talladega a few years prior. It wasn't until I turned on ESPN later and saw a bleary-eyed Dr. Jerry Punch on TV that I knew what had really happened. The right-rear wheel breaking off is a big clue there - glad you mentioned it. When I explain to people who still think it didn't look like a big hit just how massive it really was, I point that out and the lightbulb turns on in their head. A couple points - Dale didn't call the HANS a noose - he called full-face helmets a noose. He believed that drivers' necks were breaking due to the wrap around bottom of the helmet acting like a noose in wrecks. Second, Bill Simpson was done dirty big-time here. This man was so passionate about safety he once proved the effectiveness of his firesuits by donning one and dousing himself in gasoline then lighting it up. He was so upset over the loss of Dale and for being indirectly blamed that he left the company that still bears his name to start a new one - Impact. Bill Simpson was an absolute legend and it's probably no exaggeration to say hundreds if not thousands of drivers survived their careers because of him. Also, let's not pat NASCAR too hard on the back here. Three warning shots were fired across their bow in 2000. The writing was on the wall in actual blood. Their slow response... no, their NON-response to the loss of Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr, and Tony Roper made a day like Feb 18, 2001 inevitable. They didn't act until it was a legend rather than an up-and-comer.
Watched it with my father. I remember watching as the ambulance drove slowly off to Halifax. We both knew Dale was gone at that point. Great piece by the way.
I heard an interview with Robin Miller, longtime Indianapolis Star sports reporter, who interviewed Bill Simpson. Simpson said that he told Earnhardt several times that the belts were installed incorrectly, but Earnhardt said it was more comfortable to wear the way he had it. Nonetheless, Simpson got lots of death threats.
Back then I was a huge NASCAR fan. And a massive Dale Earnhardt fan. During the tv coverage b-4 that race I had a day dream of sorts. Of air force planes flying in their missing man formation. That's where four planes are flying in formation and one flies up and out of the formation. It sent chills down my spine. I just felt that something bad was gonna happen during that race. And it did. Bad memories to this day even as I write this.
1:16 it would’ve been like seeing those guys coming and knowing that you will be moved out of the way pretty much no matter what. Even if it’s because you psych yourself out
Here in NZ the tracks have pretty much made it mandatory to wear a HANS device or similar, even on limited track days, let alone race days. They're uncomfortable and annoying, but then so is wearing a multi-layer suit and fireproof underwear, but if the worst were to happen you'd be pretty happy you had it on.
As a fan of NASCAR for 30 years and an Earnhardt fan. Thank you for this and well done. I was at Talladega in October of 2000. Never will forget that race just as I won’t forget the sinking feeling when the word became official of his passing.
This race was one of the few on Public News, not as a sport feature but an international news. Same for the Senna Crash, it was much later that Ratzenbergers crash to light. Very few motor sports accidents are reported on the News Earnhardt's and Senna's were the only one's I can remember.
As you point out, 3 other drivers (Tony Roper, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr) died from the same injury (basilar skull fracture) the year before too. NASCAR chose to do nothing. Then their biggest star gets killed and they’re all “this is just a freak accident we never could have seen coming. We’re making swift changes to make sure it never happens again”.
They actually didn’t mandate it after Dale’s accident. It wasn’t until October of that year when Blaise Alexander was killed in an ARCA race that NASCAR mandated it.
I don't care if he was a rookie or not, Adam Petty was a Petty, the closest thing to a royal family NASCAR has, and that makes their decision to essentially brush off his death even more unacceptable.
I remember that race vividly. I remember the elation I felt for one of Earnhardt’s drivers (as Earnhardt was/is my favorite all-time) winning. I remember taking a nap, & my mother telling me to watch the news once I woke up. Then I saw then president Mike Helton make the announcement that we had lost Dale. I cried for 3 hrs, & mourned for 3 days. I was 12 then, & it still hurts as much now as it did all those yrs ago.
I am not, and never have been a NASCAR fan, but it was hugely popular when I was a kid. In 2001, I was in 7th grade and I was 12 years old. When Dale Earnhardt died, I think about half the kids in my school wore some sort of tribute for the rest of the year. I vividly remember people having the number 3 in places for this. There was a trend around that time to shave designs into your hair, like behind your ear or on the back of the neck or side of your head where it would be cut short. Lots of people had a number 3 basically cut into their heads for months afterwards. This was also the days of AOL Instant Messenger, and about every 2nd AIM Bio had some sort of Dale tribute in it. I honestly think that the 2 biggest cultural events of my childhood happened that same year. Dale Earnhardt fell at Daytona, and 9/11 in the fall. Even people who didn't care at all, like my sister's hippie friends in college were shocked, surprised, and stunned. Sitting here now, something weird for me to think is that when I was a kid, I always thought of Dale Earnhardt as an old man. He wasn't even 50. I'm closer now to his age than I am to the age I was when he died. I guess now I'm an old man.
I remember the Senna crash. I was 8 and it was my first proper exposure to the concept of death. I can't recall if we saw it live or just caught the news later, but it was definitely felt in my home.
In that big one crash it looked like Dale's car suffered some door damage and it seemed to slow his car some due to the aero dynamics, my guess is at that point with the speed of his car compromised he decided to play wing man for Waltrip and Dale Jr, which was so completely against his normal driving, he was driving defensive which is unlike the normal Dale. I remember watching live and thinking wow Earnhardt is protecting his two drivers, blocking not for him but for them. Btw on that big one crash Tony Stewart was pretty lucky he didn't suffer a serious injury. It's a shame that Dale was so stubborn about safety equipment.
He had a winning Car He wanted jr and Waltrip To work together all along That was the plan. Jr thought it was insane Until it worked Until the last turn
@@DiehardtNG10 idk what his plan was but I imagine he wanted to win first and foremost but if you go and watch the race on RU-vid, he did not have the best car that day, he looked tight and couldn't keep up close to the car right in front as well the other cars, Sterling Marlin was the fastest car that day, every time he would fall back he would go back to the front and quickly. The 8 and the 15 looked faster than Dale and several others. His experience and ability kept him near the front and by that point he prob realized his car was not the best and decided to be a wingman to his 2 cars, clearly blocking and almost getting spun out with like 3 or 4 laps to go. I always thought, what if he wasn't focused on blocking and was going for the win like he would normally do, I think that angled wreck may not happen.
@@frevazz3364 He was fast enough to go for the win. He just wanted 15 and 8 one and 2. Watch the day Dale Earnhardt documentary And you’ll know more about it,
It was after college and I wasn’t a big fan but my dad always was. I decided to tune in that Sunday and that was the first race I watched from start to finish in years. It just happened to be that day.
I’ve seen the photos inside the car after the crash, there was no chance of survival, blood everywhere. And one of those drivers killed before Dale was Adam Petty, grandson of Richard Petty. The fact NASCAR didn’t do anything is still maddening. But, Dale’s death was not in vain. His death has saved countless drivers. It’s not how we wanted it to be but, he gave his life so other drivers could live. That race still haunts me as I was an 11 year old then, and yet in September, it only got worse. That was a traumatic year
There's an interview Darrell Waltrip gave in 2000, after Kenny Irwin died, where he is just livid that NASCAR seemed to just be brushing off the fact that two drivers were dead, one of them a Petty, no less, and only putting up the most half-hearted attempts to prevent further deaths.
I am, to this day, a huge Dale Earnhardt fan. I watched that race from flag to flag. I remember being so pissed that Dale just sat behind his cars and didn't try to win. Then the wreck happened, mad again because instead of trying to win, he was blocking and got wrecked, to save a 1-2 for his team. I was so mad that as soon as Micheal crossed the line, I turned the TV off and went about my day. About an hour later I turned on ESPN, and saw the report Dale was dead, I just started crying like I had lost a close friend. I had only met him once in my life. At the Brickyard 400 in 1995, the year he won, he came over to the fence and signed a diecast and took a picture with me. I have that diecast and picture in a shadow box.
I was little kid and I remember the camera panning over for the replay and thinking it wasn’t a very big crash, especially for nascar. No fire, no flips, no carnage. Just a bump and he’s in the wall. No biggie. I watched a man die on live tv when I was 11. Wow. Remember things like this when you’re frustrated that they’re not showing the live feeds after a major crash in modern motorsport. I remember this most recently and vividly when Guanyu Zhou crashed in Silverstone. Crofty had to remind people that they would couldn’t even show replays until they’d confirmed his condition. And when all we saw for maybe ten minutes was George Russel jogging out of his car to try and help, it looked pretty grim.
My dad has been a big NASCAR fan since before I was born and was a huge Dale fan; brought my brother and me to a Sears Point race when I was too young to remember in the early 90's. I got into NASCAR from around '98 to probably 2002. Was watching live as he fought to ensure a win for Michael Waltrip or his son, the crash, and how quickly the mood changed as it became clear the accident was serious--remember my mom coming to tell me later in a somber manner that Dale had died. Definitely a needed wake up call given Dale was the 4th in a string of deaths for NASCAR. Remarkable there hasn't been a death in NASCAR since--a harder lesson than it should've been, but that always seems to be the way of it. And sometimes the lesson still hasn't sunk in, we could've been mourning Gasly just a few months ago due to the FIA's negligence if things transpired a little differently.
It should also be noted people didn't magically start wearing the Hans device. The next week there was a driver who said "I'd rather cross my fingers and take a chance than wear one of those things".
A pretty good number of drivers wore the Hutchens device for quite a while. Some articles I just pulled up, so as not to rely completely on my memory, talk about quite a few drivers not wearing a helmet restraint on the slower tracks even very late in the 2001 season, before Nascar told them they had to wear one of the available options.
As a big nascar fan in my youth years with Bobby Labonte cars plastered all over my walls, this was the first death I had seen in motorsports. Seeing those replays and hearing Darrel Waltrip almost in tears saying "I hope Dale's okay" on the tv as an announcer is something I will never forget. When I got older and realized more details as to what had caused the death, the impact, and the open faced helmet, the HANS device is one of the greatest safety device that's ever been invented in motorsports.
Dale Sr’s history at Daytons was perhaps the strangest motorsport story I can remember. He genuinely seemed cursed there, and for the longest time. More times than not he would arrive at Speedweeks (the two week lead-up to the 500) and would have the fastest car the moment he took to the track. More times than not he would win everything there was TO win. The shootout event, whichever of the two qualifying races (one of two that consisted of half the entrants) he was in, and most of the 500. Yet time after time fate would intervene. And perhaps it’s that ‘fate’ that would grow his legend. The man had just about every type of motorsport misfortune imaginable visited upon him. Blown engines, blown tires, as might befall any racer. The most seemingly impossible thing being when in the closing laps of a race that he had well & truly dominated, his car struck a sea gull on the backstretch, which destroyed his radiator and much of its plumbing. Something I can’t recall ever having heard of at any other race anywhere. As it would seem to most every motorsport fan, after he had exhausted all of the ways to ‘not’ win… in 1998 he did win. And he only got a few years to enjoy that as we all know. If there’s any solace to be had, it must be that 1) he died doing what he truly loved, and 2) he died likely with a HUGE smile on his face, as he acted as a sort of rear gunner in P3 while his son Dale Jr was second & the driver who had been written off by much of the NASCAR world, Michael Waltrip, ran P1 and was about to win his very first points paying race. Both driving cars fielded by his own Cup series team. He had to sport a big grin under that famous mustache of his. His was a different sort of ‘fame’. It wasn’t simply notoriety because he had accomplished so much. He was truly ‘known’. And for an athlete that’s difficult to achieve.
It was the first Daytona 500 I remember i watching flag to flag. I still remember coming home from my Aunt and Uncle's house next door and not sure what just happened being 7 at the time. But it was something that was just surreal. I remember the emotion at Rockingham next week and just what took place a week before. To see Steve Park win that race was incredible.
I watched that race on Television when I was a kid, and also remember how devastated I was after hearing of his passing from the accident. Brock Beard here on YT recently made a 4 part docu on the year-ish leading up to that race and the following week after. Brought back alot of memories from mid February of 2001.
I remember watching the NASCAR website in 2001,during the race it was just a lap by lap spread sheet. At lap 199 it never changed and didn't bring up the race results. It wasn't until the next day did I learn what had happened. Dale was a hero of mine, any game with him in, I'd always use his no.3 car
I’ve watched nearly all of your videos, I’ll enjoy anything you choose to talk about, but as a red neck with a framed picture of Dale hanging in my bedroom, I enjoyed this one a little more. I’d love to see a video on the Garage 56 car and your thoughts about it after Le Mans.
great video, respectfully done. HANS device is an amazing thing and has saved many lives, it now looks odd to see drivers without them when watching older motorsport
Awesome video, I am a big Dale fan. I was home on leave from the Air Force, I knew he was seriously hurt with the medical respons and how slow the ambulance left the track heading to the hospital
Dale Sr winning the Daytona 500 was like Mario Andretti winning the Indianapolis 500, could get it once but not a second time. I was not a Dale Sr fan but was very happy when he did win the Daytona 500. I remember all of the crews lining up along pit road to congratulate him for finally winning the 500. I watched the race live and did not think much of the crash. When I found out later that he had died I was shocked and saddened.
I think it was the RU-vidr emplemon that made a really great video about the career of dale Earnhardt and covers his luck at Daytona incredibly well. I recommend u watch it for a more in-depth look at his career
I watched that fateful race on TV, and was shocked by the death of The Intimidator. But what also stands out for me that year was the April race at Talladega, their first time back on a superspeedway after Dale's passing. The race went green the whole 500 miles. At 'Dega they could get 5-wide on the back stretch, sometimes even 4-wide going into Turn 3. I was on the edge of my seat for the last 25 laps or so. The finish was so tight that the guy who finished 29th was only 4 seconds off the lead! Unbelievable to watch. Never saw another full-on green race since.
Only one driver in the field on that day was wearing a HANS device, and that was Kurt Busch. Can only wonder how many lives it has saved since. Jeff Gordon is absolutely one of them.
The best way to describe the Daytona 500 is to simply paraphrase Al Unser Sr's famous quote about the Indianapolis 500: "It's a 4 hour game of chess played at 200 mph".
One month prior, I became a fan of Dale while watching him set quick laps in the rain, at night during the Rolex 24. His enthusiasm for sportscar racing made me long for a post Nascar career of Dale burning up IMSA circuits in a #3 Corvette along with Pilgrim and Wallace. My dad and I bonded over our new found appreciation for the Intimidator. A month later I saw Ken Shrader's reaction and knew right away. I remember thinking how cruel it was that he died in the first Nascar race I'd seen as a true fan of Dale. Teenagers are a self centered lot.
I didn’t watch this race live, but did read about it in Autosport(Back then my household had no Internet and only terrestrial TV!), and I remember being deeply shocked; I didn’t follow NASCAR closely but I was familiar with the big names in it. It was upsetting to read about this, and I got a profound sense straight away that NASCAR had just had its own “Imola 1994”. A deeply unhappy moment. (As it turns out, my sister - who had recently moved to Florida at the time - was at this race and witnessed the crashes, and today was her Birthday. Which feels a bit spooky somehow!) Excellent video Aidan! 🙌
Thanks for covering Aidan. As a big NASCAR fan and as the sport is almost a different culture in the American south, Dale’s death still is something that is hard to believe. I was 4 years old at the time watching with my dad, who was a big Dale Sr. fan; I can still vividly remember the two cars of Dale and Ken Schrader resting after the crash in the infield like it was a normal thing. I didn’t learn until much later about his death and still, every time I see footage of that 500, a piece of me always thinks the accident won’t be fatal and he’ll just walk out of the car like normal. Like you said, it’s Dale. His horrifying wrecks over the years, particularly in 1996 and 1998 both at Talladega, he survived without a second thought in anyone’s minds; how this was the one to take his life still to this day sometimes crosses my own mind. Eerily similar to Senna’s accident that I learned about years later when going back through F1 history after watching Schumi dominate. Even moreso is Dale giving condolences to Senna’s family in his post-race interview after winning at Talladega in 1994 right after the Senna crash. Ultimately, while it took an immeasurable chunk out of the sport that I don’t know can even be comparable in scope, it lead to much improved driver safety and for NASCAR to wake up and implement these changes. Although the sport has fallen pretty hard in recent years, I am still more than glad to know that to this day, no one else has perished on the track.
I remember where I was when he won the Daytona 500 in 1998. He was my favorite driver of all time. I watched the 2001 race with my dad, left his place right after the checkered flag. When I got to my mom’s I saw on the news that Dale had passed away. Incredibly sad.
To answer your question about why Dale only won a single Daytona 500: they fudged his pit stop in 1979, they fudged it again in 1980, he finished 2nd in 1984, he ran out of gas in 1986, he ran over debris and cut his tire in 1st on the last lap in 1990, a seagull hit his car in 1991, someone else named Dale passed him on the last lap in 1993, he finished 2nd in 1995, the other guy named Dale passed him again in 1996, and he was turned and flipped in 1997, only to get out of the ambulance and drive his wrecked car (which could somehow still drive at race speed) to finish the race. Dale’s Daytona misfortunes are the Andretti Curse of NASCAR lore and the topic definitely deserves a video of its own.
Really appreciate this video being made. I'm sure almost everyone who is even the slightest bit interested in racing knows of Dale, and that he died in the Daytona 500. But it's been so long that I think a lot of younger motorsport fans don't realize how huge of an impact his death had on the safety of motorsports as a whole moving forward. I'm sure it would have gotten to where it is today eventually, but his death really did push the issue.
You should watch the recently released Brock Beard series on the lead up and aftermath of the 2001 Daytona 500.... Playlist: ru-vid.com/group/PLjZQnMo0uMCFxx5dHzE_T3C7_DZsB6Gna
I was 8 years old when Dale Sr died. My family and I were watching the race Live and I was in complete shock. It was the first driver death I had experienced and it still kinda seems surreal. He is an idol of my friends and an absolute legend. Raise hell, praise Dale!!
My dad passed away in 1991. He was a big Earnhardt fan. The last race we watched together was when Earnhardt broke Harry Gant’s 4 race win streak. The next day my dad was gone. Watching the race in 2001 made me feel like I lost the last connection I had with my dad.
Speaking on this, there's one documentary that is very underrated about this subject: 3 Before February by Brock Beard. It's lengthy but well worth the watch.
I was not a Dale fan. But I remember that race. I remember where I was who I was with and what we were talking about. I remember all of us thinking it looked like a normal wreck and Dale would hop out of the car soon. Once we saw the ambulance driving not quickly away from the scene I knew it was bad. I grew up in NASCAR country went to the local short tracks to watch the rising stars( Denny Hamlin grew up in the next school over from the one I attended) Dale was invincible. This is the guy who flipped the car at Daytona, as he was getting into the ambulance to go to the infield care center looked noticed his car still had 4 wheels on it, Got back in to drive it around to be patched by his pit crew and go back out.
I still remember Ken Schrader's interview after the race. He was always happy and friendly to the TV microphones, but that day he said angrily "I'm not a doctor" and essentially walked away at that point. Very Un-Schrader like, that's why we're pretty sure he knew. If Earnhardt had been in 1000 races to that point , Schrader had been in probably 5000 races in the same period of time. He knew what he was looking at in the 3 car.
I remember watching that race live and the accident didn't look like any other. How ironic that F1 was actually behind both Indy and Nascar on the safety front. I was surprised that he had died, but when more details came out it was understandable. I wasn't a Dale fan or serious Nascar viewer, but I feel bad when we lose drivers, especially when they were preventable.
I remember watching this race... it is a moment I will probably never forget. It changed racing MASSIVELY and quickly. I was a huge Earnhardt fan, from my grandma, and was cheering for Jr at the time. I believe this wreck also ruined any chance Jr had to make a championship name for himself.
I'm of the age that I had both Dale and Senna posters, and watched both of them die. Later in life I grew up into a pro-am flat track motorcycle racer. That sport fairly recently went through a sort of speed exceeding safety era and resulted in a number of deaths, one of which at a race I was in. It's starting to get to me a little.
I had moved to the Charlotte area a few months prior to the 2001 Daytona 500 with a goal of finding full time employment in the racing industry. I had begun meeting people and contacting old friends who proceeded me 'down south'. I was hitting all the shops and pretty much everyone said to come back the week after the 500... I was watching the race on the edge of my seat, cheering on Sterling Marlin and his Dodge ( I'm a total Mopar nut) and very clearly saw, for the first time ever, the 3 car blocking so someone else would win... this was NOT normal... and then it happened... I thought it was bad right away and when Dale didn't drop his window net, the long time sign that tells the world 'I'm ok', I knew it was bad... a quick camera shot of Kenny Schrader waving for help... Darrell Waltrip saying 'I hope Dale is OK'... none of the team coming to see Mike Waltrip in victory lane... and then the network broadcast ended and the local news began... a few minutes into that... a helicopter shot of a slow moving ambulance... I turned to my girlfriend and said... Dale is dead...
I remember watching it live. I was gutted almost immediately when he didn't hop out and give his wave with his helmet and classic smile. I think we all knew in that moment, we hoped it wasn't and then it just set in and hit us. Do it for Dale is catch phrase to send it, but it's also a reminder to do it safely. Boy the time flies. Those old cars look good though and sounded so mean.
I watched the whole race as it happened. I was never much of a Dale fan, but it was still unbelievable that he had gone. It was a bleak day that I still think about with some frequency.
I was watching the race at home. I was a huge Earnhardt fan! You said it pretty well. He just wasn’t suppose to go that way. I’m pretty cold hearted, but yeah, that knocked me back a little. I had an Earnhardt #3 flag and I bungee corded it to a pole on my mailbox. Left it out for probably a week I think. Occasionally I’d hear a horn honk and smile a little. He really was that GOOD!
If I remember correctly, a version of the HANS device was around in the early to mid-1980s. But only came in 3 sizes. And only 4 drivers wore a HANS-like device during the race.
I`m a bit young to remember 2001 Daytona 500 but one Daytona 500 crash left me stunned, it was bad wreck of Ryan Newman. My god that wreck looked so bad, i was stunned watching that race live on TV. Thank god he survived that with health intact.
Thanks for a tasteful and interesting video about Sr. Especially from someone not deep into NASCAR. Your research of the facts and the way you presented them were well done. If you ever get over to states please try to get to a race. 🇺🇸🇬🇧
I was a 12 year old kid when he died, and not really a nascar fan. But growing up in Atlanta he was like a mythical heroic figure. I remember being a kid and collecting nascar car toys from McDonald’s and always wanting the Dale Earnhardt one. When I saw the news that he had died, I cried the entire day. 😢😢😢
My Dad was a World War 11 fighter pilot. They were told bluntly if they hit the ground at 200 mph at a steep angle, they would be dead . That is why motor racing will never be completely safe. A high speed high g accident will always be fatal unfortunately. The HANS device definitely makes a huge difference. You can’t blame the drivers for not accepting it at first either.
I remember seeing the crash and thinking NBD only to have a friend walk in an hour later to tell us that the worst had happened. It was unthinkable, in American motor sports he attained godlike status and seemed immortal. Good video, real good summary.
I was there in 2001. Turn 2 grandstand. Looked like an ordinary wreck from my poverty. I was upset about Dale not finishing so we went to Daytona USA and I did the Pit Stop Challenge. By the time we left word had gotten around that Dale had been killed in the wreck. My mom let me take the next day off from school despite having insisted previously that I'd be there on Monday after the race. I grieved.
I was never a big Dale fan but he was a hard nosed competitor. The big irony is that he died doing one of the things he hated other people doing.... Blocking. And he flat refused things like the HANS device. But that was Dale. He could also be hilarious. The best quote ever, I think in reference to Ernie Irvan whining was something like, "he better dip a couple of rags in kerosene and tie them around his ankles so the ants don't crawl up and eat his candy ass." Brilliant.
I wasn't a huge NASCAR fan back then, so I went back and forth between the race and the NBA basketball on NBC. I remember NBC breaking into the Lakers-Pacers game to announce Dale's death, such a big deal it was (NBC was due to start its NASCAR coverage that July), and it was kind of a gut punch because he was such an iconic figure. I learned in the years since how good Earnhardt Sr. was about deceased drivers, with his tributes to Alan Kulwicki, Neil Bonnett, and Ayrton Senna after their deaths and his comfort towards Kyle Petty after his son Adam's death in NASCAR practice in 2000. It's remarkable how common basilar skull fractures were in NASCAR in the decade prior to Dale's death - Adam, John Nemechek, Tony Roper, Bonnett, Kenny Irwin, J.D. McDuffie to name a few, plus Ernie Irvan's miraculous survival of such a fracture at Michigan in 1994. And, while neck restraints were voluntarily adopted by most NASCAR drivers in the wake of Dale's death, and made mandatory after a death in the ARCA series in October 2001, the HANS device itself wasn't mandatory until 2005 - many NASCAR runners used the Hutchens device, a similar but less restrictive restraint anchored to the lap belt, through the 2004 season.
I remember that day (and the ones following) very well. As a Dale fan it’s one of those things that will be forever burned into my brain. It was such a shock partly because of how innocuous the crash looked compared to so many others, and because of how he was driving so differently to normal before it. It was clear he was running blocker for Jr and Waltrip - Sr just didn’t do things like that.
I watched that race on TV live, but had to leave right afterwards. So me and my mom didn't know he died until later that evening. We were in utter shock.
This day is etched in my mind and will remain there until they throw the dirt on me. So many reasons. How this effected my dad...my friends. All of it. Brock Beard did a HELL OF A JOB covering this in a 4 part series. Edit - Dales wreck was caused because of simple racing. Rusty came up behind him and took the air off the spoiler. Car got loose. Turned down because by gawd damn it he was Dale by gawd Earnhardt and he was gonna block Marlin. Took Marlin's nose, hit the apron, shot dead right and welp...yeah. Also dealing with the belts Dale had the belts redone for comfort...not safety. But c'mon...he's Dale...he's immortal....right?
I was traveling home from visiting friends and was listening to the race on the new fangled satellite radio. The call of the finish was great, until it wasn’t.
I watched this live. It didn't look that bad, until you think about it. 180 mph to zero in the wall. My mom didn't believe me when I told her. Dale was very stubborn. It was very sad. But all the safety innovations have been so much better since. Sad we had to lose them to get it.
It was such a surreal event. This was Fox's first major NASCAR event and Dale was meant to be the face of the sport for them. They had a pre-race segment with him and NFL broadcaster Terry Bradshaw. NASCAR on Fox was going to be the Dale Earnhardt show. Then it wasn't. The accident in real-time live, seemed like nothing too serious. It was so fast, but we'd all seen Dale have much worse accidents at Daytona in years past. You could hear the joy and concern in Darrell Waltrip's voice after Michael crossed the finish line. The first real glimpse of something being off was the way that Ken Schrader walked away from Dale's window. It shouldn't take someone dying for safety to get better. I applaud the current Cup drivers for openly bitching about the safety of the new spec car in the series. That kind of forward thinking, rather than old school hard-headed thinking, could have saved Dale's life.
Aidan great video. I can tell I found out February 18 at 2:30 pacific time. I was standing with my grooms man before my wedding started in Ventura, California. Another good friend Anthony rolls up (he was quadriplegic) 'My mom just called Dale Earnhardt just died' No fkn way. "Hard hit in the wall". That was the start of my interesting day. The next day at the Sahara in Vegas they had an Earnhardt car on display and it was covered in cards, letters, flowers, memorabilia. Speedtv had a constant feed of news of the events going on.
