NASCAR Honors Dale Earnhardt 25 Years After His Tragic Death

Just outside the high banks of the Daytona International Speedway, three statues provide a testament to historic figures of the track’s history. Two of the statues depict members of the France family — Bill France Sr., his wife, and their son, Bill France Jr. — who presided over NASCAR and built the Daytona track. 

But most fans gravitate toward the third statue, of Dale Earnhardt Sr. The second-generation racer, and father of former NASCAR star and broadcaster Dale Earnhardt Jr., died not far from that statue, in a crash in the fourth turn on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. A quarter-century on from that tragic event, fans and the entire NASCAR community will remember and mourn his legacy, including through a Fox Sports special premiering Feb. 12 (after this article was written). 

Emotional Wallop 

Earnhardt’s tragic passing overshadowed what, to that point, had been a historic day for NASCAR. The 2001 Daytona 500 was the first race broadcast on Fox, part of a new television contract that consolidated stock car racing coverage and recognized the sport’s growing popularity. The race itself saw a compelling finish that brought the fans to their feet. 

On the last lap, Earnhardt helped push Michael Waltrip, who was driving a car Earnhardt owned, to the victory. Earnhardt, normally a hard-charging racer, sat back at the end of this Daytona 500, willing to play wingman for one of his drivers. Waltrip won his first Cup race — breaking a streak of 462 races without a victory — in the biggest stock car race of them all. To top it off, Waltrip’s brother Darrell was broadcasting the race for Fox, calling his brother on to victory. 

Not long after the older Waltrip witnessed his younger brother take the checkered flag, he quickly followed up with a plaintive wish: “I hope Dale’s okay. I guess he’s all right — isn’t he?” Earnhardt wasn’t. In the multi-car pileup behind Michael Waltrip, he wrecked into the wall, causing massive head trauma that ended his life. 

Earnhardt’s death packed a punch on multiple levels. His accomplishments speak for themselves —76 wins and seven career championships (tied for most all-time). But his role as “The Intimidator,” with his Southern drawl, wrap-around sunglasses, bushy mustache, and good-ol’ boy personality, made him epitomize the working-class, slightly renegade mentality of stock car racing. Love him or hate him, few NASCAR fans could ignore Earnhardt, one of the few personalities who transcended the sport into popular culture.  

Lasting Effect 

The area around the base of the Earnhardt statue at Daytona contains a small walkway listing his accomplishments. At one end lies a step with the words “February 18, 2001,” the date of his death, symbolizing the close of a life and career that ended far too soon. 

And yet, in many tangible ways, Earnhardt’s legacy lasted far beyond the 200th lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Following his death, Richard Childress Racing promoted a young California racer, Kevin Harvick, to take Earnhardt’s seat. Less than a month later, Harvick won his first Cup race at Atlanta, beating future Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon in a dramatic last-lap shootout. Harvick’s first career win came in his third Cup race, prompting fans (many choking back tears) to hold out three fingers, commemorating the famous No. 3 that Earnhardt drove. Harvick went on to his own Hall of Fame driving career, moving into the Fox broadcast booth in 2024. 

When NASCAR returned to Daytona in July 2001 for the first race at the speedway since Earnhardt’s death, none other than his son captured the checkered flag — with Michael Waltrip just behind him, blocking for Earnhardt Jr. just like his father blocked for Waltrip’s win that February. The two celebrated jubilantly in the infield, with Waltrip sharing in the victory party he didn’t get to experience following the elder Earnhardt’s death, and the younger Earnhardt earning a cathartic win that he described as his “fondest moment” as a driver. 

But in many ways, Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death is most notable for what it prevented — namely, another fatality within NASCAR in the 25 years since his passing. As an ESPN E60 documentary explored five years ago, on the 20th anniversary of the fatal crash, the Earnhardt incident forced both NASCAR and its drivers to take a longer, deeper look at safety measures. The sport mandated the use of head and neck restraints to prevent the type of whiplash-induced concussions that killed not just Earnhardt but several other stock car drivers in the years leading up to his death. 

The head and neck restraints, SAFER barriers to absorb energy, and other safety innovations helped Ryan Newman survive his horrific crash in the 2020 Daytona 500, and countless other drivers likewise walk away from their vehicles following similar incidents. Like football, NASCAR has had to face difficult conversations surrounding brain trauma, as Earnhardt Jr. and recent Hall of Fame inductee Kurt Busch both ended their careers early due to concussion-related symptoms. But Earnhardt’s death catalyzed that discussion in a way that (unfortunately) the prior deaths had not, and made NASCAR place a premium on driver safety. 

A quarter century after NASCAR President Mike Helton somberly informed the press and the world that “We’ve lost Dale Earnhardt,” no official has had to make a similar announcement. That as much as anything speaks to the lasting legacy of stock car racing’s “Intimidator.”