677 races run over 27 years
We were living in Lexington Ky in 2001 and after church a group of us men, about 15 went to a friends house and watch the Daytona 500. We watch the whole race. We watch the crashed. But we left without knowing Dale had died. After church that night, we were watching the TV and about 9 p.m. we learned that Dale had died in the crash. Talk about a shock, such so that the feeling is still with us today. I had been a fan of NASCAR and Dale since the 90's. And it has not been the same since.2001: Earnhardt dies in Daytona 500
Racing legend Dale Earnhardt died today in a crash during the Daytona 500. “The accident happened a half-mile from the finish of the NASCAR season-opener as Earnhardt’s newest driver, [Michael] Waltrip, and [Earnhardt’s] son Dale Earnhardt, Jr. were in front racing toward what should have been the most triumphant moment in the brief history of Dale Earnhardt Inc.,” reported The Frederick Post on February 19, 2001. Earnhardt was trying to place third when driver Sterling Martin bumped the back of his stock car. Earnhardt’s vehicle then fishtailed, cut across the track and hit Ken Schrader’s car. Both smashed into the concrete wall head-on at roughly 180 miles-per-hour before sliding back into the infield of the track. Earnhardt was cut out of his car and taken to Halifax Medical Center where he was pronounced dead due to head injuries.
