@UghDroppingLoads sad to say, but I saw maybe the worst wreck ever at the grand nationals modifieds in phx. The guy hit the wall so hard than the car obliterated like a grenade.. 8 seconds later parts were still falling to the ground 200 yards away. We could hear the rescue crew over a radio a guy in front of us had, and they were saying, "Oh my God, both his eyes are popped out of his head." About a week later, we read in the paper that he had broken 68 bones.. his skull, back, both arms and legs, all ribs.. and popped his eyes out from the impact. But HE LIVED
The fact that Dale went out seeing both his son and protégé barrelling towards the finish line in the #1 and 2 spots leaves me with an unimaginable sense of satisfaction. Like a wise guru sacrificing himself for his students he went out like a true champion. - RIP Dale Earnhardt. Legends never die.
Yeah so wise he said fuck the Hans device and got himself killed. In pro racing circles he'll be forever known as the guy who turned down safety and seeing his kids again just to look and sound like a badass.
Man, 22 years later, and it's still hard for me to believe THATS the wreck that got him. He walked away from some pretty horrific crashes in his day. Just to be killed in one that seemed fairly mild. At least he died doing what he loved. Rest in Peace intimidator
Darrell knew he was hurt. Probably the way the car kept going like Dale was not controlling it. He had seen video of bad crashes and watched enough to know that angle is a fatal angle. He knew it was a bad wreck from experience.
@@kapitankorea1339 So tacky, these bots r people or whatever they are, will even do it on a video about a terribly sad event. Disgusting and no respect.
I read Michael Waltrip's biography in which he goes into detail about that weekend. I would recommend it to everyone who wants an insight in that weekend.
Makes me sad, I don't know how often this happens in racing but I know him from the NASCAR arcade games from when I was a kid. His story is bittersweet, hope his family is at peace
@@ThySheepie nearly every major racer employed tactics like that. Being an aggressive driver is one of the biggest hallmarks of stock car racing, and specifically Dale’s trademark as “The Intimidator.” I’m sorry that Dale fucked over your favorite driver 30 years ago or something, but all I can say is “get over it.” You miserable shit. I bet Dale is looking at you from up there and employing the most primo middle finger possible in your general vicinity.
@@bryanrobinson1145 Your ignorance is of the highest possible proportions. Dale Sr was blocking so one of his DEI cars would win. FYI, blocking is allowed in NASCAR and Dale Sr knew that the RCR #3 car couldn't win that day.
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Earnhardt's ( Senior) one year when I was working for the Better Business Bureau of Alabama. There was a dinner on the Friday before the Talladega races. He was one of the kindest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I was a teenager, but I will never forget how polite he was to myself and the others who worked that dinner. He insisted on giving us tips individually even tho he didn't have to. I remember how heartbroken I was to hear he had passed. I'm SO thankful to have had the experience of seeing him race!!🙏🏾💪🏿❤😩
@@basedchad534 I’ve met MW twice. Once at LVMS, and the second at last years All Star race. Last year my fiancée and myself were waiting to get our trackpass bands at the gates before they opened after getting our garage passes. Michael is walking in through the gates with his television crew. Everyone was like “Oh my goodness, that’s Michael!. No one would go up to him. In my head I said “F it, I’m gonna get another handshake.” I was the only one to walk up to him after I yelled “Mikey!!!.” He was so nice and pleasantly overjoyed. He made a quip because I was “Wearing his old bosses hat.” Had on the 3 with a Dirty Mo Ralph E shirt. He was so nice. Jamie Little was behind him so I also made a point to shake her hand. Then we saw her like 5 more times in the garage. She said “Are you guys taking the same tour I’m on?.” We just kept running into her.
well i guess we met two entirely different people... my step dad was a HUGE fan, had tons of earnhardt memorabilia. a guy he did some work for that owned some of the cars where i raced, had bought a busch team and gave us pit passes for a couple races. we were walking around the pits, and earnhardt was just standing at the door to his trailer. my step dad went up and said mr earnhardt sir, i'm a huge fan or somethin like that, and said i just want to shake your hand. sticks his hand out, and earnhradt never so much as even blinked... well, maybe he blinked, no idea with those mirror aviators. my step dad just kinda sank. seemed like he just wasn't that into him after that. i never liked him, i was a rusty fan, and always been a ford guy. but even i felt kinda bad for my step dad, it was just cold. he just kept standing there, never moved a muscle. wasn't anything much going on, not like we walked up in his trailer or anything or even crossed a rope or somethin. didn't ask for an autograph, he just wanted to shake his hand. kinda messed up really. if he didn't wanna be bothered, standing at the back of his trailer when everybody was in the pits wasn't a very good place for it. i don't know what the deal was, since he never moved let alone said a word. i'd almost think he was a statue, be one hell of a real looking statue though... just weird. the burtons, buckshot jones, they went out of their way to be polite. or at least say hi or somethin, i just remember them being really nice. and they WERE busy. he might've been thinking about somethin really hard, i don't know. like i said, it was really just weird how dedicated he was to just standing there. maybe he fell asleep standing up... and it was the day of the busch race, so not like even on the day of the cup race. no disrespect to him, and anyone can have an off day. just my experience of "meeting" him, but more just being in his presence since again, he just stood there lol. he didn't disappoint as far as his image as "the intimidator". he was that every inch, mirror aviators blank expression and arms crossed. as i said, i didn't like him, couldn't really being a rusty fan, we had to be mortal enemies.lol but i shed a few tears when he died, and right after they made the anouncement i went out and made a sticker that stayed on the back of my truck, #3 R.I.P. it was a big deal for any race fan, and definitely as a race driver at the time. i never had any personal hatred or anything toward him, and again, respected him as a driver, i even drove a bit like him. but the one guy that could pass me regulary had the whole track in his pocket, evidently including the flagman, so i couldn't turn anybody if i wanted to. i just drove right on their bumper a few inches off and stayed there, within a lap or two they'd usually start getting nervous. hell, even when that guy would come down into me and spin himself out i'd go to the back, or at least they'd let him in front of me. yeah, he could get a little dirty. but that's racin. it ain't a sport for weak stomachs and hurt feelings. i do think he got away with a bit more than most drivers, but that's kinda how it goes. but then nascar's always gave gm, chevy at least, a lot of leeway. and he was their biggest driver, so... anyway, just my story of standing near the man, briefly.lol
I'm so glad you had a positive experience. Others in the service industry who had interactions with him sadly had much different interactions. They all said that his kind, thoughtful wife always made up for it though... offering an apologetic smile and kind word to those her husband mistreated.
My dad was at that race, and he saw that wreck. He told me that when he was in the airport, it was so quiet, that you'd think you were standing in a church
Here is the Original Semitic Text. HERE IS OUR SAVIOR YaH The Heavenly FATHER HIMSELF was Who they Crucified for our sins and “HERE IS THE PROOF” From the Ancient Semitic Scroll: "Yad He Vav He" is what Moses wrote, when Moses asked YaH His Name (Exodus 3) Ancient Semitic Direct Translation Yad - "Behold The Hand" He - "Behold the Breath" Vav - "Behold The NAIL"
At 5:16 they made a call, cause of death, drove into wall. They Intimidator collided with Ken Strader, then he died, 2 seconds later. Jr. was screaming and saddening, not me nope, I was the only one laughing. I stood in the crowd with a smile on my face, I was certain a NASCAR fan would me spray me with mace. But instead, they sat there with grief, only to wish they had more than eight teeth. I didn’t want to write this poem cause I knew it was mean, but then I thought, well Earnhardt, you should’ve raced clean.
I'm Brazilian, when the Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna died in 94, Dale made a very beautiful statement for Ayrton Senna. So, I went looking for information about this North American pilot. NASCAR received very little publicity outside the US from its organizers at the time. Finally, upon informing myself, I realized that your Dale is the same as my Senna. Both did the impossible on the track. They were magical, symbols of overcoming and determination. They became legends. We, Brazilians, still miss Senna a lot, I imagine that this feeling is reciprocal by the North Americans, in relation to Dale.
@@user-ws6sc5xo4v My friend, my respect is also reciprocal for your country and its extraordinary and legendary North American pilot. Currently, NASCAR is broadcast live on Brazilian TV channels. Dale's life story is also known in Brazil. Rest assured that he will be remembered forever. We Brazilians know who he is.
Let us all drink a toast to the men who live on the edge of life and death. May they continue to entertain and inspire us all. To both Senna and Dale. I hope they got to keep doing what they love in whatever comes after this world.
What always surprised me is how minor this crash seemed compared to many others in motorsports where the drivers survived. It just goes to show you how fragile the human body really is under the right circumstances.
It's counterintuitive but when you see cars flying and flipping all over the place that's actually preferable, the spinning/rolling motion actually expends a lot of the energy. Dale's crash here had none of that so his body was left to absorb most of the impact, tho ya from the outside and from a distance it really didn't look that bad...
@@philiphatfield5666 Not built like tanks, they have crumple zones designed to absorb energy...but it doesn't help if you take your seatbelt off and wear a skull cap for a helmet.
There is nothing minor about an auto racing crash in which the car impacts the wall nearly straight on and at an estimated speed of 150+mph. I have heard the 'whining' for years that the HANS device would have saved him, but they don't make a HANS device for the brain itself, so what was going to stop the brain from slamming around inside the skull during such a violent wreck? Nothing. The shock forces that went through that car on impact were catastrophic. The HANS device might have kept him from the skull fracture, but no miracle device was going to save him from catastrophic brain trauma, or from bleeding to death from his numerous internal injuries. For whatever reason, death was instantaneous. Indy car drivers have long had safety features far superior to what Nascar has, but their drivers still die in crashes.
Such a dumb response and then calling others outsiders makes it funny as well. It was a minor crash and not a lot of motion in it. Cars got a lot stronger.
@@kevina5337 this crash is why the strap that keeps the helmet up against the seat is mandatory, correct? Stops the head from going forward with momentum and snapping the neck
@@aaronbrown948 But it really wasn't. That type of wreck is so common in Cup races that I didn't think anything of it. I remember Ricky Rudd back in the day barrel rolling his car in the infield during a race that basically turned it into a pile of shrapnel. He walked away from that wreck when by all rights he should have been parted out just as badly as the car. Dale drew the bad card that day.
If ya have to go....going out doing what you love while watching your son and your protege going #1 & #2 on the biggest stage of your sport is the way to do it. He died protecting Michael's first Daytona 500 win. Last car he saw was his boys in front of him. RIP to a legend
@@austinmurray7298 Yeah but Richard Petty is the best NASCAR driver of all time I do not have any offence to Dale Sr. But Dale Sr. is the second best NASCAR driver.
The change in emotion in Darrell Waltrip's voice when he goes from cheering for Mikey to "I hope Dale's OK" is maybe the most purely human thing I've ever heard.
Between Darrell's emotional call of his brothers very first win after over 400 starts. Then, there is the sight of Ken Schrader frantically motioning for the rescue crews, after he gets out of his wrecked car to go check on his friend. He has never divulged to anyone what he was the first to see.
@@soundwaves2453 I don't know if you ever had a chance to watch the Dale Jr., podcast interview with Ken Schroeder. The first part of the podcast dealt with Junior coming of age. The last part was about Junior expressing his gratitude for the way Kenny chose to never divulge the events he witnessed that day. That, my friend, is devotion.
@@theanomalous1401 I really appreciate that he didn’t share it either. From what I’ve heard, Dale Sr. died of a simple broken neck. All he likely saw was a slumped over body. But even still, it’s best not to share some things
@@Shank5ter No he died from head injuries, there's a video that went into the autopsy of Dale, he had multiple broken ribs, a broken hip, a broken ankle, and the bit of your skull that fuses together when you're a kid was broken all the way around, and he had blood coming out of his ears. Ken knew Dale was dead in that seat he just didn't want to be the one to have to say it.
I was only a teenager when Dale died. I now work for Richard Childress Racing, and seeing the memories of Dale all over really makes me wish I could’ve met him.
They’d investigated deaths in motorsport crashes & found it was generally caused by a basilar skull fracture. Similar to how a neck breaks when people are hanged. The HANS system was designed to prevent this injured. Dale refused to wear it & unfortunately that’s exactly how he died.
@@niagra898 had he worn the HANS system it’s very likely he’d have survived. If you wear a seatbelt, look before you cross the road, or any other of the hundreds of things we do every day for our own safety then you don’t believe your own comment.
The immediate look on Darrell’s face shows that he knows, in the back of his mind, what might have just happened. Even all these years later it makes me want to cry.
I wonder if the fact that he crashed in general had anything to do with him questioning his condition.... I mean unless you were expecting him to be be like "Dale crashed? 🤷♂️".. The situation is tragic enough with out trying to install your own unnecessary narrative. Also what does this have to do with you? None of us need to know your private emotions related to a tragedy that doesn't actually directly effect you.
Yikes, such a bitter and angry comment for no reason. Did you just find out your wife is sleeping with your best friend or something? It's human nature to relate an experience to ourselves. It's called sharing with others and connecting.
Just seeing this again after all these years brought back a giant lump in my throat and after hearing DW say, "I hope Dale's ok" the tears started! Such an awful day in the history of NASCAR!
This was the day NASCAR died. Yes, NASCAR has had some great moments here in there after this with Jimmy Johnson, Tony Stewart, etc. but it just was never the same. Dale Sr. WAS NASCAR. To say he is a legend is an understatement. He was the most popular driver NASCAR ever had, and will ever have. Dale Jr. won the most popular driver award for like the next 15 years in a row due to his connection to Sr., despite never amounting to even half of what Sr. was.
The guy was a racing legend! I mean unless you count the part where he wasn’t smart enough to wear his harness the right way, or the part where he bought the farm the first time he tried to act like a real race car driver, and turned right.
I was really young when this happened, and I'm just now watching this crash for the first time. And the fact that one of the last things Dale Sr. saw was his son reaching the finish line? Dear God, that just pulls at my heartstrings. :'( Rest in Paradise, Dale Sr.
My parents were at this race... I remember they didn't get home until way after midnight, everyone stayed at the track until they made an announcement... only a few times I've ever seen my dad cry... this was one of those moments.
For real man, this hit southern poor men so hard. Dale was our hero, he was the tough guy who always pulled through. He was the guy who even his haters loved.. He represented so much for us. I dont live far from where he was raised. I remember everything about that day just like 9/11. Im not comparing the two, dont get me wrong. But dale Earnhardt's death hit us like a ton of bricks man. I haven't watched a single race after that. It was over.
Man I saw Dale Earnhardt's crash immediately after I watched Ayrton Senna's crash, I'm new to motorsport so I've never seen them before. Absolutely heartbreaking man...RIP to all the drivers who risked their lives for the sake of our entertainment...
Me and my dad were watching that race. When he said that, my dad looked at me and said Dale is gone. And he cut the TV off. Later on we were watching King of the hill and it was interrupt the news broke he was gone. Took my dad years to watch racing again.
That part always gets me. He literally experiences the happiest moment of his life with his little bro winning his first race at Daytona, only find out one of his best friends just lost his life in that horrific wreck.
Im a huge Mark Martin Ford fan, but I actually saw this accident in person when I was 9 years old. No one thought anything of it until the ambulances and medics started to come out. I remember hearing about Dales passing on the radio, less than an hour after the race finished. Rip Dale. The Intimidator.
Darrell Waltrip was one of Dale's biggest rivals on the track, and one of his best friends off it. His concern for Dale was proof of that. He had so much love for Dale, that, instead of running to the winner's circle to be with Michael, he waited in that booth for news on Dale Earnhardt's condition. I applaud Darrell for showing more concern for his injured friend, than joy for his victorious brother.
Michael didn't even go to the winner's circle, neither did Jr. Both of them went to check on Sr first. But just the look on Darrell's face, and the quiver in his speaking, I think, even though he was hoping for the best, deep down, he knew the worst had happened.
Yeah, what should have been one of the greatest moments of Micheal Waltrips life was completely overshadowed by a 100% preventable death. But screw him, right?
@@blank3097 I worked for NASCAR at DIS 1996-2006 as part of the security/safety teams. Dale Sr was a great guy in-person but once in a race car, he was all business. He could do things with the #3 cars that other drivers thought were impossible to do. 1996, I was given the opportunity to drive Rusty Wallace's #2 Thunderbird back-up car on the track for a few laps. Dale Sr, and Rusty, took the time to advise me what to do and not do. I got the car up to 174+ mph for two laps. That experience still remains in my memory very vividly today. I had one advantage over Dale Sr and that being that I had gone 231+ mph in a race car more than once. Dale Sr had only reached 200 mph twice in his entire career.
I remember watching that live, Ken Schrader's post race interview was just as heartbreaking. I knew something was bad wrong by the look on his face. I wasn't an Earnhardt fan, but never wanted anything bad to happen to him.
@@shadowstarz3651 Yup - and had Dale survived or been OK, he would've known by the time Kenny got to him that Michael won and Junior got second. When you never saw any motion from inside his vehicle - not even a thumbs up out the window cheering on his two guys - you had this uneasy feeling something wasn't right because there's no way Dale wouldn't be ridiculously emotional at knowing Michael and Junior accomplished that.
1:11 him cheering on for his little brother then seeing dale, little did he know micheal waltrip winning that day wasn’t the thing that would be most known about that day.
This made me cry & I'm not even a fan of racing. Oh my God, absolute chills thinking the last sight he saw was his son in front of him & how proud he must have been.
As tragic as this accident is, it makes me kinda happy to think that Dale probably wouldn’t have wanted to die any other way. Sending his son and teammate to the finish line of the race that was probably his biggest rival. RIP to a true legend.
I was about 5 or 6 when I watched this with gramps. I’m 27 now. I’ll never forget him saying “I hope Dale’s okay”. He was my fave driver. I called him “number 3 black race car”. I’ve got tears in my eyes
The fact that Dale JR. isn’t racing and so many other legends have retired and they’re trying to be more political and banning the confederate flags makes me not like Nascar anymore! It’s been going downhill
@@NewHaven203 unfortunately we need it to go broke and they have to sell and we need a new owner whose an old nascar enthusiast, or if it goes down so bad nobody watches they’ll eventually start getting desperate and turn to the remaining fans for help.
One of the darkest days in motorsport. I remember it like it was yesterday. It stirred the same feelings in me when Senna crashed at Imola. Their talent and personalities transcended the sport. Both icons lost in front of our eyes and the sadness persists.
I rarely watch racing and I saw that crash. You see crazy wrecks all the time in Nascar, this one didn't look serious. It showed a member of his pit crew run to the car and when he saw him- the way he took off running away, I knew it was bad. What a sad moment.
ua-cam.com/video/xWvhzGvyPOs/v-deo.html KDad514 one of the darkest days? Dude have you seen this compilation of all the nascar Deaths? Luckily Dales death was Most likely quick and painless unlike all the other drivers in that video link i posted who were mostly incinerated alive
I remember watching a video from Donut Media not too long ago about Dale’s career. A lot of the safety equipment around this time was optional, most notably the HANS device that keeps the drivers head in place. Dale opted not to race with them, and after this crash, everything was made mandatory. I guess one could say that Dale walked so the rest could run. ❤
I was there that day, in the Oldfield tower top row when it happened. I knew he was dead when Ken Schrader dropped the safety window net, staggered backwards, then turned sideways and motioned quickly for help to come quickly. I watched them get him out of the car. I saw them doing CPR on him on the stretcher and in 5h3 back of the ambulance before the doors were closed. I watched the blue tarp being brought out and put over his car. I saw the rollback pick up the covered car and take it away. I said to everyone in my group that he was dead but they refused to believe it. Being a RN at the time (now retired) I knew the sign. I still have flashbacks of the events when I least expect it.
I feel your pain. I'm a CNA. My mother died Jan 6, 2022. I knew she was dead before the nurses or emt. It's hard when you know the signs and you can't get them out of your head. I haven't been back to work since.
How did you group react when you said you believe/knew he was dead? Where they kinda upset at you for saying that so soon? or did they know where you were coming?(I.e the training you had) amazing to hear from someone who was there that day.
My mother passed away 😢 one week before Dale was killed and she was a huge Dale Earnhardt fan, matter of fact his car was carved into her head stone. My dad was a Jeff Gordon fan so it got pretty heated in the house on race day. My dad never really watched Nascar very much after that, he is 84. He has a farmall H tractor on his side of there stone.
We all will never forget this day when Dale Earnhardt went home!!! Rest in peace my friend and love you!!!!! Thank you for everything you did for all of us!!!! Love you Pop!!!!
This still shakes me. Watching that Black 3 car, as I grew up... Ken Squire said, "We were 8 seconds away from the greatest Daytona 500, in history." If that doesn't just tear your guts out. Other then losing my father in '05, and our dogs, this ranks up there. It was like hearing Superman man had died, you just couldn't imagine it ever being true.
It's a tragic way to go, but I wonder if he went the way he wanted to. He loved the race, and as one comedian said, "why would you want to die doing something you hate? Die doing what you loved."
Only time i ever saw my dad cry. Not even at his moms funeral. Some of the best quality time me and my dad had together was cheering on dale. R.i.p intimidator
I remember watching this live when I was a kid along with the other races including his Daytona 500 win in 1998. Dale Earnhardt Sr was my favorite Nascar Driver. The day he died had me in shock and disbelief, and later in tears. Even though I never met him, he was always someone I was rooting for and really wanted to win, partly because 3 was my favorite number, but also because he had the coolest stock car out of all of them and was just a force to be reckoned with on the race track. As an adult I got to learn a lot more about who he was as a person and it just brings my respect for him a lot higher now, its still awful that he died. R.I.P Dale, we may have never actually met, but you got me through a lot of tough times with you in races.
I never watched these and for some reason my mom decided to watch this one so I watched it with her. I was 13. I remember it so clearly. I never watched one again.
When I was a kid he was my favorite driver. I was upset i never watched nascar again, then I went to a drag race with my friend and one of the racers died there because his brakes failed. After that I lost all interest in the sport as a whole. But I remember loving it and Dale helped me love it.
We watched this happen live. I believed my father in law was Earnhardt's biggest fan. That tough retired Marine cried like a baby after losing his hero. My wife did too. They also cried their eyes out when Dale jr won on that same track just a few months later. It was a sad time. 😥
He won on the same track in the final lap man that day was Emotional I felt like that was a Dale senior shining down letting everybody know he made it and thanking them and letting his son know how proud he was/is of him
I was sitting in my living room wearing the number 3 Dale Earnhardt t shirt watching this race and wanting him to win when this happened, couldn't believe it, RIP Dale.
Same here watching this with my Uncle Fred in his living room rooting FOR Dale when the accident happened. I was a very very sad 10 1/2 year old that day.
Even all these years on, it still hits hard, we all loved Dale, I’m from England and loved NASCAR from a sprog, it still hits me now seeing Dales crash, especially as it looked so tame compared to others, I feel for Dale Jr being out there when it happened you can’t imagine what he felt that day 😢
I am now 25 but at the time of this crash i was like 2-3 and i still vividly remember sitting in my dad's lap watching this happenand ill never forget the looks on everyones faces and just the feeling in the room...
@@Hawken707 there were only 11 cars on the lead lap. If a lead lap car wrecks on the last lap, they're credit as the last car on the lead lap. Hence Dale finished 12th and Kenny Schrader finished 13th.
I wasn't a Dale fan but he was one of the faces of the sport and I'll never forget that day. I'll always remember, he said something to the effect of : "It doesn't matter if they're cheering you or booing you, as long as they're making noise."
I'll never forget this day. I was already late leaving for work to see the finish so once I saw the winner I left. I did not think it was that bad of a crash. Found out later what happened. So sad.
You and I were in the same boat. I was running to my truck maybe a couple minutes after the finish. By the time I got to work they already knew. I thought they were kidding at first. It hit hard, had watched that man since the 70’s tearing up the tracks. I come back and watch this about every five years or so. Damn Sterling held a straight line too and the way people turned on him still pisses me off. What do ya do though.
That crash was when I lost interest in Nascar. After Dale died I couldn't find another driver I was interested in watching race. Nascar just wasn't the same without him.
The joy Darrell had watching Michael win was reminiscent of an earlier time when Ned Jarrett was Broadcasting the 500 when Dale Jarrett won. Those were great times. Unfortunately the joy over Michael's victory couldn't last
What hits me the hardest is seeing the two cars, the no.36 next to the crunched up no.3 car. Everytime I see it it sends a cold shiver up my spine. RIP Dale Earnhardt Sr.
On his last day on earth. Dale Earnhardt was at his absolute best. He willed the finish of his vision to see Michael and Junior run 1-2. I know it is still hard for us Earnhardt fans even after 20 years. But in my heart I know that Dale left this place happy. I will miss him until I see him again. Dale Earnhardt 1951-2001, kudos my hero.
Damn. Still makes me shed a tear every time. Dale Earnhardt is one of the single biggest reasons why people have ever watched NASCAR. May he forever be racing in heaven along side some of the other greats who have fallen doing what they love.
the great thing about this is he was doing what he planned and doing what he loved. He didn't feel any pain during this tragic acciendent. He died in a Blink of an eye.
Dale died of a Basilar Skull Fracture. Basically what happened is he was decapitated internally. Every photo of this kind of injury shows the victims with blood just pouring out your eyes, nose, ears, and mouth like a faucet. God knows the panic Kenny felt immediately after looking in that window net and seeing The blood pour out of Dales helmet.
I remember this race well. My first reaction after the crash was being so mad that Dale Sr was robbed of possibly his last chance at a Daytona 500 win. I was happy for Michael walltrip though. Always liked him. But Dale Earnhardt was my favourite driver. As an eleven year old kid, this was pretty devastating for me. I still got all my Earnhardt diecast cars from his pink K-2 car and a few wrangler cars to the iconic Black 3 cars.
ya i remember bein around the exact age.. 10-12 and i liked nascar soo much back then that my night pajemas was a huge xl nascar shirt.. my dad was a local stock car racer.. anyways i remember one day mom n dad tellin me dales dead.. he was my fav racer too.. he was just a cool lookin and actin dude i really liked him and the way he raced was fun to watch.. it tore me up for sure.. then steve irwin died few years later.. pretty shitty.. couldnt imagine bein dales son on the track that day..
He wasn't retiring after that year. He was wanting to race for another 5-10 years he said... So it wasn't anywhere close to his last chance at winning Daytona.
@@motorbreathjz Steve Irwin death still gets to me. I never followed nascar however. I'm honestly just finding out that dale Earnhardt is dead TBH. That's how much I follow it lol. But it's tragic to learn even after all these years.
@@jking0.o121 oh ya im a grown ass man and cant watch old school interviews on steves death without it tearing me up.. steve irwin is like a dad to people i would imagine.. when he died it felt personal.. he just seemed to be the most judgeless person.. its just sad.. really still is and always will be.. ive watched all steves tv episodes.. i was a kid when dale died but i was a teen when steve died.. his death tore me up much worse than dales.. and i occasionally go back to watching repeats of steve irwin just because he feels like a lost brother now days.. a memory of the past..
@@jking0.o121 and then you watch old clips of terri and bindi shortly after his passing and its like how did they keep going on with life being surrounded by steves work.. all of his things in the house.. his face all over the park.. what a dark dark time that musta been.. all you can do is think of is the upper room.. with the big guy above.. our real home..
Growing up in Brazil I was never really into Nascar, I was always more into F1, and Senna was our hero, so I know how it feels to lose an idol and it sucks. I came to know about Earnhardt later in my life and man, what a driver he was! Some of the comments here people say Nascar was never the same after Dale's death, and F1 is the same for me after Senna. RIP 😔
the Oppermans from Texas will always love and miss you Dale Earnhardt Sr and we are blessed to be thought of Dale Earnhardt Sr fanatics. Our hearts broke on that day and we never watched Nascar again. Losing Dale Sr was too hard for us. Thank you all so much! Jerry and Sugar Bear and Gloria and Bear
Only 7 years old at the time but I’ll never forget this day. My dad, a massive Earnhardt fan, just went to the bedroom and closed the door. To see one of your hero’s lose his life on tv must’ve been hell.
I was 12 years old and was building a bike ramp behind my house when this happened. Earnhardt was my favorite driver. It absolutely broke my heart when my dad came outside and told me what happened. Rest In Peace Dale!!!!!
I was around the same age, playing motocross games on the PC when i heard he crashed on the radio in the other room. I had a strange thought out of nowhere about what if he died.... when i heard it on the radio. Ended up actually happening and ill never forget it.
I was there that day and never would have imagined that he wouldn’t walk away from that crash from seeing it in the stands. Watching it again now brings that thought and emotion back from that sad day!
I was also at the July race that same year and watched Dale Jr win and stand up on top of his car. After the race is over everyone is always hurrying to leave. Not on that day, everyone stood up and watched him celebrate for like 20 min. It was a pretty amazing thing!!
I still find it very endearing how Senna/F1 fans felt this deep inside, like, it hit home hard. It showed that no matter how much we are at each other's throats thinking that our sport is better, a death is still a death. Especially Earnhardt's that felt eerily similar to Senna's, just in the way it happened.
Wanderer, Senna and Dale are both my top favorite drivers and seeing them die doing what they love will always break my heart in fact one of my family members told me that after Senna died, she stopped watching F1, But I always loved imagining that up in heaven Ayrton and Dale racing each other, that imagine if will always soften my heart.
Our parents. and we live up north ya see bought us Tonka cars of Richard and Darryl and Dale. Even though WWF and NWA was the biggest thing happening..ya can't take it with ya💪💪🍻🍻
I remember being at new hampshire speedway In '98 during practice on Saturday and dale hit the track . Dad and I went down to the fence and I could see his mustache because of the open face helmet. One of my most exciting days especially for a 16yr old. Dale was my hero
I’m not into nascar but I remember my dad watched it a lot when I was a kid. Its crazy how the crash didn’t look that bad compared to a lot of other ones I’ve seen. RIP Dale Earnhardt.
Dale Earnhardt was my dad's favorite driver. I was never really into NASCAR but my dad had all of his NASCAR stuff littered all over the house. This is my first time watching this crash. My dad passed away in February, and watching this really hurt.
I stopped watching NASCAR after he died. Lost my dad a year earlier to a freak accident and my dad was who got me into racing and it was just too much after Dale was killed.
Darrell going from being so happy his brother won to instant worry over Dale must have been so gut wrenching for him, and I will always remember that moment.
My aunt was at this race. She said she knew as soon as he hit the perimeter she knew he was gone. She just felt it. She never went to another race because of it.
I understand that feeling. I had never had such a overwhelming feeling when Earnhardt hit the wall. I knew he was dead. He was always my pick and never did I care about another. I never watched NASCAR again. His number should have been retire.
@@spitymaeh I have a family member who’s a driver. He’s said many times that watching it on a screen, it’s hard to get a feeling for how fast they’re really going, but usually around 150-170mph. Relatively minor at 25-40mph can be fatal. Physics plays into it ofc. Your body is traveling at the same speed as the car. The impact alone will kill a person. That’s why the HANS device is so crucial for drivers.
I can't watch it. I felt like I lost a family member when this happened. DALE Jr. earned my respect by the way he handled his dad's passing in public. I still have strong emotions to this day. 💔🙏🏁🏁
My dad passed away back in 96 and liked both Jeff Gordon also Dale Earnhardt SR. Before my dad passed away he bought a Winston Cup Nascar jacket but he never got the chance to wear it cause it showed up after he passed away. My mom ended up giving me the jacket and after all these years later I still have that jacket.
I still remember this like it was yesterday... Time Warner cut my cable off due to non payment and back then all I can get was the local channels and fox 7 Austin was one of them...the other channels wasn't really showing anything so I just decided to watch Daytona 500...my first time ever watching a NASCAR race and this happened...as weird as it sounds I felt like i brought bad luck to him and it bothered me for years and I haven't watched any nascar event since that day...I didn't even know who this man was before that day but for some reason I felt really sad for a long long time...RIP DALE.
If you look at the final lap of this year's Daytona 500, it looks nowhere near as bad as the crash we saw on the last lap this year. Rest In Peace Dale Earnhardt. Hope you're racing with the all time greats in heaven
TV does NASCAR no justice. Cars look slow on TV but are actually on track feeling like supersonic IRL. So the crash looked like a little slap on the wall but it in real life it is really like a train hitting concrete.
The last turn. The last lap. The last car he saw was his son. In the biggest race in NASCAR. Poetic.
Like it was meant to be. He held off the other racers while his buddy win.
What's crazy is the crash didn't seem that bad. I've seen dozens of crashes that were 5 times worse.. and the drivers walked away
I know right? You see guys roll in cars and land on their roofs and they walk away.
@UghDroppingLoads sad to say, but I saw maybe the worst wreck ever at the grand nationals modifieds in phx. The guy hit the wall so hard than the car obliterated like a grenade.. 8 seconds later parts were still falling to the ground 200 yards away. We could hear the rescue crew over a radio a guy in front of us had, and they were saying, "Oh my God, both his eyes are popped out of his head." About a week later, we read in the paper that he had broken 68 bones.. his skull, back, both arms and legs, all ribs.. and popped his eyes out from the impact. But HE LIVED
@@joshythehand2960 plz kill me if I ever live thru that. It would be a mercy.
The moment where he says "I just hope Dale is okay" with that quiver in his voice and the knowledge we have of the incident, it just hurts my heart.
It's so sad because you can tell how happy he is for the winner but concerned for Dale at the same time. Conflicting emotions. Such raw emotions.
mine too
I agree, DW was happy his little brother won, but looking over at turn 4 even he knew it wasn't looking good
he was choked up for the winner.
He knew. He must have known.
The fact that Dale went out seeing both his son and protégé barrelling towards the finish line in the #1 and 2 spots leaves me with an unimaginable sense of satisfaction. Like a wise guru sacrificing himself for his students he went out like a true champion.
- RIP Dale Earnhardt. Legends never die.
That's exactly how I felt when I saw that crash, and Dale Jr. immediately jumped out of his car to check on his dad!
0:51 is where the trouble starts, off-camera at exactly the wrong moment.
Say it
Yeah so wise he said fuck the Hans device and got himself killed. In pro racing circles he'll be forever known as the guy who turned down safety and seeing his kids again just to look and sound like a badass.
@@pinga858 ok
Man, 22 years later, and it's still hard for me to believe THATS the wreck that got him. He walked away from some pretty horrific crashes in his day. Just to be killed in one that seemed fairly mild. At least he died doing what he loved. Rest in Peace intimidator
Jeff Gordon is the real intimidator.
@dvrmaa lol go sit down
@@SpaceGhost999 at least Jeff can race without hitting the wall 🤣
@@iaminyourballs there's at least a million hours of video of him hitting walls dipshit. 🫵🤡
@@iaminyourballs.
The way Darrell says “I hope dale is okay” breaks my heart every time I hear it.
It's like he knew something was wrong
The fact they raced each other before, yeah, that is a problem.
Darrell knew he was hurt. Probably the way the car kept going like Dale was not controlling it. He had seen video of bad crashes and watched enough to know that angle is a fatal angle. He knew it was a bad wreck from experience.
Ya
Still haunts me.
I feel awful for Michael Waltrip... After 16 years of trying he finally wins, only to lose his friend and mentor... that's gotta be rough.
I'm sure it was a good feeling eventually that Dale helped him win.
@Dont Check My About Page Link wtf is wrong with you bro
@@kapitankorea1339 So tacky, these bots r people or whatever they are, will even do it on a video about a terribly sad event. Disgusting and no respect.
@Dont Check My About Page Link wait a minute aren’t you that serial tax evader?
I read Michael Waltrip's biography in which he goes into detail about that weekend. I would recommend it to everyone who wants an insight in that weekend.
People who aren’t even into nascar realize how poetically tragic this mans death was. Rip Dale
@@IGcantstopfactsbrehwhat's funny?
@@BassPlayer9000”Elvis isn’t dead, He just went home”
Yeah he was too dumb to wear the HANS.
Makes me sad, I don't know how often this happens in racing but I know him from the NASCAR arcade games from when I was a kid. His story is bittersweet, hope his family is at peace
I hate nascar. But this is sad and emotion evoking
If it weren’t for the tragedy at the end, this race would have been considered one of the greatest Daytona 500s
What happened at the end?
@@harrynutsacklerDale Earnhardt died on turn four while Michael walltrip would go on to winning the race
He should not have tried to block everybody. If he had just raced and let the best one win instead of forcing his desired outcome might still be here.
@@sheilacrabtree5993there is no might with Sr. You clearly are a naive fan if a fan at all.
@@harrynutsacklerthe fuck you mean what happened you just watched the video dope head
pretty intense knowing the last car he saw ahead of him was his son. Love that.
@@ThySheepie you’re bitter as fuck. He was and still is the greatest that NASCAR ever had.
@@ThySheepie nearly every major racer employed tactics like that. Being an aggressive driver is one of the biggest hallmarks of stock car racing, and specifically Dale’s trademark as “The Intimidator.” I’m sorry that Dale fucked over your favorite driver 30 years ago or something, but all I can say is “get over it.” You miserable shit. I bet Dale is looking at you from up there and employing the most primo middle finger possible in your general vicinity.
@@ThySheepie also, your poetry inspires me to evacuate my anus.
@@ThySheepie just realized I got baited with some weak bait. I’m gonna contemplate on the time I just wasted on you.
@@ThySheepie you sick person why would you say that?!
The ONLY time in his career he wasn't trying to win a race.
@@bryanrobinson1145 This bait is obvious as hell, try again.
@@bryanrobinson1145 This isn't cheating. This is blocking. Maybe you should do some research before saying shit like this.
@@bryanrobinson1145 Your ignorance is of the highest possible proportions. Dale Sr was blocking so one of his DEI cars would win. FYI, blocking is allowed in NASCAR and Dale Sr knew that the RCR #3 car couldn't win that day.
@@pomegranates3269 Maybe bryan robinson doesn't have an intelligence level to do real research on his own.
@@bryanrobinson1145 If you don't watch NASCAR, why are you spewing out an uneducated ignorant comment here ?
He died the exact day I was born. My dad saw it on the hospital television. He was - and still is - his favorite racer.
Welcome back Dale Earnhardt!
@@LicPlate8VPL158Dale was reincarnated as a speed bump
@@beerdoThat’s not right man, at all.
@@beerdo💀💀
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Earnhardt's ( Senior) one year when I was working for the Better Business Bureau of Alabama. There was a dinner on the Friday before the Talladega races. He was one of the kindest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I was a teenager, but I will never forget how polite he was to myself and the others who worked that dinner. He insisted on giving us tips individually even tho he didn't have to. I remember how heartbroken I was to hear he had passed. I'm SO thankful to have had the experience of seeing him race!!🙏🏾💪🏿❤😩
back in july i met michael waltrip and got a picture with him at sharon speedway
@@basedchad534 I’ve met MW twice. Once at LVMS, and the second at last years All Star race. Last year my fiancée and myself were waiting to get our trackpass bands at the gates before they opened after getting our garage passes. Michael is walking in through the gates with his television crew. Everyone was like “Oh my goodness, that’s Michael!. No one would go up to him. In my head I said “F it, I’m gonna get another handshake.” I was the only one to walk up to him after I yelled “Mikey!!!.” He was so nice and pleasantly overjoyed. He made a quip because I was “Wearing his old bosses hat.” Had on the 3 with a Dirty Mo Ralph E shirt. He was so nice. Jamie Little was behind him so I also made a point to shake her hand. Then we saw her like 5 more times in the garage. She said “Are you guys taking the same tour I’m on?.” We just kept running into her.
well i guess we met two entirely different people... my step dad was a HUGE fan, had tons of earnhardt memorabilia. a guy he did some work for that owned some of the cars where i raced, had bought a busch team and gave us pit passes for a couple races. we were walking around the pits, and earnhardt was just standing at the door to his trailer. my step dad went up and said mr earnhardt sir, i'm a huge fan or somethin like that, and said i just want to shake your hand. sticks his hand out, and earnhradt never so much as even blinked... well, maybe he blinked, no idea with those mirror aviators. my step dad just kinda sank. seemed like he just wasn't that into him after that. i never liked him, i was a rusty fan, and always been a ford guy. but even i felt kinda bad for my step dad, it was just cold. he just kept standing there, never moved a muscle. wasn't anything much going on, not like we walked up in his trailer or anything or even crossed a rope or somethin. didn't ask for an autograph, he just wanted to shake his hand. kinda messed up really. if he didn't wanna be bothered, standing at the back of his trailer when everybody was in the pits wasn't a very good place for it. i don't know what the deal was, since he never moved let alone said a word. i'd almost think he was a statue, be one hell of a real looking statue though... just weird. the burtons, buckshot jones, they went out of their way to be polite. or at least say hi or somethin, i just remember them being really nice. and they WERE busy. he might've been thinking about somethin really hard, i don't know. like i said, it was really just weird how dedicated he was to just standing there. maybe he fell asleep standing up... and it was the day of the busch race, so not like even on the day of the cup race. no disrespect to him, and anyone can have an off day. just my experience of "meeting" him, but more just being in his presence since again, he just stood there lol. he didn't disappoint as far as his image as "the intimidator". he was that every inch, mirror aviators blank expression and arms crossed. as i said, i didn't like him, couldn't really being a rusty fan, we had to be mortal enemies.lol but i shed a few tears when he died, and right after they made the anouncement i went out and made a sticker that stayed on the back of my truck, #3 R.I.P. it was a big deal for any race fan, and definitely as a race driver at the time. i never had any personal hatred or anything toward him, and again, respected him as a driver, i even drove a bit like him. but the one guy that could pass me regulary had the whole track in his pocket, evidently including the flagman, so i couldn't turn anybody if i wanted to. i just drove right on their bumper a few inches off and stayed there, within a lap or two they'd usually start getting nervous. hell, even when that guy would come down into me and spin himself out i'd go to the back, or at least they'd let him in front of me. yeah, he could get a little dirty. but that's racin. it ain't a sport for weak stomachs and hurt feelings. i do think he got away with a bit more than most drivers, but that's kinda how it goes. but then nascar's always gave gm, chevy at least, a lot of leeway. and he was their biggest driver, so... anyway, just my story of standing near the man, briefly.lol
I'm so glad you had a positive experience. Others in the service industry who had interactions with him sadly had much different interactions. They all said that his kind, thoughtful wife always made up for it though... offering an apologetic smile and kind word to those her husband mistreated.
Earnhardt was the dirtiest driver ever. He is hated. Doesn’t seem like a kind guy when you ramming other drivers into the wall.
My dad was at that race, and he saw that wreck. He told me that when he was in the airport, it was so quiet, that you'd think you were standing in a church
Do you mean in a morgue?
Churches are very loud places.
My dad was there too, he had a VIP package and was with Earnhardt for half the day on the Saturday before he died.
Here is the Original Semitic Text. HERE IS OUR SAVIOR
YaH The Heavenly FATHER HIMSELF was Who they Crucified for our sins and “HERE IS THE PROOF”
From the Ancient Semitic Scroll:
"Yad He Vav He" is what Moses wrote, when Moses asked YaH His Name (Exodus 3)
Ancient Semitic Direct Translation
Yad - "Behold The Hand"
He - "Behold the Breath"
Vav - "Behold The NAIL"
At 5:16 they made a call, cause of death, drove into wall. They Intimidator collided with Ken Strader, then he died, 2 seconds later. Jr. was screaming and saddening, not me nope, I was the only one laughing. I stood in the crowd with a smile on my face, I was certain a NASCAR fan would me spray me with mace. But instead, they sat there with grief, only to wish they had more than eight teeth. I didn’t want to write this poem cause I knew it was mean, but then I thought, well Earnhardt, you should’ve raced clean.
Dale tried his best to block anyone who wanted to get past Junior and Michael, and he did it well R.I.P.
well actually he was defending them, three of them were teammates and dale was trying to get waltrip his first win
edit: i read the comment again
Cheating comes to collect eventually.
@@orphnemusic6788 Dale didn't cheat tho..
I think it’s the 24 team that was your cheaters at that time! Traction control , soaking tires etc...
@@randomreviewsrebooted5156
Who said I was talking about Dale!?
Lol!!!
You made my point didn't ya!
I'm Brazilian, when the Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna died in 94, Dale made a very beautiful statement for Ayrton Senna. So, I went looking for information about this North American pilot. NASCAR received very little publicity outside the US from its organizers at the time. Finally, upon informing myself, I realized that your Dale is the same as my Senna. Both did the impossible on the track. They were magical, symbols of overcoming and determination. They became legends. We, Brazilians, still miss Senna a lot, I imagine that this feeling is reciprocal by the North Americans, in relation to Dale.
Respect to Brazil from an American!
@@user-ws6sc5xo4v
My friend, my respect is also reciprocal for your country and its extraordinary and legendary North American pilot. Currently, NASCAR is broadcast live on Brazilian TV channels. Dale's life story is also known in Brazil. Rest assured that he will be remembered forever. We Brazilians know who he is.
Let us all drink a toast to the men who live on the edge of life and death. May they continue to entertain and inspire us all. To both Senna and Dale. I hope they got to keep doing what they love in whatever comes after this world.
@@joshuaanderson1369
Cheers! 🍻
What always surprised me is how minor this crash seemed compared to many others in motorsports where the drivers survived. It just goes to show you how fragile the human body really is under the right circumstances.
It's counterintuitive but when you see cars flying and flipping all over the place that's actually preferable, the spinning/rolling motion actually expends a lot of the energy. Dale's crash here had none of that so his body was left to absorb most of the impact, tho ya from the outside and from a distance it really didn't look that bad...
@@philiphatfield5666 Not built like tanks, they have crumple zones designed to absorb energy...but it doesn't help if you take your seatbelt off and wear a skull cap for a helmet.
There is nothing minor about an auto racing crash in which the car impacts the wall nearly straight on and at an estimated speed of 150+mph. I have heard the 'whining' for years that the HANS device would have saved him, but they don't make a HANS device for the brain itself, so what was going to stop the brain from slamming around inside the skull during such a violent wreck? Nothing. The shock forces that went through that car on impact were catastrophic. The HANS device might have kept him from the skull fracture, but no miracle device was going to save him from catastrophic brain trauma, or from bleeding to death from his numerous internal injuries. For whatever reason, death was instantaneous. Indy car drivers have long had safety features far superior to what Nascar has, but their drivers still die in crashes.
Such a dumb response and then calling others outsiders makes it funny as well. It was a minor crash and not a lot of motion in it. Cars got a lot stronger.
@@kevina5337 this crash is why the strap that keeps the helmet up against the seat is mandatory, correct? Stops the head from going forward with momentum and snapping the neck
"We've lost Dale Earnhardt."
I will never forget hearing those words over the radio. I just sat. Stunned.
May he rest in peace
@Phillip Admrie Doubt it not.
Quit watching nascar after this to be honest.
@@krisis8736 yep, we did too. Not the same at all
When I see something sad my mouth is wide open and I freeze
“I hope Dale’s Ok. I guess he’s alright isn’t he?”
The way his voice sounds and his face makes me sad
Cute protogen :)
He knew it was bad
@@aaronbrown948
But it really wasn't. That type of wreck is so common in Cup races that I didn't think anything of it. I remember Ricky Rudd back in the day barrel rolling his car in the infield during a race that basically turned it into a pile of shrapnel. He walked away from that wreck when by all rights he should have been parted out just as badly as the car. Dale drew the bad card that day.
@@Powermad-bu4em
That’s the worst part. It looked like a simple crash which Dale experienced many times. But this one was different
When he saw the intensity of the emergency response he knew what was up.
If ya have to go....going out doing what you love while watching your son and your protege going #1 & #2 on the biggest stage of your sport is the way to do it. He died protecting Michael's first Daytona 500 win. Last car he saw was his boys in front of him. RIP to a legend
He died in terror! NOT thinking about Dale Jr or Michael.
He died instantly, I doubt he had time to think about flying into the wall, the next thing Dale knew he was being greeted into Heaven.
So his son came in 1st ?
@@dvnychvz9757His student came first. His son was in second.
@@solvemproblerstudios5889fuck 1st place if my dad is dead. Idiotic
Dale isn't dead, he's just a lap ahead. R.I.P. DALE EARNHARDT 🤘🏻
But He's Dead
@@tiger215dawnhe’s definitely not alive
@@tiger215dawnpathetic
Amazing quote
He isn’t dead. He’s in heaven trying to figure out how to put a harness on.
When one of NASCAR’s greatest moments became one of NASCAR’s darkest moments.
R.I.P. Dale Earnhardt (1951-2001)
Yep. R.I.P The Intimidator
He was one of if not the best stock car racer in history.
@@SlickBillByron no that title goes to The King
@@leonardgregory3730 well the king and Dale are both the greatest in this sport so they’re the kings of this sport
@@austinmurray7298 Yeah but Richard Petty is the best NASCAR driver of all time I do not have any offence to Dale Sr. But Dale Sr. is the second best NASCAR driver.
The change in emotion in Darrell Waltrip's voice when he goes from cheering for Mikey to "I hope Dale's OK" is maybe the most purely human thing I've ever heard.
Between Darrell's emotional call of his brothers very first win after over 400 starts. Then, there is the sight of Ken Schrader frantically motioning for the rescue crews, after he gets out of his wrecked car to go check on his friend. He has never divulged to anyone what he was the first to see.
@@theanomalous1401 a statement I haven't considered
@@soundwaves2453 I don't know if you ever had a chance to watch the Dale Jr., podcast interview with Ken Schroeder. The first part of the podcast dealt with Junior coming of age. The last part was about Junior expressing his gratitude for the way Kenny chose to never divulge the events he witnessed that day. That, my friend, is devotion.
@@theanomalous1401 I really appreciate that he didn’t share it either. From what I’ve heard, Dale Sr. died of a simple broken neck. All he likely saw was a slumped over body. But even still, it’s best not to share some things
@@Shank5ter No he died from head injuries, there's a video that went into the autopsy of Dale, he had multiple broken ribs, a broken hip, a broken ankle, and the bit of your skull that fuses together when you're a kid was broken all the way around, and he had blood coming out of his ears. Ken knew Dale was dead in that seat he just didn't want to be the one to have to say it.
February 18, 2001
September 11, 2001
Worst days of the 2000s ever
Yep.
you forgot aaliyah
august 25 2001
died 2 1/3 weeks before theeee big major event in sept 2001
I was only a teenager when Dale died. I now work for Richard Childress Racing, and seeing the memories of Dale all over really makes me wish I could’ve met him.
That’s so awesome, Amanda. I too was just a teenager when he passed…
I was just a little kid probably 7 or so
I was 10 when I saw this race on tv. 😢
I turned 83 yrs. old the day that happened. *Smh.*
@@MrPocketfullOfSteel Hows 106 years old treating you?
They’d investigated deaths in motorsport crashes & found it was generally caused by a basilar skull fracture. Similar to how a neck breaks when people are hanged. The HANS system was designed to prevent this injured. Dale refused to wear it & unfortunately that’s exactly how he died.
He’s survived far worse wrecks-was his time, you cannot cheat your date with death.
@@niagra898 had he worn the HANS system it’s very likely he’d have survived. If you wear a seatbelt, look before you cross the road, or any other of the hundreds of things we do every day for our own safety then you don’t believe your own comment.
@@Madeyes6 When it’s your time it’s your time.
@@niagra898 My guy, that's called being passively suicidal. Should get that looked at
@@delaney6413 Well, if you don’t believe in God it may.
The immediate look on Darrell’s face shows that he knows, in the back of his mind, what might have just happened. Even all these years later it makes me want to cry.
IIRC they only had the dual mic/video feeds available on like 8 cars back then, so they would have noticed the silence immediately.
I wonder if the fact that he crashed in general had anything to do with him questioning his condition.... I mean unless you were expecting him to be be like "Dale crashed? 🤷♂️"..
The situation is tragic enough with out trying to install your own unnecessary narrative.
Also what does this have to do with you? None of us need to know your private emotions related to a tragedy that doesn't actually directly effect you.
Yikes, such a bitter and angry comment for no reason. Did you just find out your wife is sleeping with your best friend or something? It's human nature to relate an experience to ourselves. It's called sharing with others and connecting.
@@snavisTM what the fuck are you talking about
Just seeing this again after all these years brought back a giant lump in my throat and after hearing DW say, "I hope Dale's ok" the tears started! Such an awful day in the history of NASCAR!
This was the day NASCAR died. Yes, NASCAR has had some great moments here in there after this with Jimmy Johnson, Tony Stewart, etc. but it just was never the same. Dale Sr. WAS NASCAR. To say he is a legend is an understatement. He was the most popular driver NASCAR ever had, and will ever have. Dale Jr. won the most popular driver award for like the next 15 years in a row due to his connection to Sr., despite never amounting to even half of what Sr. was.
That was the last nascar race I ever watched. All the fun went out of it for me.
The guy was a racing legend! I mean unless you count the part where he wasn’t smart enough to wear his harness the right way, or the part where he bought the farm the first time he tried to act like a real race car driver, and turned right.
I was really young when this happened, and I'm just now watching this crash for the first time. And the fact that one of the last things Dale Sr. saw was his son reaching the finish line? Dear God, that just pulls at my heartstrings. :'(
Rest in Paradise, Dale Sr.
My parents were at this race... I remember they didn't get home until way after midnight, everyone stayed at the track until they made an announcement... only a few times I've ever seen my dad cry... this was one of those moments.
Did they kill this guy?
@@matthewp1682 tf
Damn...
For real man, this hit southern poor men so hard. Dale was our hero, he was the tough guy who always pulled through. He was the guy who even his haters loved.. He represented so much for us. I dont live far from where he was raised. I remember everything about that day just like 9/11. Im not comparing the two, dont get me wrong. But dale Earnhardt's death hit us like a ton of bricks man. I haven't watched a single race after that. It was over.
Same here. Watched in on TV, only time I've seen my dad cry.
I never knew Dale Jr was in the same race. His Dad gave everything for his son to win. What a great Father.
Except his son didn't win, Michael Waltrip did.
actually he barely knew his kids. Plenty of interviews where they say what a prick he was.
@@olfishing6090 a bit of a stretch boss. For Kerry, a little. But not Jr and Kelly.
@@codyking4848 He did it for Mike and Jr.
In my book, not a great father. A dead father is no good for his kids. A great driver, maybe, but a great father, nonway.
Man I saw Dale Earnhardt's crash immediately after I watched Ayrton Senna's crash, I'm new to motorsport so I've never seen them before. Absolutely heartbreaking man...RIP to all the drivers who risked their lives for the sake of our entertainment...
1:43 That split second seeing Michael and Jr on their own towards the finish line and I'm sure he wouldn't have had it any other way.
1:16 “I guess he’s alright isn’t he?” Gives me chills every time…
Me and my dad were watching that race. When he said that, my dad looked at me and said Dale is gone. And he cut the TV off. Later on we were watching King of the hill and it was interrupt the news broke he was gone. Took my dad years to watch racing again.
@@annamiller375 if he had HANS device he would have survived, it was so preventable 😔
@@Deltaexe190 lmao
@@retro_cam925 wrong that is a fact
That part always gets me. He literally experiences the happiest moment of his life with his little bro winning his first race at Daytona, only find out one of his best friends just lost his life in that horrific wreck.
Darrell going from extreme joy by watching Mikey win, to genuine concern for Dale is truly heartbreaking.
"I hope Dales ok..." So sad the way he said that man R.I.P Dale Earnhardt
Im a huge Mark Martin Ford fan, but I actually saw this accident in person when I was 9 years old. No one thought anything of it until the ambulances and medics started to come out. I remember hearing about Dales passing on the radio, less than an hour after the race finished. Rip Dale. The Intimidator.
Darrell Waltrip was one of Dale's biggest rivals on the track, and one of his best friends off it. His concern for Dale was proof of that. He had so much love for Dale, that, instead of running to the winner's circle to be with Michael, he waited in that booth for news on Dale Earnhardt's condition. I applaud Darrell for showing more concern for his injured friend, than joy for his victorious brother.
Michael spent most of the time in his trailer afterward not feeling very victorious
They were enemies for many years became friends in the 90s I do believe.
Michael didn't even go to the winner's circle, neither did Jr. Both of them went to check on Sr first. But just the look on Darrell's face, and the quiver in his speaking, I think, even though he was hoping for the best, deep down, he knew the worst had happened.
well said
Yeah, what should have been one of the greatest moments of Micheal Waltrips life was completely overshadowed by a 100% preventable death.
But screw him, right?
Maybe gone But you can say he died doing what he loved and was a Champion and will never be forgotten. Dale rest in peace. You earned it
Dale Sr, greatest race car driver in NASCAR history.
I heard he was a super cool guy. It’s the fans and the whole nascar thing that I have a problem with
@@blank3097 I worked for NASCAR at DIS 1996-2006 as part of the security/safety teams. Dale Sr was a great guy in-person but once in a race car, he was all business. He could do things with the #3 cars that other drivers thought were impossible to do. 1996, I was given the opportunity to drive Rusty Wallace's #2 Thunderbird back-up car on the track for a few laps. Dale Sr, and Rusty, took the time to advise me what to do and not do. I got the car up to 174+ mph for two laps. That experience still remains in my memory very vividly today. I had one advantage over Dale Sr and that being that I had gone 231+ mph in a race car more than once. Dale Sr had only reached 200 mph twice in his entire career.
@@sergeantmasson3669 oh sweet, then you know who skunk the crazy punker dude was right
And also know what filthy slobs the fans are. So much worse than bcr and bike week
I remember watching that live, Ken Schrader's post race interview was just as heartbreaking. I knew something was bad wrong by the look on his face. I wasn't an Earnhardt fan, but never wanted anything bad to happen to him.
I didn't like Dale much, but Kenny was my #2 favorite. Seeing him that tore up even at 5 years old I knew it was real.
Kenny said later he knew the moment he saw him, but didn’t want to be the one to say Dale Earnhardt was dead.
@@shadowstarz3651 Yup - and had Dale survived or been OK, he would've known by the time Kenny got to him that Michael won and Junior got second.
When you never saw any motion from inside his vehicle - not even a thumbs up out the window cheering on his two guys - you had this uneasy feeling something wasn't right because there's no way Dale wouldn't be ridiculously emotional at knowing Michael and Junior accomplished that.
1:11 him cheering on for his little brother then seeing dale, little did he know micheal waltrip winning that day wasn’t the thing that would be most known about that day.
This made me cry & I'm not even a fan of racing. Oh my God, absolute chills thinking the last sight he saw was his son in front of him & how proud he must have been.
same, i just found this video on my home page
best way to die if you ask me sad for his kid but as a father i wouldn't mind going out like that
As tragic as this accident is, it makes me kinda happy to think that Dale probably wouldn’t have wanted to die any other way. Sending his son and teammate to the finish line of the race that was probably his biggest rival. RIP to a true legend.
I was about 5 or 6 when I watched this with gramps. I’m 27 now. I’ll never forget him saying “I hope Dale’s okay”. He was my fave driver. I called him “number 3 black race car”. I’ve got tears in my eyes
I wasn’t even born yet in ‘01, but the sadness in “I hope dale’s okay” still makes me cry to this day
It's been 20 years and Nascar has never been the same it hurts number three lives long in our heart
Nascar is slowly becoming hostile to Whites.
It’s been more than 20 years now get over it already
@@bryanjustis532 insensitive
The fact that Dale JR. isn’t racing and so many other legends have retired and they’re trying to be more political and banning the confederate flags makes me not like Nascar anymore! It’s been going downhill
@@NewHaven203 unfortunately we need it to go broke and they have to sell and we need a new owner whose an old nascar enthusiast, or if it goes down so bad nobody watches they’ll eventually start getting desperate and turn to the remaining fans for help.
One of the darkest days in motorsport. I remember it like it was yesterday. It stirred the same feelings in me when Senna crashed at Imola. Their talent and personalities transcended the sport. Both icons lost in front of our eyes and the sadness persists.
At least he died doing what he loved. R.I.P Dale Earnhardt
I rarely watch racing and I saw that crash. You see crazy wrecks all the time in Nascar, this one didn't look serious. It showed a member of his pit crew run to the car and when he saw him- the way he took off running away, I knew it was bad. What a sad moment.
ua-cam.com/video/xWvhzGvyPOs/v-deo.html KDad514 one of the darkest days? Dude have you seen this compilation of all the nascar Deaths? Luckily Dales death was Most likely quick and painless unlike all the other drivers in that video link i posted who were mostly incinerated alive
I remember Dale talking about Senna's tragedy in an interview, sadly a few years later Dale had the same fate.
I was watching the race that day. Still gives me chills.
Here after Blaney's crash in the '23 August Daytona race. Thank you Dale. You continue to save people to this day.
And now, Blaney is a champion
I remember watching a video from Donut Media not too long ago about Dale’s career. A lot of the safety equipment around this time was optional, most notably the HANS device that keeps the drivers head in place. Dale opted not to race with them, and after this crash, everything was made mandatory. I guess one could say that Dale walked so the rest could run. ❤
I was there that day, in the Oldfield tower top row when it happened. I knew he was dead when Ken Schrader dropped the safety window net, staggered backwards, then turned sideways and motioned quickly for help to come quickly. I watched them get him out of the car. I saw them doing CPR on him on the stretcher and in 5h3 back of the ambulance before the doors were closed. I watched the blue tarp being brought out and put over his car. I saw the rollback pick up the covered car and take it away. I said to everyone in my group that he was dead but they refused to believe it. Being a RN at the time (now retired) I knew the sign. I still have flashbacks of the events when I least expect it.
I feel your pain. I'm a CNA. My mother died Jan 6, 2022. I knew she was dead before the nurses or emt. It's hard when you know the signs and you can't get them out of your head. I haven't been back to work since.
What he look like
what nerve that leads from the brain to the heart gives it a electric pulse ..do you think it was severed?
Sorry but likewise thankful to you for reliving/sharing this memory with us!
How did you group react when you said you believe/knew he was dead? Where they kinda upset at you for saying that so soon? or did they know where you were coming?(I.e the training you had) amazing to hear from someone who was there that day.
My mother passed away 😢 one week before Dale was killed and she was a huge Dale Earnhardt fan, matter of fact his car was carved into her head stone. My dad was a Jeff Gordon fan so it got pretty heated in the house on race day. My dad never really watched Nascar very much after that, he is 84. He has a farmall H tractor on his side of there stone.
My mom died in april the same year and a easy looking crash ended my Racin in April of 2001 my life has never been close to the same
Holy smoke. Sorry to hear that.
That’s a good tractor
That's sad to hear ..
Sad to hear , and thank you for sharing the good memories man! Best wishes for you and your family.
We all will never forget this day when Dale Earnhardt went home!!! Rest in peace my friend and love you!!!!! Thank you for everything you did for all of us!!!! Love you Pop!!!!
This still shakes me. Watching that Black 3 car, as I grew up... Ken Squire said, "We were 8 seconds away from the greatest Daytona 500, in history." If that doesn't just tear your guts out. Other then losing my father in '05, and our dogs, this ranks up there. It was like hearing Superman man had died, you just couldn't imagine it ever being true.
I love Kenny squire
that was me with kobe
It's a tragic way to go, but I wonder if he went the way he wanted to. He loved the race, and as one comedian said, "why would you want to die doing something you hate? Die doing what you loved."
“He died doing what he wanted no matter what right? I bet he died happy”-Guts
Very true. 👍🙏
I agree
Dale Earnhardt always raced to win and on that day he didn't.
Tell that to his family. Probably the silliest cliche about death.
34 year old man now, and that is one of only two times I've ever seen my dad cry. The other was his fathers funeral. I'll never forget that day.
Only time i ever saw my dad cry. Not even at his moms funeral. Some of the best quality time me and my dad had together was cheering on dale.
R.i.p intimidator
Rest In Paradise Dale. You will always be remembered and never forgotten.
I don't know my friend 😕 but something doesn't seem right with this crash, and with the number 3 all over the place???
@@Coco-xw3wp these stock cars are naturally loose and hard to drive, the smallest of things can turn them around
More like Rest In Happy Racing Paradise rather than a normal one because he died with what he loved :)
#do it for dale
Guys we are living in the end times rn
Jesus can return anytime soon. SO PLEASE TURN TO THE LORD
He's waiting and Loves you very much ✝️
I remember watching this live when I was a kid along with the other races including his Daytona 500 win in 1998. Dale Earnhardt Sr was my favorite Nascar Driver. The day he died had me in shock and disbelief, and later in tears. Even though I never met him, he was always someone I was rooting for and really wanted to win, partly because 3 was my favorite number, but also because he had the coolest stock car out of all of them and was just a force to be reckoned with on the race track.
As an adult I got to learn a lot more about who he was as a person and it just brings my respect for him a lot higher now, its still awful that he died. R.I.P Dale, we may have never actually met, but you got me through a lot of tough times with you in races.
You and me both.
The intimidator will live on forever brother
I never watched these and for some reason my mom decided to watch this one so I watched it with her. I was 13. I remember it so clearly. I never watched one again.
I have almost the exact same feelings about steve irwin. Absolute champs
@@Bruh1 Same
When I was a kid he was my favorite driver. I was upset i never watched nascar again, then I went to a drag race with my friend and one of the racers died there because his brakes failed. After that I lost all interest in the sport as a whole. But I remember loving it and Dale helped me love it.
After Dale died I stopped watching NASCAR. Growing up football and NASCAR were on almost every day
1:38 Dale's last sight of the world was his son and team taking 1 and 2 on an empty lane.
We watched this happen live. I believed my father in law was Earnhardt's biggest fan. That tough retired Marine cried like a baby after losing his hero. My wife did too. They also cried their eyes out when Dale jr won on that same track just a few months later. It was a sad time. 😥
Sounds like they were woke for NASCAR
Boy I tell you h'what, that fella could turn left with the best of em.
I also remember seeing this retired Marine crying like a baby that day.
cg256y i did too! i still tear up talking about it. i was there sitting in the stands on the back stretch.
He won on the same track in the final lap man that day was Emotional I felt like that was a Dale senior shining down letting everybody know he made it and thanking them and letting his son know how proud he was/is of him
I was sitting in my living room wearing the number 3 Dale Earnhardt t shirt watching this race and wanting him to win when this happened, couldn't believe it, RIP Dale.
Same here watching this with my Uncle Fred in his living room rooting FOR Dale when the accident happened. I was a very very sad 10 1/2 year old that day.
Even all these years on, it still hits hard, we all loved Dale, I’m from England and loved NASCAR from a sprog, it still hits me now seeing Dales crash, especially as it looked so tame compared to others, I feel for Dale Jr being out there when it happened you can’t imagine what he felt that day 😢
I am now 25 but at the time of this crash i was like 2-3 and i still vividly remember sitting in my dad's lap watching this happenand ill never forget the looks on everyones faces and just the feeling in the room...
It’s haunting to see the last images that a man saw before he left this earth. The saddest day in Nascar history.
This man died and still got a top 15 finish.
At least he was in 7th place after that which is ok
@Mike Tee do your research. In the record books he finished 12th. Just look it up.
@@-BigMike- should that not be a DNF?
@@Hawken707 there were only 11 cars on the lead lap. If a lead lap car wrecks on the last lap, they're credit as the last car on the lead lap. Hence Dale finished 12th and Kenny Schrader finished 13th.
No him and hitler died before they could finish a race
0:56 A legend is dead...
Helton’s announcement still gets me, even after 21 years. 😢
I wasn't a Dale fan but he was one of the faces of the sport and I'll never forget that day. I'll always remember, he said something to the effect of : "It doesn't matter if they're cheering you or booing you, as long as they're making noise."
WHY do you feel it necessary to say you weren’t a fan?? What a narcissistic comment.
@nuschlerclark895 he's saying he wasn't rooting for him to win, but he's acknowledging how iconic dale was. It's not narcissistic.
@@nuschlerclark895it wasn’t narcissistic. You just didn’t understand what what he was saying
idiot misunderstands and gets angry at his own misunderstanding
As american as Dale and nascar itself
@@nuschlerclark895 it wasn't narcasssistic to any degree. You're just being angry
After Dale Sr died I stopped watching Nascar rip to a legend
I'll never forget this day. I was already late leaving for work to see the finish so once I saw the winner I left. I did not think it was that bad of a crash. Found out later what happened. So sad.
You and I were in the same boat. I was running to my truck maybe a couple minutes after the finish. By the time I got to work they already knew. I thought they were kidding at first. It hit hard, had watched that man since the 70’s tearing up the tracks. I come back and watch this about every five years or so. Damn Sterling held a straight line too and the way people turned on him still pisses me off. What do ya do though.
That crash was when I lost interest in Nascar. After Dale died I couldn't find another driver I was interested in watching race. Nascar just wasn't the same without him.
I couldn't get back into it either. When Dale died, NASCAR became NASCRAP
He was NASCAR!
I still watched until his son left, but yeah, when his father passed, Nascar was never the same, since.
Same here. Definitely will NOT watch their crap today. Dale was the greatest. PERIOD.
I couldn't agree more! I tried, but it was never any good after that day.
The joy Darrell had watching Michael win was reminiscent of an earlier time when Ned Jarrett was Broadcasting the 500 when Dale Jarrett won. Those were great times. Unfortunately the joy over Michael's victory couldn't last
Couldn’t imagine how he felt, winning the 500 and dales death within minutes of each other. As high and low as it gets all at once.
What hits me the hardest is seeing the two cars, the no.36 next to the crunched up no.3 car. Everytime I see it it sends a cold shiver up my spine. RIP Dale Earnhardt Sr.
I’m reminded today of the way this felt. I hope Damar Hamlin makes it.
On his last day on earth.
Dale Earnhardt was at his absolute best. He willed the finish of his vision to see Michael and Junior run 1-2. I know it is still hard for us Earnhardt fans even after 20 years. But in my heart I know that Dale left this place happy. I will miss him until I see him again.
Dale Earnhardt 1951-2001, kudos my hero.
Damn.
Still makes me shed a tear every time. Dale Earnhardt is one of the single biggest reasons why people have ever watched NASCAR. May he forever be racing in heaven along side some of the other greats who have fallen doing what they love.
God bless you brother
the great thing about this is he was doing what he planned and doing what he loved. He didn't feel any pain during this tragic acciendent. He died in a Blink of an eye.
Dirtiest most dangerous driver in NASCAR was Earnhardt. No respect for a guy like that. None !
@@bobsteward717 Never...disrespect...Dale Earnhardt...in front of us.
@@bobsteward717 He is a god damn legend is what he is. He should be alive and happy rather than dead. (LOL you deleted ur reply)
Dale died of a Basilar Skull Fracture. Basically what happened is he was decapitated internally. Every photo of this kind of injury shows the victims with blood just pouring out your eyes, nose, ears, and mouth like a faucet. God knows the panic Kenny felt immediately after looking in that window net and seeing The blood pour out of Dales helmet.
That was because he hit his face so hard on the steering wheel.
22 years…..I still remember this like yesterday. Still chilling & sad!
I remember this race well. My first reaction after the crash was being so mad that Dale Sr was robbed of possibly his last chance at a Daytona 500 win. I was happy for Michael walltrip though. Always liked him.
But Dale Earnhardt was my favourite driver. As an eleven year old kid, this was pretty devastating for me. I still got all my Earnhardt diecast cars from his pink K-2 car and a few wrangler cars to the iconic Black 3 cars.
ya i remember bein around the exact age.. 10-12 and i liked nascar soo much back then that my night pajemas was a huge xl nascar shirt.. my dad was a local stock car racer.. anyways i remember one day mom n dad tellin me dales dead.. he was my fav racer too.. he was just a cool lookin and actin dude i really liked him and the way he raced was fun to watch.. it tore me up for sure.. then steve irwin died few years later.. pretty shitty.. couldnt imagine bein dales son on the track that day..
He wasn't retiring after that year. He was wanting to race for another 5-10 years he said... So it wasn't anywhere close to his last chance at winning Daytona.
@@motorbreathjz Steve Irwin death still gets to me. I never followed nascar however. I'm honestly just finding out that dale Earnhardt is dead TBH. That's how much I follow it lol. But it's tragic to learn even after all these years.
@@jking0.o121 oh ya im a grown ass man and cant watch old school interviews on steves death without it tearing me up.. steve irwin is like a dad to people i would imagine.. when he died it felt personal.. he just seemed to be the most judgeless person.. its just sad.. really still is and always will be.. ive watched all steves tv episodes.. i was a kid when dale died but i was a teen when steve died.. his death tore me up much worse than dales.. and i occasionally go back to watching repeats of steve irwin just because he feels like a lost brother now days.. a memory of the past..
@@jking0.o121 and then you watch old clips of terri and bindi shortly after his passing and its like how did they keep going on with life being surrounded by steves work.. all of his things in the house.. his face all over the park.. what a dark dark time that musta been.. all you can do is think of is the upper room.. with the big guy above.. our real home..
Growing up in Brazil I was never really into Nascar, I was always more into F1, and Senna was our hero, so I know how it feels to lose an idol and it sucks. I came to know about Earnhardt later in my life and man, what a driver he was! Some of the comments here people say Nascar was never the same after Dale's death, and F1 is the same for me after Senna. RIP 😔
Oddly enough, Dale payed tribute to Senna after winning at Talladega in 1994
Both drivers were the best in the cars they drove for a living. FACT!
@@mrveritas700 fact?
@@nachoalvarez7171 yes. if you watched them live, you'd understand
Senna's book priciples of race car driving was very special to me. Both drivers knew how to gain psyclological advantage on the track.
the Oppermans from Texas will always love and miss you Dale Earnhardt Sr and we are blessed to be thought of Dale Earnhardt Sr fanatics. Our hearts broke on that day and we never watched Nascar again. Losing Dale Sr was too hard for us. Thank you all so much! Jerry and Sugar Bear and Gloria and Bear
Only 7 years old at the time but I’ll never forget this day. My dad, a massive Earnhardt fan, just went to the bedroom and closed the door. To see one of your hero’s lose his life on tv must’ve been hell.
Just watched this for the first time since I saw it live...Truly rough to watch again. RIP always to The Intimidator, The Legend 😔
I was 12 years old and was building a bike ramp behind my house when this happened. Earnhardt was my favorite driver. It absolutely broke my heart when my dad came outside and told me what happened. Rest In Peace Dale!!!!!
I was around the same age, playing motocross games on the PC when i heard he crashed on the radio in the other room. I had a strange thought out of nowhere about what if he died.... when i heard it on the radio. Ended up actually happening and ill never forget it.
I was there that day and never would have imagined that he wouldn’t walk away from that crash from seeing it in the stands. Watching it again now brings that thought and emotion back from that sad day!
I was also at the July race that same year and watched Dale Jr win and stand up on top of his car. After the race is over everyone is always hurrying to leave. Not on that day, everyone stood up and watched him celebrate for like 20 min. It was a pretty amazing thing!!
The most emotional moments in racing history
I still find it very endearing how Senna/F1 fans felt this deep inside, like, it hit home hard. It showed that no matter how much we are at each other's throats thinking that our sport is better, a death is still a death. Especially Earnhardt's that felt eerily similar to Senna's, just in the way it happened.
Yea motorsports is a pretty cool thing it sorta unites us all 🏁
I mean yeah for sure. After all when a 7 time Winston Cup points Champion dies like that its kind of a big deal.
Wanderer, Senna and Dale are both my top favorite drivers and seeing them die doing what they love will always break my heart in fact one of my family members told me that after Senna died, she stopped watching F1, But I always loved imagining that up in heaven Ayrton and Dale racing each other, that imagine if will always soften my heart.
Wish I could’ve seen him race live or in person. Thank god for UA-cam
In person IS live, can’t watch a race from the past in person
Our parents. and we live up north ya see bought us Tonka cars of Richard and Darryl and Dale. Even though WWF and NWA was the biggest thing happening..ya can't take it with ya💪💪🍻🍻
I remember being at new hampshire speedway In '98 during practice on Saturday and dale hit the track . Dad and I went down to the fence and I could see his mustache because of the open face helmet. One of my most exciting days especially for a 16yr old. Dale was my hero
Saw him a few times at sears point in sonoma in ca.
And ESPN classics
I’m not into nascar but I remember my dad watched it a lot when I was a kid. Its crazy how the crash didn’t look that bad compared to a lot of other ones I’ve seen. RIP Dale Earnhardt.
Dale Earnhardt was my dad's favorite driver. I was never really into NASCAR but my dad had all of his NASCAR stuff littered all over the house. This is my first time watching this crash. My dad passed away in February, and watching this really hurt.
I’m really sorry for your loss
Sorry for your loss bro. He’s probably watching Dale race in heaven
1:04 the look on his face says everything. He knew something bad happened before it was confirmed.
Gone over 20 years but he will always be missed and loved by the racing world. Rest in peace Dale.
NASCAR died with him.
I stopped watching NASCAR after he died. Lost my dad a year earlier to a freak accident and my dad was who got me into racing and it was just too much after Dale was killed.
Darrell going from being so happy his brother won to instant worry over Dale must have been so gut wrenching for him, and I will always remember that moment.
My aunt was at this race. She said she knew as soon as he hit the perimeter she knew he was gone. She just felt it. She never went to another race because of it.
I wasn't there but we were watching it, have still.never watched another Nascar race. That was just heartbreaking.
I understand that feeling. I had never had such a overwhelming feeling when Earnhardt hit the wall. I knew he was dead. He was always my pick and never did I care about another. I never watched NASCAR again. His number should have been retire.
My aunt was at this race as well and she couldn't believe such a baby crash could kill a driver.
@@spitymaeh baby crash? 170 mph smack into a wall isn't a baby crash.
@@spitymaeh I have a family member who’s a driver. He’s said many times that watching it on a screen, it’s hard to get a feeling for how fast they’re really going, but usually around 150-170mph. Relatively minor at 25-40mph can be fatal. Physics plays into it ofc. Your body is traveling at the same speed as the car. The impact alone will kill a person. That’s why the HANS device is so crucial for drivers.
I can't watch it. I felt like I lost a family member when this happened. DALE Jr. earned my respect by the way he handled his dad's passing in public. I still have strong emotions to this day. 💔🙏🏁🏁
Lmfaooooo Earnhardt Turning Right goes BRRRR
@@ThySheepie weirdo
@@ThySheepie lol woah dude look at how many peoples you’ve upset!!!
@@skrtskrrrttt8940 I know dude it’s nuts😂😂😂
@@ThySheepie Nobody fell for your bait man
My dad passed away back in 96 and liked both Jeff Gordon also Dale Earnhardt SR. Before my dad passed away he bought a Winston Cup Nascar jacket but he never got the chance to wear it cause it showed up after he passed away. My mom ended up giving me the jacket and after all these years later I still have that jacket.
I remember being so confused telling my mother “But it wasn’t a big crash. How is he gone?” Mr Earnhardt was a legend.
I still remember this like it was yesterday... Time Warner cut my cable off due to non payment and back then all I can get was the local channels and fox 7 Austin was one of them...the other channels wasn't really showing anything so I just decided to watch Daytona 500...my first time ever watching a NASCAR race and this happened...as weird as it sounds I felt like i brought bad luck to him and it bothered me for years and I haven't watched any nascar event since that day...I didn't even know who this man was before that day but for some reason I felt really sad for a long long time...RIP DALE.
Pay ur bills
@@larrykessler3158 That's the only thing you got from that? Congratulations you pay your bills on time some of us are not that privileged 🙄
@@larrykessler3158 pay your fucking respects instead.
@@blazejones5166 Cable Tv is not a privilege. Driving a car on the road is a privilege.
It was the energy of millions that You felt.
If you look at the final lap of this year's Daytona 500, it looks nowhere near as bad as the crash we saw on the last lap this year. Rest In Peace Dale Earnhardt. Hope you're racing with the all time greats in heaven
TV does NASCAR no justice. Cars look slow on TV but are actually on track feeling like supersonic IRL. So the crash looked like a little slap on the wall but it in real life it is really like a train hitting concrete.
And the winner was one of the first people to benefit from the newer safety that was implemented after Earnhardt’s death
Crash did not look bad
My mom cried my dad was devastated. 2001 was a hard year...I even cried.