The deαth of NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt during the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 will be commemorated on February 18, 2021.
Shockwaves shook the racing world after the 49-year-old driver was cut from his wrecked car and airlifted to Halifax Medical Center, where he was pronounced deαd from head injuries.
Good day, FOX 35 “Everyone was shocked,” said Orlando co-anchor Ryan Elijah, who was at the race when Earnhardt died. The accident was severe, but no one felt it was bad enough to kill him.” “Because this was before social media, it took a few hours for the news of his death to spread,” Elijah explained.
The incident did not appear serious at first appearance, but 90 minutes after the race ended, NASCAR President Mike Helton announced Earnhardt had d!ed.
What Happened in Dale Earnhardt’s Fatal Crash?
Earnhardt acted as a rear gunner for his Dale, Inc. team vehicles as they raced around the race’s final lap, attempting to thwart any late push from the trailing pack. Earnhardt maintained the strong-arm tactics that had become synonymous with his reputation as the cars sped into Turns 3 and 4 on that fatal last lap.
Earnhardt’s left-rear corner tagged Sterling Marlin’s right-front fender as he threw his final block, causing his vehicle to spin. Earnhardt struggled for control, his car touching the apron, causing it to turn clockwise, going up the track and across the bows of the closely following Rusty Wallace and Ken Schrader.
His right-rear corner was struck by Schrader’s left-front corner, which increased Earnhardt’s car’s angle before it nosed hard into the exposed pavement.
Although it appeared to be a regular NASCAR incident at the time, the impact from this viewpoint was deadly for the occupant. Earnhardt’s right-rear wheel parted company as his and Schrader’s cars spun down the track in unison, a sign of the ferocity that had rocked through the vehicle.
Schrader, whose car collided with the wall next to Earnhardt’s at about the same speed but at a considerably steeper angle, was unharmed. Medical personnel arrived on the scene shortly after.
Still, they could do little except transfer Earnhardt to an ambulance and the neighboring Halifax Medical Center, where he was subsequently pronounced deαd.
What Was the Reaction to Dale Earnhardt’s Deαth?
Earnhardt’s old nemesis, Darrell Waltrip was announcing the race for Fox Sports, broadcasting the Daytona 500 for the first time. “As excited and proud as I am for Michael, I’m praying for Dale,” he stated on TV after cheering his brother Michael to victory in the commentary box. They’re still down there working.”
Ryan Newman says it took the death of Dale Earnhardt for NASCAR to take a more proactive approach toward safety. pic.twitter.com/VcYVr9fXAY
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 9, 2021
During the live broadcast, Fox presented replays of the crash. “Those kinds of licks are the worst kind; they’re sudden,” Waltrip said as they played out. That kind of collision hurts you, and I don’t like it. The unexpected stop is every driver’s worst nightmare.”
Blink of an Eye, a film about that day, was released in 2019 by his brother Michael Waltrip, who was ignorant and rejoicing in Victory Lane then. “I couldn’t wait for Dale to get to Victory Lane,” he said in it. I knew he’d give me the biggest hug ever when he arrived. That hug excited me more than the trophy or the money. But the hug never came.
“Kenny Schrader came to Victory Lane and said, ‘I just want you to know that I saw Dale, and it ain’t… it ain’t good.’”
“I thought it was just another crash,” Earnhardt’s vehicle owner and longtime best friend Richard Childress said. I saw it on TV, and it didn’t appear to be that severe – just another bad crash. I yelled at Dale several times [over the radio], and he didn’t respond… which was odd.”
Schrader, the first person on the scene of the incident, claimed the moment “will always stay with me” and has famously refused to reveal any specifics about what he witnessed inside Earnhardt’s car. In an interview ten years later, he did reveal: “I saw a friend in trouble.” I didn’t know for sure [that he was dead], but I’d wager. That will stay with you.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Earnhardt’s son, remembered what happened at the hospital: “I walked right into Dad’s room.” As soon as I saw him, I knew it was as awful as possible. I turned around and walked back out of there, and we stayed in that hospital for 30 minutes before they told us he was gone.”
What Injury ki!!ed Dale Earnhardt?
Earnhardt died of a basilar skull ring fracture, the same injury that had killed three other NASCAR drivers in the previous eight months: Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, and Tony Roper. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, this is “the most serious type of skull fracture, involving a break in the bone at the base of the skull.”
It frequently results in significant bleeding in that location. Roland Ratzenberger (F1), Blaine Johnson (NHRA drag racing), Blaise Alexander (ARCA stock cars), and Gonzalo Rodriguez (IndyCar) were also ki!!ed by a similar injury.
Impact to the chin, mouth, and face; impact to the head anteriorly, posteriorly, or laterally; impact towards the top of the head; and inertial head loading, which requires the spine and neck muscles to halt the moving head.
The NASCAR crash report, released in August 2001, said, “Dale Earnhardt’s death was most likely caused by a blow to the back of the head caused by a combination of unusual factors.” The unusual intensity and direction of the car’s encounter with the wall, an immediately preceding accident with [Schrader’s] car that moved him out of position, and a separation of the left lap belt under load that permitted more excellent motion within the vehicle were among these.”
In the crash, Earnhardt’s left-side lap belt had separated, allowing his torso to rotate forward and to the right inside the car. The underside of his chin had contacted the steering wheel, and he’d received a second blow to the back of his head as he rebounded from the impact back into his seat, which showed scuff marks on the head-surround area, according to his autopsy.
When Earnhardt impacted the wall, his open-faced helmet rotated forward, revealing the back of his skull. Unlike several other drivers in the field that day, he refused to wear any head or neck restraints. His non-fatal injuries included eight broken ribs, a broken left ankle, and a fractured sternum.
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For almost 4 years, Jason Martin has been a freelance writer for newspapers, journals, blogs, books, and online material. He covers the most recent news as well as many other topics.