The Day: Remembering Dale Earnhardt

You could see it in his energy, you could see it in his arrogance, he was right with the world, it seems like he knew it was setting up to be a tremendous day for him personally and for him professionally, I'll get towed before the 500. I'm the most happy I've ever been in my life we'll see something you've probably never seen on Fox what I thought was the best day of my life was going in the direction that would make it the worst day since it was a bad day it's a day I hope not having to live again, the rising sun will surely set on days of triumph and tragedy alike.

The 2001 NASCAR season dawned like any other under the Florida sun, where the most important sports race of the year was also the first, the Daytona 500. If Daytona was the seat of NASCAR power, a man would sit at the head of the table Dale Earnhardt, take him to Daytona and let him go to those big benches, he was just magical, the things he would do, they will have a Daytona ability that no one else had the way he could maneuver he knew what he wanted to do with the race car he knew where he could put it if you said you could see the air and Dale debated you about it he said I can't see it but I can Listen to it and I can feel it.

He had an open helmet, for that reason, to race at Daytona and do really well, you don't have to be afraid, you just have to be willing to keep your foot on the gas and you really have a man. driving that car that was when Dale was at his best ernhardt Daytona two words combined to tell us the Shakespearean tragedy of sport Earnhardt when all the races had to be won in Daytona but not the 500 never the 500 20 years under an unfair son he was frustrated because if his career would be measured by some in some way, there would be an asterisk next to his career that he never won the Daytona 500, no matter how many championships, how many races he won and the day has long since come under the Dale sun. , thank you all, come ready, ready, 20 years. of frustration because in Blowing, if you think back to moments and I can still see all those people lining up in the pit lane, they all knew what it meant to him and they honored him on the date, they all knew it took him 20 years of hell, so that when he triumphed, a weight was lifted off his shoulders, it was like there was a 12 year old boy, no, that's what he sounded like, he was so happy and so relieved and able to celebrate this great event that had been talked about not winning for so long.

For a long time it was a big deal that trophy right there my name is on it now they can't take it away my car is going to Daytona USA I don't care I love it I wanted to be there. I take a little turn. the weed to get the good out of him you could see it in his face you can see this behavior meant everything to him what everyone said it was supposed to mean from that moment on he was right with the world apparently they told me so in 2001 , when we were sitting there doing an interview, I'm happier than I've ever been in my life, how do you feel about Dale Earnhardt?

I know much better today and I did several years ago because of my family because of my life because I think I'm a better person than I used to be. I have it all now girl. I have everything. No, you really didn't. I am a lucky man. I have everything. You'd like to cross that line first and that's it. read it in the field, sit down and then say: I'll go pick your line and then I'll go to the languages ​​of victory where I'll do the interviews. Oh, you'll be here. Yeah, what do you mean Fox brought the rain team here?

Baby, 2001 was the beginning. of a new era in NASCAR for new broadcast partner Fox Sports Dale Earnhardt was the key to success just as the key to Dale's success was Richard Childress the owner of his car and his closest friend we had a lot in common we ran up we worked in our own way until what we got, nothing was ever given to either of us, we had a bond and a mutual trust that I think most men don't have after several injury-plagued seasons. Gale was finally healthy and was a favorite to win his record. title for eight seasons, while people don't remember, Dale ran for about a year with a broken neck, he had crashed in Atlanta earlier in the season and broke a vertebra in his neck and since they said the surgery was risky, he didn't When he did this, his right hand was going to sleep in the car and I suppose it was because he was pinching his nerves, but he drove with one hand and left the other there on the bar.

What people didn't know was when after finishing a race, We basically have to help him take off his uniform, I mean, he unbuttoned it, but we had to take it off his shoulders and lower it down to that point, he didn't have that surgery until the season was over and what. What they did was when they opened him up there was a bone chip that had broken off and it was stuck in his nerves, so he had to deal with that for eight months, he told me that once Dr. Branch fixed his neck, He found a new man in 2000.

We came back, I think we finished second, we only missed the points by a few and the only thing we could talk about from that winter between 2000 and 2001, I felt that we were so prepared to win the championship in 2001 like any year we've been in that Dale. Earnhardt Jr. was ready to challenge Dale Sr. for the title everything was according to plan his son drove for Dale Earnhardt joined the team his father had built with a focus on the future. I don't think he did it just because he wanted to build something for Dale. Earnhardt Jr. but I do think his belief in Dale Earnhardt Jr. talent had a lot to do with it, Jiminee, his son, when you allow a sick man, good job, man, and I remember Dale came to me and told me that I'm the envy of all the dads in the garage and he just He thought that was the best. and Bell Junior won his first Cup race in Texas and part of my responsibilities was to be in charge of Victory Lane, so of course I'm very excited, I have the Budweiser towel and the hat and I'm ready to run to the car and I try, the hand grabs me and essentially throws the ship at me, so on national television there's a red blur and a big man passing by and getting into the car, of course, that was great and now here's the big man Nelson, the photo of him squeezing his neck at the star races a photo of a deer for me because he really loved the fact that his son could do the same things he could do on the race track.

Dei was founded by family and friends with three teams that started in the Daytona 500 Dale Jr. . Steve Park and Michael Waltrip, a journeyman who had never won a race in his 16 year career, is now NASCAR's main man, that would be his first race driving for his old friend who just came to my mom's house to watch it the day after my dad died. She rang the phone and said: What are you doing? I'm here with mom. I'm just hanging out. He said I'll be there in 10 minutes and he had mentioned he was coming or something, but he just wanted to come and hug my mom. hand now I'm just saying you have a special husband now he raised these two kids and these kids are a big part of my life and I think that meant mom's world and I think it showed a lot of people in my world that, uh, he was a special person, maybe Earnhardt saw a friend who needed help or maybe he saw something in Waltrip that Michael Walter didn't like, the council got very difficult and I had started with Mayans and 462 times and I had never been able to win a race, that's Michael Waltrip out of control the test time was running time was running out to be able to get a superior rival if they would put Michael in the Napa car and everyone was saying: have you lost your mind?

He has run about 400 races and Ed has never won a race, why do you think why did you choose him? He always knew in his heart that Michael could drive and he always felt that he just needed an opportunity, that opportunity was available, well wishes. and kisses of good luck lingering in the air with the aroma of gasoline, the engines were ready to start the most important day of NASCAR, you are watching Fox Sports, home of the Super Bowl 36 World Series and now the fourth third edition of the great race American, the Daytona 500, is like you. get the NFL contract and your first game is the Super Bowl hello everyone Mike joy with the 1989 winner this race Darrell Waltrip after 17 years of trying Larry McReynolds has been to Victory Lane in the 500 twice as crew chief, gentlemen, I firmly believed that by going to Fox Network and with the amount of promotion we had done, we were going to get a very wide audience, that's why we spent so much time with the flow of the camera angles, we spent so much time with the audio. with the graphics so that when the big audience was watching, they were like oh, I get it, this isn't just a bunch of rednecks running around a track, this is really exciting and I kept hearing Bill France Jr. in my head. telling me you have stress, this is a sport, so we had to present this wonderful image about why everyone had fallen in love with the sport and why they had fallen in love with the sport with these daring young people who are going to risk everything for the glory you Rolling Thunder came to life as the NASCAR machines rolled off the grid the day's events got underway Dale Earnhardt is the most prolific restrictor plate driver in NASCAR history 11 wins and only 52 plate stars today The 35th most overall victory Corny here in Daytona, the plan was simple, he said, you and me and Dale Jr.

We will work together and win this race. It sounds cool, but it doesn't sound very realistic. There are 40 other cars that will try to ruin that whole plan at Daytona. You can plan who you want to run with and with whom. I want to draft and then wave the flag to get under when the race started. My car wasn't exactly right, it was loose and so I needed to work on it. Look at Mikey, he has hands. Look what we call a handful. goes all the way like he has our spear, he's got a handful of steering wheel, notice the front of the rooster learns the engine starts like it's humming, his name is Rusty Wallace, the farm fun on that roof fin that crosses the roof for that man on the roof.

It's dirty air and it's making the air don't know what to do here comes Earnhardt on the inside under Marlin three wide across the tri-oval and he almost took the nose off the Marlins car coming back I was late Fred left early He made a good traitor in the first 150 70 laps I basically saw it, but it was very nice, we could never get together and form a team took the lead, one car pushing with Dale and Dale jr. I got to the front quickly and rode in the middle of the pack for longer than I wanted to and the team made some adjustments and got my car right.

I could drive it perfectly. There is a possibility of error. clients, there was a point during the course of the race when the four of us were running one, two, three, four, me, Dale jr. Steve Park and Dale's cars are in the lead. I've been through so much in the last 25 laps that I wasn't thinking until the last couple of absences and see what happens, just try to position yourself up there, where you are. group and try to be able to make something happen or if something happens, you can take advantage of it. We have all been clear on this type of race and it is going to happen.

I'll follow the garbage in the back immediately that started when Tony Stewart arrived. turning sideways against the water stretching back, you know, it looked like that, the lid was about to come off this pot here and it looked like with that event we thought maybe we'd take out enough cars to get it to where we knew who. we needed to erase and how were we going to be able to achieve this, a lot of good cars were eliminated in that big accident and that's why when the cars stop on the race track on the backstretch, not only do we catch our breath, but so do those guys and at the same time you're strategizing, we stopped on the frontstretch and I'll be done.

I looked in the mirror and I was leading the race overall and I thought about his plan, you know, I know he's a great race driver in a champion, but this is crazy what he called jr. It was a little philosophical, it was a little strange because he came on the radio and told the crew that no matter what happens, let's be grateful because he said: we've had a great week, we've had a great race and we're lucky we missed it. that accident. I remember him coming there and I don't remember if it was earlier since the accident happened or during the moment we caught the red flag, but he said, Richard, if they don't do something to these cars, ending up killing someone, it always stays, that It's one of the things I can remember and I don't remember when he said that, but it was after Tony's accident, the 2001 Daytona 500 had already revealed the brutal nature of the days.

Hits and bumpers in the final laps Dale Earnhardt would not fight for victory but to protect the team from him. There's a point during the race after the red flag where I felt like he left me in line and I remember thinking that had never happened. before, I don't think I knew that he never left me in line. I don't need to let anyone get in line. These cars, the whole question implies, come back here like they never did.would have happened. He was leading the race. My car saluted perfectly. Dell Jr. It was also pretty safe because he had Dell behind him and Dale was just pushing Dale jr. and I, so we basically did it and Dale was in a pickle.

Dale is doing everything he can to make them notice. You have a fast car. You never saw Dale Earnhardt Sr. do anything but drive offensively, but in the last few laps of that. 500 we saw him on defense, you know he wanted to win another 500, but I think he was going to be perfectly happy coming in third that day, this is when we'll find out we're going for the white flag and I thought. If this engine doesn't blow up and the tires don't blow up, I'm going to go there, do two less and come back and win the Daytona 500, because I'm going to get everywhere.

Come on man, now look in the mirror and look at yourself, run inside , okay I'm trying to tell Dale Jr. just stay Michael and Sterling started arriving 36 started arriving suddenly there was a lot of activity around Dale for third place on the last lap at Daytona everyone is arguing about space trying to get snow in there if it snows there maybe you can do the rest of the adjustment suddenly I saw his car cut left this can't be good for the flag Oh Mikey, you got it, you got it Michael, best ride recently in the lane Daytona 500 victory Darrell just won at the roller membrane our car came to stop him I'm thinking right I said I'm going to pass I just fooled Bodell Mikey and junior run one two he crashed protecting third place in the last lap, so he won't be in the best mood.

Being so fucking angry, so I want to want the car and win with it. I knew I was in trouble. I mean, I knew right away that I was in trouble and I said to call the emergency crews to get there faster and them. I mean they were, they are fast, but even faster and this I knew I was in trouble. I remember when I saw the accident happen, I just jumped out of the toolbox, took my headphones off because I knew we had a good shot and walked in, put my headphones back on and yelled at Dale.

I said, Dale, you're right. They said it two or three times and he never responded, so I changed the channel to Mike Skinner and said, Mike, stop right there, they already took the painting. at that point and he was heading down the stretch, I told him to stop her and make sure Dale was okay, make sure he didn't unbuckle his helmet and get out, let me know if he's out of the car or whatever. Skinner came on the air, he said you better do it. go to the center of attention of the box, he said or it doesn't look good, we're still waiting, come on, get out, come on, help him out of the car, come on, get out of the car, he has to go to Victory Lane, you have to get him out.

Junior came out and again I don't know what he thought at that moment, but his thought was that we were going to the Medical Center, to the care center in the infield, and we would see Dad Jr. He came in, passed and just caught it. Kenny Schrader told me just for a split second and said that's when he knew something was very wrong. I go to the bus, I take Teresa Jimbo, the bus drivers, with us and that's when I received the new information call center. and we went in they didn't really think you know anything about what we went in and like they were taking them straight to the hospital so now we're getting anxious okay something's up you came to the field care center you're sitting there and You get to the little curtains and stuff and Richard likes both windows.

Curtis, let's treat it like I probably turned white and because II st. well and I said bad as we are going to be, we will be gone for a while so no one, you know, you know, we had bigger problems. What kind of me do you know I was? He was as pale as could be and he said uh he took a few deep breaths he said look I'm not a doctor he discharged him from the care facility so I'm telling you he doesn't look good he doesn't look good and at that moment my heart We just fell and then Judy and I got in the car and headed to the hospital.

We can get in a car and get a police escort to the hospital. We go on secondary roads on curves. I said many prayers. On the way to the hospital, let's go, so I said as we were dealing with someone won the race and is going to victory lane. I started celebrating what I thought was the greatest day in NASCAR history and especially in my history, I mean. It was perfect, everything went just as Dale said it would and I couldn't wait to see it. Baby Michael Waltrip drove to the winner's circle to celebrate winning the 2001 Daytona 500, how could he have known at the pivotal moment of his career?

He always involved in tragedy. Oh, it was amazing. People didn't know me a month ago. Now we are all in victory lane celebrating winning the biggest race in the world. Everything was so cool and it stayed like that for probably 20 or 30 minutes. We kept looking on the camera and this looked bad and you can see it by the people around the car even though it was gone, then the ambulance came and then they took it out and put it in. the ambulance and then we followed which was the The ambulance was going to the hospital and the ambulance was traveling practically at a walking pace, which meant a broken back or death.

Another subject. Michael Walter finally gets the first one. If you tried all of these, some reaction was very happy. I just wish you could enjoy it. little else because there are lovely, not terribly healthy people as Earnhardt's driver, Michael Waltrip, celebrates Dale Earnhardt riding in the back of an ambulance to Halifax Medical Center. The last thing you want to do is exaggerate the drama of the situation, and yet you don't want to underestimate it. the possibility that things could go really wrong was in victory lane and everyone obviously there was a lot of celebration, a lot of happy people and everyone seems to be overly euphoric and Michael has the trophies and Michael is being Michael was starting to be Every Stranger again since Earnhardt wasn't there and I remember thinking where is Dale.

I mean, how come he's not here at Bell Junior yet? How come he's not here? I'm sure they'll come in handy. John Graham, who is the president of the racetrack, came over. and he said, hey, who's going to accept the owners trophy? and I said, well, Dale will be here any minute, just Dale Teresa, whenever it's something, I'll take the trophy and he says today, Dale, they're taking Dale in charge of the hospital, so for the owners. Trophy John basically did the interview with me in victory lane and then had me appear in the photos as soon as we got that first photo down.

I looked and regretted it or went into victory lane. Mikey just won the Daytona 500 and what a great thing he was. in an important moment for him, we will make you like a brother and I wanted to tell him what I thought the deal was, he made fun of me all the time, you know about not winning and finally there is someone I know who comes to congratulate you, I saw. him and I said, can you believe a traitor? I won the Daytona 500 and he just grabbed me and said he's no good and I said, well, it's actually not that bad that I'm going to the Daytona file.

I just told him that you know. so I was happy too and stuff, but no, listen, Michael, we have a really big problem here, extremely worried about the queue,

remembering

to look at me, you know, it's like it doesn't register because you know he was waiting for the valleys to come in and that's nice. A lot told me that you know the celebration was over, you know that what I thought was the best day ever was going in a direction that would make it the worst day ever. So I don't know what to do. I want to go to victory lane, but I don't know if I should, we're on a fast start, the race was long because of the red flag and we were going over the hour, so we couldn't stay and give a report on it, no one They knew something about what they were, everyone was silent about it, no one told us anything, so we had to go off the air, well thanks John, we all knew Michael Waltrip had a fast car here in speed weeks.

I tried to get both of them apparently overlapping Darrell to focus on the victory in victory lane, analyzing the race and what had happened while trying to gather all the information we had so as not to say anything wrong but also not let people think that everything was fine, we are jubilant for the Waltrips and our prayers are with the Earnhardt family. John, I was going to go to Victory Lane, but my friend Andy Esposito, who is a sheriff's deputy, was going to take me through the crowd to victory. circle, so when I take off my headphones and turn around, he's standing at the top of the stairs shaking his head and Andy's wife works, she worked at the hospital in Halifax, in the emergency room, she had him called and had told him to call DW. and come down here because I built it and I survived Daytona had reached the crossroads one road led to Victory Lane the other had a life on the line its biggest day in sports and it became a cacophony of celebration and sadness I couldn't I couldn't I didn't I know what to do You don't even know to this day I don't know why I went to the hospital I don't really know NASCAR you know, even though everyone who had to be there was there, we're in Britain emergency where we're in and we're not It's a waiting room outside we're like inside we're not in front of Dale we kiss Dale off and all that but we know it's not pretty I can't remember all the room was in but whoever came in and I think it was a doctor came in and said that we lost Dale.

I have his son standing next to me. There's no one in this room, so I'll take your ham. We all sit there and don't know what to expect next. and remember, so let's put our heads down and it was just a bad day. I walked into the room, we're all bad team members. Can I remember just looking at all their faces and jumping, so hmm, that's where everything was I think I thought of Michael when I came out of the hospital I thought, oh my God, I wonder what he's wondering if you know, I wonder what it is, you know , I wonder what she's doing, but she was dealing with it, all you know, Buffy was talking to NASCAR and talking to the family and she was doing a job, an admirable job, making sure none of that got to me, then we We got into the truck together and it was the first time I was alone with her and she said she was dead.

I started to wonder how I was supposed to feel at that moment and I haven't stopped wondering since the NASCAR officials I knew knew what the deal was. I asked them when people were starting to equalize things. I said: Hello, is it official just again? official word I never swear on the bus listen you would think that a blanket tell me what the deal was down there and then they told me even before the announcement I think it started leaking that it was a possibility in At that point I remember to Mike Helton walking into the press center and standing there at that podium and saying those words that are now etched in our brains forever.

This is without a doubt one of the most difficult announcements I have personally had to make. but after the accident in turn four at the end of the Daytona 500, we lost Dale Earnhardt, those were those words, they were impossible. I remember going out to the garage and the guys on the team and the people who have been in the sport forever hugging each other and sobbing, that's how it was. The most surreal scene because people were basically walking around in a daze couldn't happen. You know, it had to be about two hours after the race when we finally got to the RV and I think I asked him.

I told. you want me to go you want to come here and he said not only do I want to be alone because that was difficult for him because on a daily basis you know that winning meant a lot and to have it and not be able to share it that Dale that gave him the opportunity and the first victory of his career at Daytona and he said at his mother's house crying and Michael said this is supposedly the greatest month of my life and it's the worst and all I could say while they were drowning me. gets up and says Dale knew Dale knew you won that race, that's all you can say, so all night on Sunday and you never slept, you know, trying to figure out how this could happen, why it happened, what was next You know, we lost what I would call our RCR franchise.

I lost a very close friend who heard worse than anything else and I lost my mind once again to update you on our main story tonight, the death of the legend and giant of NASCAR Dale Earnhardt at age 49, died as a result of an injury sustained. in an accident on the last lap of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and we stopped to say after we got out and saw the hundreds and hundreds of people that were there and the candles and the room problems and all their tributes I remember looking at myself I'm saying that if it ever happens to me they better give you rice we asked all the employees if they want to go home and be with their families go and I don't remember a person who has gone out of their way to overcome it was start worrying about Rockingham.

I would likeask you to do something. I would like to ask you to hold the hand of the person next to you. Lord, our hearts hurt. We've lost a great friend and everything. It seems so unfair that people ask us how we can go running today. We can do it firstly because we know that is what everyone would want us to do and secondly because Lord we know without a doubt that he is inhabiting your life. home and forever amen a week after the darkest hour of sports, driver Steve Park got up at the moment of the first years, made noise and taught me to slave in the garden, told me not to brake when we We are left in the robbery wondering. two weeks later, rookie Kevin Harvick's team Dale Richard Childress and a three-numbered car delivered their eulogy traffic here girl who's going to eat corn was looted Carmen my age when NASCAR returned to Daytona a son carried a message to his father and such maybe a dad took his son Música Jr.

I was so happy I was able to push him home, maybe the whole night made it perfect and then being able to stand in the car and hear over 100,000 people screaming, it was amazing. I remember thinking I'm better now, that's all. I'll be fine now you know this is redemption if you look at how each of those wins went, it was almost the way it should be. I was healing from an assault and you know how proud Dale would be of each of us.