This Day In History: Dale Earnhardt Dies

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Written by Dave Hartman | January 29, 2010

On February 18th, 2001 at the Daytona 500, the greatest NASCAR driver of all time made his last turn. On Turn 4 of the famous racetrack, Ken Schrader's car hit his right behind the right passenger door. His car went barreling into the wall at 14 degree angle and at speeds up to 160 miles per hour. By the time he hit the wall, Dale Earnhardt Senior was dead.

Personally, I hardly watch NASCAR. I think it's fun to watch every so often to kill a Sunday afternoon. I also enjoyed playing the NASCAR video games. I was always Dale Earnhardt in those games and whenever I watched the sport, I always rooted for him. I liked his persona of the "Intimidator" and I liked the way he drove. He only had one thing on his mind: winning. I loved that.

Even if you hate NASCAR, even if you've never watched it a day in your life, you cannot deny the impact Dale Earnhardt had on the world of NASCAR. He was the Babe Ruth of the sport. I vivdly remember watching the end of that race and seeing Dale Earnhardt's car crashing. It honeslty didn't look like it was that bad of a crash. Even Darrell Waltrip, who was commenting on the race, didn't think it was that bad. He was elated his brother Michael had just won the Daytona 500. As almost an afterthought, however, you hear Waltrip saying something to the effect of: "I hope Senior's okay".

Earnhardt's death has made the drivers of NASCAR safer. New required head restraints emerged from this tragedy and has really made the sport safer. It's sad to think about it like that, but his death may have saved the lives of others who were in the same situation as he was.

We should all stand up and applaud Dale Earnhardt Sr. He was a great driver and he was the best of his sport. He was the driver everyone looked to every time out as a measuring stick for their own performance. He was a magnificent driver, and according to Dale Earnhardt Jr., a great father.

Rest In Peace:

Dale Earnhardt Sr.

April 29th, 1951-February 18th, 2001