36. He Took A Tumble
The crash at Talladega was terrifying by any standard. After hitting the wall head-on at tremendous speed, Earnhardt’s car flipped and slid across the track in front of oncoming traffic. Two other vehicles came speeding into the fray, striking Earnhardt’s turned over car in the windshield and roof. The crash was just as bad as it looked.
37. His Fans Assumed The Worst
Due to rain delays, sports channels had canceled the live telecast of the race. As such, most NASCAR fans learned about Earnhardt’s dramatic accident hours later during the night's sports newscasts. The crash was so bad that it appeared fatal and Earnhardt’s fans worried that the worst had happened. They weren’t far off.
38. He Emerged From The Wreckage
The recording of the accident showed the medical team rushing toward Earnhardt’s mangled vehicle. Miraculously, just as it seemed like Earnhardt had perished in the crash, however, the intrepid racer climbed out of the wreckage and waved to the crowd. Moreover, despite having a broken collarbone, sternum, and shoulder blade, he refused immediate medical attention.
Nevertheless, the incident left its mark on the world of NASCAR.
39. He Sparked A Safety Revolution
Dale Earnhardt’s terrifying crash in 1996, along with a similar incident that claimed the life of Russell Phillips at Charlotte, led NASCAR to take action. They introduced the “Earnhardt Bar”, a metal brace designed to reinforce the roof and windshield of race cars. This safety innovation likely saved countless lives in the years that followed—but it couldn’t save the life of its namesake.
40. He Hopped Back In The Driver’s Seat
With so many broken bones, Earnhardt’s fans thought that he was going to sit the rest of the season out. But they were wrong. Earnhardt couldn’t keep himself out of the driver’s seat and the very next week raced at Indianapolis. After the first pit stop, however, he had to hand the keys over to one of his teammates.
He said that stepping out of his black-clad No 3 car “was the hardest thing he had ever done”. At least his fans appreciated his grit.
41. He Had “True Grit”
The next weekend, just a few weeks after narrowly surviving one of NASCAR’s worst crashes, Dale Earnhardt showed up at Watkins Glen. With some broken bones still on the mend, he drove the fastest time in qualifying and earned the ‘True Grit” pole. Before the weekend was over, NASCAR was selling t-shirts with Earnhardt's face and the caption, “It Hurt So Good”.
But he might not have been as tough as he looked.
42. He Blacked Out
1997 was a tough year for Earnhardt, but the lowest point came at the Mountain Dew Southern 500 in Darlington. Early in the race, for unknown reasons, Earnhardt blacked out and crashed into the wall. Disoriented, it took him several laps to safely find his pit stall. He later revealed that he had been suffering from double vision.
Or was it deja vu?
43. He Finally Lifted The Curse
On February 15, 1998, after two decades of close calls and near misses, Dale Earnhardt finally did the unthinkable: he broke his Daytona 500 curse. In his 20th attempt, Earnhardt crossed the finish line first, ending what he described as “20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration”. His celebration became one of the most iconic moments in NASCAR history.
44. He Got the Ultimate Respect
Dale Earnhardt’s long-awaited Daytona 500 victory sparked an unprecedented display of respect. As he drove down the pit road, every crew member from every team lined up to shake his hand—a tribute usually reserved for only the most revered drivers. Then, in a move that would go down in NASCAR history, Earnhardt spun his tires in the infield, leaving tire tracks in the grass shaped like a giant No 3.
45. He Raced Rough
In 1999, at the Bristol night race, Earnhardt was back in contention for a short track victory—his first since 1995. With 15 laps to go, a caution came out, as Darrell Waltrip struck the leader Terry Labonte, causing Labonte to spin out and handing the lead to Earnhardt. With just five laps remaining, it looked like Earnhardt might pull off another win.
46. He Burned Rubber
As the race resumed, Labonte had four fresh tires, while Earnhardt was driving on worn-out rubber. Despite the odds, Earnhardt held the lead with five cars between him and Labonte. But Labonte’s fresh tires gave him the edge, and he caught up to Earnhardt, passing him as they approached the white flag. The race was down to the wire.
47. He "Rattled Cages"
Dale Earnhardt wasn’t about to let victory slip away. As they entered turn two, he drove hard into Labonte, bumping him and sending him spinning out of control. Earnhardt crossed the finish line first, but the crowd was furious, booing and making obscene gestures. Earnhardt, however, was unapologetic. “I didn't mean to turn him around,” Earnhardt explained, “I just wanted to rattle his cage”.
48. He Made A Comeback
In the 2000 season, Earnhardt made a stunning resurgence, surprising many who thought his best years were behind him. Thanks to neck surgery that fixed a lingering injury from his 1996 Talladega crash, Earnhardt was back in top form. He edged out Bobby Labonte by just 0.010 seconds at Atlanta, and climbed 17 positions in the final four laps to snatch victory at Talladega.
It looked like “the Intimidator” still had it—just not for long.
49. He Took His Last Lap
Going into the 2001 Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt was certain that he had lifted the curse. Tragically, however, it would be his last lap of life. On the final turn of the final lap, Earnhardt made light contact with Sterling Marlin, causing him to slide off course.
As he attempted to regain control, Earnhardt’s car turned almost perpendicular to the oncoming traffic and he began careening towards the outer wall.
50. He Hit A Wall
As his car sped out of control, Dale Earnhardt collided with Ken Schrader. The second impact sent him head-on into the retaining wall at nearly 160mph. The impact was so severe that it sheared off the right wheel assembly, snapped the hood pins and caused the hood to smash against the windshield several times. The tragic outcome was all but obvious.
51. He Slid Down The Track
Earnhardt’s son from his second marriage, Dale Jr, sped to a second place finish just as his father’s wrecked car slid down the track and into the infield grass. His car, along with Schrader’s, came to a stop near the exit of turn four. Instead of raucous cheers as the race ended, there was only eerie silence as the reality of the crash sunk in.
52. He Was Unresponsive
Schrader climbed out of his car, unscathed, and ran to Earnhardt. But what he found was far from reassuring. Earnhardt’s window net was still up, and when Schrader pulled it down, he was met with a grim sight. Frantically, Schrader signaled for the paramedics who were just arriving at the crash site. But, secretly, he knew the truth.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
53. He Was Gone In A Flash
Years later, Schrader revealed what he saw in Earnhardt’s crashed out vehicle. “When I went up to the car,” he explained, “I knew. I knew he was dead, yeah […] I didn't want to be the one who said, ‘Dale is dead’”. By the time Earnhardt arrived at the hospital, medics confirmed what everyone already knew: Earnhardt had perished in the crash.
They gave his official cause as a basilar skull fracture caused by blunt force trauma. The news was so devastating that one newspaper called it “Black Sunday”.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
54. They Found Something Suspicious
As NASCAR officials began to investigate what had really happened, they made an utterly chilling discovery in Earnhardt’s car. They claimed that the left lap belt on Earnhardt's seat belt harness had broken, making the fault a potential reason why Earnhardt’s chin had struck the steering wheel, causing his skull fracture.
From there, the tragedy—and mystery—deepened.
55. They Blamed Him
In the aftermath, the maker of the seatbelt received death threats. They claimed that Earnhardt and his team had installed it in an unauthorized way to increase Dale’s comfort. A sportswriter even attempted to obtain the autopsy records and photos.
Ultimately, the investigation that followed found that belt failure hadn’t played a significant part in the accident.
56. He Left a Legacy
Dale Earnhardt left a NASCAR legacy behind unlike any other—and not just because he won 100 cups in his career. While he couldn’t ever truly escape his own Daytona 500 curse, his son did. Dale Earnhardt Jr followed in his father’s tire tracks (thankfully not too closely) and won the Daytona 500 twice in his career, living up to the Earnhardt family tradition: “You don’t move over for anybody, even your own flesh and blood”.
