Dale Earnhardt's first stint in the 2001 Rolex 24 at Daytona

Dale Earnhardt hops into the Corvette C5-R racer during the 2001 Rolex 24 at Daytona for his first stint during the race. Includes a fantastic "ride along" with him. I'm pretty sure if you look closely, you can see a sly little grin under the infamous moustache, as he was having an absolute blast doing this race. I have no doubt that had he not been tragically killed just a couple weeks later, he and Jr. would have found a way to compete in the 24 Hours of LeMans for sure.
I recorded practically the entire 25 hours of live coverage, and now I'm working on uploading them to the web.
I'm going through the tapes now, I will upload more as I find clips worth posting!

[@bobcraig3827]

I was there, at the braking zone for the International Horseshoe, when the rain started to fall. Dale was diving deeper into the turn than anybody, on slicks, turning right. The man was fearless. Hard to believe that was over 20 years ago. RIP.

[@janemclellan2022]

Go Dale G😎

[@Dleck6211]

Dale running Sports Cars full time is a huge "what could have been" and I'm sad I never got to witness it.

[@Sephiroth5200]

Yes. I would have loved seeing Dale run at LeMans. He was planning on retiring from NASCAR and running Corvettes full time

[@lewiskemp5893]

I watched the whole race. Supervision would air the whole race

[@genepenninger879]

You know he would have been there. It's racing he would be in it and the knowledge of other types. He'd still be hunting and fishing too.

[@gnnascarfan2410]

He had such a blast during the Rolex 24 in 2001 that the rumor is he was going full time sports car racing after the 2003 season.

[@evanwilliams6406]

Dale looks like he is having some fun in there. I know Earnhardt was going to do some sports car racing in the later years, its too bad we never got to see it materialize, he sure looked like he was having the time of his life.

[@downnice95]

Rumor was he was going to run Le Mans in 2001

[@DylanPierceCrowley]

Dale earhardt. 3. Dylan pierce. Crowley. Gts. Car. Good. My. You. What. My you. Good. Rolex. My you. Greststst. Dylan pc 1987 @ Gmail com. Dale earhardt Jr.

[@DylanPierceCrowley]

Dale earhardt. Car. Rolex. My you. Missing. You. Car. Good. Best. Dale earhardt Jr. Good. My. You. Hi. My. You. Give.

[@DylanPierceCrowley]

Dylan. Pierce. Car good. My. You. Good. Hi. My. You. Give. Car. What my you. Give. Dylan pc 1987 @ Gmail com

[@DylanPierceCrowley]

Dylan pierce. Good. My you buddy. Hi. My. You. Car. Good. My. You. Will see my. You.

[@dlwile33]

Driving on slick tires, rain falling, passing cars.....

[@diethersantos6404]

That’s why he's the GOAT THE GOAT

[@Rock7132]

Had to watch this again. Oh Dale... Wish you woula been wearing a HANS a couple weeks later... Still sad so many years later. :(

[@TheDime4life]

Given what happened in his accident I'm not sure the Hans device would have saved him being his seat belts broke

[@mattymrowiec6763]

@GN he did not have one on during this race. I believe the only series that mandates it before nascar was indy. Always should have could have would have with Dale. Fact is, the man hated it and would have probably retired before he was forced to wear one.

[@Firelight210]

You here?

[@Sunoco]

Dale actually performed admirably in this race. His 4th place finish (teammates won the race) showed that he could do it, weather it be in stock cars, or sports cars. It would've been cool to see him try more types of racing.

[@bigelile07]

4th overall. 2nd in class.

[@WilhelmX666]

I remember watching this years ago when I was a young kid, thought it was so cool not only for Earnhardt driving that thing but also cause it was my first time watching a 24 hour race. Man can't believe it. He's a legend almost ancient racing mythology.

[@racernate02]

This is great, I remember watching this. It reminds me of how much fun Dale was having as he was getting older. If anyone read the story, when his contract was due to be up in 2003, he was going to do a full season with the factory Corvette team. He was one of the greatest.

[@JJA1987]

Dale could drive/race anything that had wheels on it. One reason he was a legend

[@malikdigger4544]

Amen very true

[@davidrowdy54]

omg bully so bad

[@addisonroos5663]

TheDieHardWWEAddict ur so right

[@christyvelez8986]

He was a great driver. I would’ve loved to see him test drive the Formula One car.

[@chemicalspore]

One of the many reasons

[@Romulus1001]

I've always heard the name before but never looked into who he was until I watched the EmpLemon documentary on KZbin. Now I can't help but feel like I missed out on such a legendary figure, especially seeing him in this clip makes me believe he would have done very well in endurance racing. May his legend live on.

[@VictorELayne77]

You too huh? 😂 Now I’m in love with racing. Lol

[@FastPaull]

He was loving this. He literally has a smirk the whole time.

[@dale3rulz]

OMG! Mt roommate & I watched this race (she, the insomniac, saw the entire thing while I slept through some) but didn't tape it. We were fighting with Microsoft over computer problems we were having. I miss Dale SO MUCH! I lost my driver a couple weeks later, at least my best friend still has Jr to root for. I would LOVE to get 2 copies of the entire race on DVD if possible - one for me and one for my friend.

[@chemicalspore]

Dale must have loved that the Corvette had the number 3 on it. 3 for life

[@cjs83172]

This really is a flashback to the past. Dale Earnhardt, Sr. driving and Sam Posey and David Hobbs, who were analysts on a number of Dale's races from the 80s and 90s (Posey with ABC and Hobbs with CBS) among those on the call.

[@frankweatherford6848]

I knew this deal was kicking off speedweeks with dale in it for first ride in 24hr race. I was frign pumped and tuned in from green to checkers. That night i left tv tuned in while i laid on couch sleeping an hour or two then watching an hour or two. I had my den window open as it was cool and raining here just east of darlington sc also. I think dale wound geting in car 4 times and that corvette finished 1st in class and 3rd overall. I remember thinking dale is going to kick ass in 500. Little did i know, my hero was going to race his last 500. Damnit, we mish you dale as much in 2019 as we did when you got the call from tower in the sky.

[@BobbyPatricca]

They were 2nd in class, 4th overall. The sister Corvette #2 won the overall race. They lost time overnight when they snapped a CV axle I think while Dale Jr was driving.

[@frankweatherford6848]

Thanks man i wasnt sure. Good to hear from true fans with a touch better memory than i recolected.

[@rocktown5014]

Totally didn't see that intro music coming, and damnnnnnnnnn that takes me back.... Being born in '85, I definitely cherish the Sega Genesis and the 90's gaming culture. But anyways..... Dale is an absolute LEGEND. Great race.

[@RobA07]

Tat was a pleasure to watch

[@GregZO6]

"Was he (nervous)? Are you KIDDING me? That guy's never been nervous a day in his life. I can't believe you asked me that question!" - Andy Pilgrim Just about says it all, wouldn't you say?

[@klk1900]

Dale admitted to being nervous multiple times. Those that are the best are usually the most nervous. Those who go into a race thinking they have it all figured out usually never win a single race.

[@johnnybravo-ir3ev]

@@klk1900 exactly

[@ooohhenrybmblm]

Ironic how he’s called the Intimidator, which makes you think he has an aggressive driving style but he seems to be relaxed and gentle when driving a race car. Maybe that was what made him more intimidating 😮

[@morteparla6926]

A lot of people don't know Dale did a lot more racing than just NASCAR.

[@ethanweeter2732]

He still raced late models into the mid to late 80s. He did IROC for 15 years almost. People forget Dale is a good road racer honestly.

[@Plasticmercenary]

This is one of my best racing memories. One of my favorite drivers in my favorite car!!! LEGENDARY

[@texasrockshillcountry6574]

For his very first time Dale did extremely well! I saw Paul Gentalozzi live at the Inaugural Texaco Grand Prix in Houston 1998!

[@wpsracing108]

man - everyone who thinks nascar drivers suck should watch this - didnt put a foot wrong - soo relaxed incar. great vid.

[@Jroc412]

He was always so relaxed in the seat, even in a new environment.

[@speedf1league]

This clip makes me long for this era of the 24 Hours of Daytona. Thanks for posting man.

[@Ghostmotorfinger]

Nobody could make a car stalk like a panther more then Dale Earnhardt.

[@chadchadison2591]

If only there's an alternate timeline where he's racing with junior and corvette racing at le mans

[@bigelile07]

He was so relaxed in the car. His team finished 4th overall and 2nd in class which is pretty damn impressive considering that Dale Jr (also a NASCAR driver but only in his 2nd Cup yr) was one of the 4 drivers. The greatest NASCAR driver ever IMO.

[@STIRKDAWG]

How do you like seeing the old man running that same high line no matter what or where he's driving. I love this clip. I just bought the 1:18 scale C5R die cast by ACTION; the "raced" version. What an awesome collectible. What an awesome moment in motor sports history!

[@thedukeofswellington1827]

I was here for a few hours at night...the only.race i saw at Daytona

[@D1aNdOnLyNiCkx3]

we all miss you dale and that big old grin under that stash

[@fontheking5]

The car at 1:59 is a Marcos LM600, a very fast car with a 6 litre Chevy V8 :)

[@Ruddfan1997]

RIP Speedvision

[@ocbusfan]

Ryan Anthony Later Speed Channel > Speed > Fox Sports 1 > FS1

[@shineracer369]

Dale was milking the shit out of that Vette! This man could've driven anything. I would've loved watching him race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. R.I.P Dale

[@N3oNPREDATOR69]

This race was automatically made 1,000,000,000% better when senior got in the car.

[@blakejohnson6923]

Just bought myself a highly-detailed GMP 1/12 Scale model of this car. This race will always rank so highly in my mind for many reasons

[@NigarT]

'Ole Iron Head!

[@rydoggo]

Heh... What a poor choice of words.

[@erikswenson1760]

We miss you Dale 3

[@racelance]

Great video!! Thank you for posting this... he was an amazing driver and person!

[@user-Dr.]

I watched this entire race, (on tv), at one point in the pouring rain in the night, I'm sure I recall correctly, he was turning laps 8 seconds faster than the next fastest car on the track, the guy was a friggin machine, I miss him so much.

[@PaperBanjo64]

Now that sounds like Dale :) that's so badass!

[@javierzepeda4464]

Man to see Dale Sr. Stall out the Corvette. That’s cool. Even the greats make mistakes and get nervous.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Nobody was ever better at the Daytona tri-oval track than Dale Earnhardt Sr.

[@chemicalspore]

I bet Dale felt at home in a GM 3 car

[@the_road__warrior6185]

Watching Dale climb behind the wheel of that Vette, Made me think of a matador that could dance with any bull, No matter how big & bad that Bull is.

[@ItzVersatile]

Damn this was 21 years ago.....

[@Alan-tr5uj]

Remember watching this live- still awesome seeing Dale in the Corvette.

[@Eidrian111]

That corvette vs corvette chase was epic.

[@anthonyprice8389]

The true grit dale sr had behind the wheel of any race car was remarkable. His ability was due to the must win mentality he had. This man had to win in his youth to feed his family. True American role model.

[@silvereagle3cowboy61]

thanks for the clip of Dale .

[@jarrodminogue9244]

Looked so badass and doing it easy

[@steelwitness]

Theres nothing cooler than watching Dale Fucking Earnhardt pass a fucking Porsche in none other than an American made Chevy Corvette

[@user-Dr.]

It don't get any better.

[@plumberman19]

I was at this race, it was so awesome to camp out and watch the glowing brake rotors and exhaust pipes, oh yeah and not to mention Dale racing a road race....SWEEEET

[@dalejr183]

I bet Dale Jr would have done more sports car racing if not for that fire in the Sonoma Corvette in 04 and now the concussions he was spooked claimed the old man pulled him out of the car

[@corymcdermott5096]

Yeah, Budweiser put a big "Hell no' You aren't driving anything else."

[@evanwilliams6406]

Yeah, and he really struggled after that crash and fire. Dale Jr. only won six races after that for Dale Earnhardt Inc. and struggled for many years after that until resurrecting his career in 2014 ten years later and 2004 was his highest win total.

[@Rock7132]

Amen to that. I'm not saying he was better than Schumacher, but the guy could obviously drive the hell out a car on a road course. In the video he looks so calm and smooth. RIP Dale.

[@AlonsoRules]

He was having a blast

[@JohnAllanification]

.. handled it like a toy didn't he. i come back to this alot and probably alway's will. thank you for post if i haven't said it before.

[@ethanweeter2732]

He probably loved how well this car handled and the power difference compared to a Cup car.

[@jmissle]

i think everytime he grabbed another gear that grin got a little bigger

[@WaRLoKWYATT]

Goddamn it's sad we couldn't see him do more of this stuff. He seemed like he was having a hell of a time doing that.

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Dale Earnhardt Sr was the greatest racecar driver in NASCAR hisory.

[@soulcrusher0357]

This is awesome!!

[@muhammadislam8829]

Who says NASCAR drivers can't drive on road courses? This is proof that NASCAR drivers CAN drive on road courses, and can drive well. But then, this is Dale driving and he had a knack for driving, it didn't matter what it was so that may just be it.

[@BobbyPatricca]

muhamad islam When Dale broke the track record at Watkins Glen and got the pole with broken ribs, sternum, and clavicle, he showed he was something special.

[@iowadoyle93]

Earnhardt had always said his driving on road courses was his weakest link. No matter what, he couldn't find the right setup or always got out driven, except for his one road course victory at Sonoma. Had he lived, and Bill France Jr. too, the two of them would have planned an off weekend around the 24 Hours of LeMans, just because Dale wanted to go racing there someday. He absolutely loved racing the 24 Hour race in 2001 and wanted to run more races like that with Dale Jr. Dale probably would have retired only a handful of years later, to go off and drive sports cars in Grand-Am for a few years.

[@LT1HILLINGHOE]

charlie doyle: Earnhardt has never said that about road course racing...never. You look up his average finish on road courses and it's one of the absolute best ever in the business.

[@jcearnhardt393]

@@iowadoyle93 dale didn't have a weak link and he sure didn't ever mention one, his average finish is actually 2nd best average on road coarses behind only Pearson with drivers who started 20 or more races in history, yes over. Wallace, gordan, rudd, Stewart, Johnson and all the rest.

[@AlonsoRules]

Dale Earnhardt could road race just as good as the established road course ringers like Rusty Wallace, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Ricky Rudd.

[@plisskenationbackfromthede3657]

Must have been a strange feeling for dale having to let the prototypes by and not give them a fight lol

[@3Polenzmotorsports]

Introduced me to other forms of motorsports, i knew dirt and local short track stuff, but road course was like a different religion, it was taboo to many Nascar fans, then Dale went and did it and changed so many opinions

[@LamarFaciane]

He makes up so much ground in the slow corners without pushing the car.

[@Reading_Modeler]

im here because i just bought a 1/18 model of his corvette

[@willsco76]

Miss you Dale :(

[@connarcomstock161]

"He's on slicks in the rain, passing cars" Y'all know this guy started on dirt right? Traction is a *luxury* in his domain, a sports car with actual downforce probably feels like a fighter jet compared to what he's used to, even in the wet. With slicks.

[@VinyGambini]

maaaaan this is awsome, endurance races rocks and u got that race from long ago with Dale NICE, the only bad thing i can says is god danm! vcr recording sucks lol :P

[@timothyhill9146]

He also said that car had tremendous down force!

[@PttyBlue43]

The Bus-Stop is so different looking from it is now...

[@DaveyMurray1]

I'm a huge Gordon fan, have been since I was 9 years old, but dammit, Dale was amazing.

[@CBright7831]

@dlwile33 - He finished 4th overall and 2nd in class.

[@BrianSmith-ky2ju]

Watching in 2021.

[@steved3515]

Passing a bunch of cars on slicks in the rain.First time with this type of racing.VERY INTIMIDATING..Still Missed 3

[@jbalogh01]

THE MAN!!!😎😎😎

[@crouchb15]

listening to steve hobbs???

[@ooohhenrybmblm]

Chevy man

[@MyKittyPercy]

It's funny because people who aren't used to watching Earnhardt...I'm sure he scares them 😅

[@janemclellan2022]

Go Dale Go

[@madmax2069]

I watched this from flag to flag. i only wish i could find the whole race somewhere to watch again.

[@DupontandLowesWarrior]

Nascar IROC and Corvette Shows Why Dale's Awesome

[@stevemondal.]

Can anyone confirm, that Dale was looking into working with GM and Corvette racing on getting more into the sports car racing? Maybe even trying to shoot for La Mans? Owner/driver? Ala Michael Waltrip? RIP Dale.

[@peterpetruzzi]

Were these corvettes DEI cars or were they owned by Corvette Racing/ Pratt Miller?

[@BobbyPatricca]

They were the full Pratt & Miller factory team.

[@djmohab2]

Looks like he's doing that heel-toe on the downshifts and loving the ride. As much as his flippancy towards safety was appalling, he definitely deserved to be able to do more of this and continue to develop stronger relationships with his kids, as it seemed like he was doing.

[@MrDAllen1124]

I sense a Gillet Vertigo at 1:59!

[@jackmiller-johnston8689]

Le Mans was calling for his presence for 2002. What a shame

[@Rock7132]

Yea, please hook us up with some Junior footage!! Thanks!

[@skeleguns10oooooo10]

Even in a sports car, Earnhardt still wore an open faced helmet

[@KGCHRISTMAN911]

badass

[@janemclellan2022]

Dale will Win it

[@MRosati5000]

IROC was a cool series , too. These were the good ol day's. We love when father and son what a draw for the fans.. No better names in racing esp at Daytona. a master on the Daytona banking..

[@user-Dr.]

I think this car could have won overall, until they broke an axil.

[@JudgeTread1]

I've done driver changes before in races. Its stressful and adrenaline pumping like nothing else. Even so more than waiting for the green flag or a pitstop. I'm not sure why.

[@jacksonmarshallkramer5087]

The European racers were lucky Dale didn't put em in the wall.

[@aqinthe]

@GTAracer24 Now Speed has more dumb custom car shows than actual racing.

[@ethanweeter2732]

Now they aren’t around at all.😅

[@sergeantmasson3669]

Dale Sr's team finished 4th.

[@redknightsr69]

St Dale

[@GardnM3]

Anyone who dislikes this has no soul

[@jacksonmarshallkramer5087]

Should be wide open throttle on the big track. No turns in the infield. Too slow.

[@dale3intimidator161]

Wish someone could clean up this footage....HELP!