F1 fan reacts to EmpLemon: there will never ever be another driver like Dale Earnhardt!

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[@willracer1jz]

Dale Earnhardt is to NASCAR what Ayrton Senna was to F1. In a tragic twist of fate, Dale Earnhardt won at Talladega on the day Ayrton Senna passed away at Imola and dedicated his win to Ayrton.

[@Hellvis29]

Richard Petty would be Fangio, Earnhardt would be Schumacher and Jimmie Johnson would be Lewis Hamilton.

[@prochrgedLT1]

It's actually quite interesting the similarities in impact injuries and resonance through their respective sports that the deaths of Senna and Earnhardt had. Both were multiple times champion, both were known for a hard/aggressive driving style, both wore the black hat at times, both died during a race, and both died from Basilar Skull Fractures, and finally both deaths kick started a safety revolution in their respective sports. Crazy.

[@bently12]

​@prochrgedLT1 damn mate i never made those connections. Good eye youre right, and theyre both in gods hands now being taken care of 🙏

[@codymoe4986]

@@prochrgedLT1 Ehh, Senna died from taking a piece of suspension to the head, did he not? From the Senna Wiki page... "The right-front wheel and suspension are believed to have been sent back into the cockpit, striking Senna on the right side of his helmet, forcing his head back against the headrest. A piece of upright attached to the wheel had partially penetrated his helmet and made a large indentation in his forehead. In addition, it appeared that a jagged piece of the upright assembly had penetrated the helmet visor just above his right eye. Senna sustained fatal skull fractures, brain injuries, and a ruptured temporal artery, a major blood vessel supplying the face and scalp. According to Fiandri, any one of these three injuries would likely have killed him" Quit using buzzwords and phrases to simply explain complex incidents that you don't fully understand...

[@prochrgedLT1]

@codymoe4986 Senna died from a skull fracture sustained by Blunt Force trauma, (the suspension as you stated), and Earnhardt died from Blunt Force trauma. Both had Basilar Skull fractures. You're not wrong in your citing the specific item that caused the trauma, and neither am I for stating that both events of traumatic head injuries were fatal for both drivers.

[@ryansheehan9462]

“Every man on every crew has come to the edge of pit lane” yup, Here I am crying again just like I did that day 26 years ago.

[@JVTrickypants]

That absolutely gave me chills again now.

[@saltyvetsimracing]

Raise hell, PRAISE DALE!! I was at the track that day nascar died. He was the man.

[@arbiter1]

Dale was so relatable in that he would be racing friday to sunday, Monday morning he would be back at home driving a tractor working on his farm feeding his animals.

[@HankJr.]

“Dale Earnhardt ‘The Day’” is a very good documentary of that final fateful day. If you’re interested in seeing more of Dale I recommend checking that out.

[@Gutslinger]

I actually like that one better. Shows more footage, and is more sentimental. I mistakenly thought that's what she was watching. Thought it was odd that the extra footage of that day wasn't in this video.

[@JoshuaR.Collins]

3 the Dale Earnhardt story is another good one

[@MrThankman360]

I cried like a baby when he died. Only time I cried like that over a person I never have met. He was the man.

[@seiverdamross]

i remember where i was when he died.......

[@johnmunro7548]

Same

[@stuffingtonjfluffypantsiii]

23 years later my heart still hurts for the passing of Dale Earnhardt. I'll never forget those feelings watching that race and later hearing the news.

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

I love Bill Elliot's accent. A shining example of stereotypes existing for a reason and not merely being made up caricatures to insult groups of people.

[@nomadman5288]

The "bump and run" takes skill. A lot of it. It's not just "knocking someone out of the way," it's bumping them just enough that they have to "chase the car" but not enough to wreck them. It's not dirty at all. It's legit racecraft.

[@sephuris5555]

I was 6 and a Jeff Gordon that day and I remember watching my dad and asking "dad you think he'll be okay?" My dad responded: " no son he's bound to have broke something." The next we saw the announcement "Dale Earnhardt has passed away." Dale's passing and 9/11 are two days I will forever remember in my life.

[@vincenthelm6362]

I was 10 and also a Gordon fan. When I talk about 2001 to younger people I always include this and 9/11. Lol

[@user-lj9pb9io8n]

The reason I left was because Dale Earnhardt was my driver and I've never replaced him 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@jakescarbrough3850]

I'm pretty sure I was at that 1979 Daytona 500. My grandparents were car dealers in my hometown of New Smyrna Beach, and had "season tickets" of a sort for all the races there for decades. Some of my earliest memories are of being wrapped in blankets and hearing the cars go round at the 500, Firecracker 400, and ARCA races. Despite my grandparents having choice seats at the start/finish line, their kids, and all our extended families had to get our own seats. One cool thing back in the '80s was that kids in Boy and Girl Scouts got the occasional free tickets for the ARCA races before Daytona. Ironhead was one of my favorite drivers back in the day. Thanks for the fun flashback!

[@gorjlg]

I was at the Daytona 500 where flipped over. That crowd went crazy when he drove back around. Also, the tire he blew on the last lap is in a museum. Just a few feet from the car that he won the Daytona 500 in. A disabled little girl gave him a good luck penny. He glued it to the dashboard and it is still there.

[@newageroidrage2442]

That July 2001 race is my favorite race of all time because I know I would not have the mental strength that Dale Earnhardt Junior had going past the same spot where your father met his own death five months ago 160 times would be impossible for me And also that the two cars that finished the Daytona 500 first and second were reversed and still finished first and second this time Michael pushed Junior to the win and as soon as I saw the end of that race again, I started crying just like I did what I saw the first time

[@ericelander9936]

My mom and I were in a hotel room in St. Louis and I was watching the race and screaming my head off. Mom was clueless about racing but she smiled when Junior won. That race and Rossi winning at Laguna Seca with the pass in the corkscrew are the two greatest races I've ever seen. Mom passed from cancer mine months later.

[@DevinEMILE]

The funny thing is after Bill Elliot pulled his name of the ballot. Dale Earnhardt Jr went on to win it until Bills son Chase started racing.

[@jameseyman9078]

theres an amazing documentary about Dale called "Dale Earnhardt - The day". its broken into 4 or 5 - 20 min segments. its super emotional but incredibly important and inspiring. its hard to believe its real..... it changed everything. also shows a much softer side of dale as he aged.

[@mikeb550]

NASCAR fans are always inclusive to those who want to learn our sport and show a genuine interest, no matter how you got into it. Ive always had a qualm with other F1 fans for talking down to newer fans, and NASCAR in general, especially when their guys try to come over and get pushed around and the drivers say this is a different beast of racing. The cars in nascar are built to take a beating they aren't driving airplanes forced to the ground. They are engineered to race completely different, here we like to draft and bump and rub, and tempers flare.

[@Hellvis29]

And you still get it wrong.

[@mikeb550]

@@Hellvis29 and how is that? Compared to the F1 car that is essentially a grounded airplane in terms of aero and tech, even the Next Gen car is a stone age bruiser. Next Gen takes a beating but doles it out on the driver as well ill concede that. But where am i wrong? I have never seen a NASCAR fan talk down to an F1 fan, i have seen F1 fans talk down to NASCAR fans, saying "Yall drive in a circle taking left turns that isnt racing. So please tell me where i was wrong.

[@penapvp2230]

i'd say the biggest reason why people are unhappy with f1 fans currently is because of how toxic the community has become. Almost everyone hates each other nowdays and no driver can ever have their accomplishments appreciated because "my driver's better" its honestly sad how much the fanbase has fallen from being simple racing fans to basically a celebrity contest for drivers.

[@mikeb550]

@@penapvp2230 it used to be like that in NASCAR and can be that way still with certain drivers, but I've never seen ppl talk down or be outright jerks if they are a fan of an unliked or rivaled driver, even if your a fan of a different team and car model. Sure trash talk happens but at least at my track in Darlington we still have a good time together. Got to learn to peel the fandom of a driver team or maker and look at the fan of the sport you also enjoy.

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

What's hilarious is F1 guys don't do great when they go to NASCAR yet NASCAR guys at least can hold their own when they go to F1. Hell, Carl Edwards beat Michael Schumacher on a short indoor road course like race when both were driving identical cars. The commentators were just like the people you described. They kept claiming Schumacher must've made a mistake. They simply couldn't fathom or admit that one of those "hick American NASCAR people" could've simply been a better driver that day than Schumacher, who himself admitted that Carl had simply just beat him.

[@sinistermaul306]

Been a fan of NASCAR since 1993 when Jeff Gordon came onto the scene and still a fan to this day. I remember watching a lot of Dale Earnhardt's victories and defeats. That day that we lost Dale Earnhardt was the saddest day ever and I cried along with you like it was the same day that it happened. Glad you enjoyed this documentary of Dale. I wasn't a fan of him, but me personally respected his talent and miss seeing him on the track.

[@Salinaut]

I remember exactly where I was when I found out about Dale's crash. I grew up on NASCAR. Ever since I can remember, I would watch it with my dad. We had gone to the gym during the 500 because my dad had been working during the start of the race, so we recorded it and were going to watch it after the gym. We were very careful about avoiding ever seeing anything about the race until we watched. And while we were there, the news passed on one of the TVs and my dad happened to see it. We were all so devastated. To this day, it's one of the worst bouts of emotion I've ever seen out of my dad.

[@ShaunHensley]

NASCAR lost attendance for two reasons, the cars are spec cars and the playoff system. Motorsports fans are gearheads and love the competition in the garage as much as the competition on the track. And motorsports championships are endurance races and the playoff system removed that component.

[@LethargicPanda]

Watch the art of revenge one, from the same guy that did this video

[@dovifan468]

Darrell Waltrip's commentary is so sad knowing what happened. He goes from being so happy yelling, "Go Mikey!" cheering on his little brother, who won the race. But, he also stops and says, "I hope Dale's ok." That audio gets me every time.

[@helmedon]

To highlight how popular NASCAR was in the 80s, early 90s I was not really a fan but new all these names. Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Bill Elliot, Ernie Irvin, Darrell Waltrip, Richard Petty, Sterling Marlin, Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin, Bobbie LaBontie and others.

[@carsandcorvettes]

Nice video! There’s actually a lot more to the story than what he included. It’s much deeper. Dale Jr in his own words struggled his whole life to get his fathers attention and he got it by racing, all for it to be ripped away from him. He would go on to become the most popular NASCAR driver of all time and is now in the NASCAR hall of fame and is probably the most influential person in NASCAR today. Michael waltrip the blue #15 car was Dale Earnhardts best friend aside from Richard Childress, and he won the Daytona 500 that day and has never recovered. To this day he says he should go to therapy because of it. Steve park the yellow #1 was Dale Earnhardts driver for Dale Earnhardt inc, he also lived with Dale for a long time. Sterling marlin the silver #40 was the car that made contact with Dale causing him to spin into the wall and die. He has never recovered from the events. He received death threats in the following months after the death of Dale and to this day struggles battling Parkinson’s. His family says he frequently rewatches the last 20 laps or so of the 2001 Daytona 500 as the death of Dale Earnhardt weighs on his conscience as he was the car to accidentally make contact with Dale sending him into the wall. All this info can be found on Dale Jrs podcast where he has drivers and crew members from throughout NASCAR history on his podcast to tell old stories

[@jameseyman9078]

the sad part is the guy who invented the HANS device that tethers the drivers helmet so their head cant jerk forward, had been trying to convince drivers to use the safety device. Dale was the biggest non believer in the device. he told the inventor that you will never get me to wear your noose! Dale didnt like the idea of having the device around his neck. due to dales death, the hans device became mandatory

[@Dalton1294]

NASCAR made the HANS device mandatory after Blaise Alexander's tragic death following a crash at Lowes Motor Speedway in an ARCA race later that year

[@Berserker-lw6kd]

I watched that crash as a baby, my mother knew Dale was dead cause after every crash his arm came out the window showing everyone he was ok, that arm never came out everyone knew no man will ever touch the black number 3 Chevy RAISE HELL PRAISE DALE

[@ameri_cancountry6936]

If you though it was wild that he came from 18th to first in a 5 lap run to the finish to win his final race , think about this he passed all those cars in just 3 laps, and ran the last 2 laps in the front

[@mrh3085]

I wrote a short story about the 79 Daytona 500 finish in 3rd grade. As a boy I was a Richard Petty fan but grew to love Dale Earnhardt’s driving style and personality. I knew hew was gone as soon as he hit the wall. I still tear up watching these videos. He changed NASCAR forever. R.I.P. Dale. #3 #Intimidator

[@Eric_Schon]

He was my favorite driver. I watch for another 2 or 3 years after but never got into it like I did when I was rooting for Dale. I haven't watched a race in 20 years.

[@ghostfox8550]

I think the biggest difference between the Halo in F1 and the Restrictor Plate is that the Restrictor Plate drastically altered the style of racing at the tracks where they were implemented at... and it is ultimately this style that led to Earnhardt's death. The change that is more comparable to the implementation of the Halo to NASCAR was the requirement to use the Hans device following his death, which also could have saved Earnhardt's life.

[@ghostfox8550]

As for the biggest problem that led to the problems that NASCAR experienced.. it is because they became Generic. They replaced unique tracks with cookie cutter 1.5 mile tri-ovals that had similar racing styles. This is likely because one track owner company became dominant in NASCAR. This is why NASCAR, in recent years, has gone back to introducing things like more road courses, dirt races, and going back to some of the older tracks that don't fit into the 1.5 mile tri-oval.

[@PaulsWanderings]

The HANS was around for a few years before Dale died but he didn't like it and didn't wear it.

[@ghostfox8550]

@@PaulsWanderings Yeah but it wasn't until after his death that NASCAR Mandated it. It was something that wasn't popular with all drivers, similar to the HALO on the F1 cars, that didn't become a mandate until after severe incidents involving drivers, some with fatal results. NASCAR mandating the HANS device was a direct result of Earnhardt's death due to the type and mode of the injury being the exact type of injury that the HANS was designed to prevent.

[@richardstephens5570]

@@ghostfox8550 After Earnhardt died NASCAR dragged it's feet and did not make the HANS device mandatory until eight months later when Blaise Alexander was killed in an ARCA race.

[@andrewanderson9896]

This brings back so many memories. Dale Earnhardt was the greatest and my favorite driver of all time. I was 9 years old then he died, I remember watching the race on TV and I remember the crash, I cried for a week straight. Watching this video brought all those tears back.

[@cotybowman8825]

I remember where I was that day. Instead of watching the race, I went to Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN. I was shocked when I got home and was watching the news and this was the lead story.

[@Steph-T-45]

its always awesome to see somebody learn about dale earnhardt and just nascar in general for the first time and yea that ending made me cry too that video is incredible

[@Gutslinger]

I never watched NASCAR, but even I knew about him and loved him and his black number 3 Chevy car as a little kid. I remember when the news of his passing hit. I was 9 years old. I couldn't believe it, after seeing the clip of the crash on the news. Because it looked like such an insignificant crash. I wish I had the opportunity to watch during that era. But I wouldn't have wanted to see that tragedy.. I would've loved to see his team's victories in the following weeks, and his son's victory in the following Daytona race. It's bittersweet and poetic. I remember Dale Earnhardt made a little cameo in one of my favorite movies as a kid called "Basesketball". From the creators of South Park.

[@prochrgedLT1]

Great reaction! I just found your channel and enjoying your content. Keep up the good work! Daytona in 2001 was really crazy and its been described before in another comment, but it was like witnessing the death of Senna in F1. Both drivers careers and deaths had so many parallels with each other. I was there in Daytona in 2001 for the Daytona 500 and the Pepsi 400. My mom works for Chevrolet and has for years so I am very fortunate we always get tickets and/or race suites. What really stands out in my mind was the Ambulance carrying Dale's body was driving so incredibly slowly after the accident and his exhumation from the car in turn 4. We all thought he was just badly injured and went home to Jacksonville (about an hour North of Daytona International Speedway). When we got home and turned on the TV, the graphic followed shortly thereafter with his picture with 1950-2001 underneath. We were shocked to say the least. Learning years later that an ambulance traveling that slowly usually signified 2 events, a broken back or death, that image is still burned into my skull. I was never a Dale Earnhardt fan. I liked Jeff Gordon and his "rivalry" with Earnhardt was so fun to watch. Like a changing of the guard in NASCAR, the old hand vs the new young guy in town. Unbeknownst to most of us, the pair were really good friends and played this rivalry for fan service. After a few months, and July 4th weekend came rolling around. The Florida summers are AWFUL. Hot, sticky humidity, afternoon rain showers that you can set your clocks by and the sauna feeling that follows a rain storms completion. Everyone at the Pepsi 400 was looking for a cooler place to be until the green flag. Fast forward to the finish and there wasn't a dry eye in the stands. People who left their seats early were rushing back as Dale Jr. won on that night. It was a gigantic, poetic, healing moment for the sport after the events in February. Now over 20 years since then, I can remember it like it was yesterday in my 40 year old brain.

[@mikeb550]

to add on when tempers flare and wrecks happen, NASCAR can step in but usually wont cause the field polices each other, very rarely is there a need for an FIA type of penalty

[@tyschoneman1389]

I watched Dale's first Daytona 500 win live and it still grabs my heart to this day!

[@joshualangdon3070]

I will never forget where I was and what I was doing when the news of Dale passing away.

[@9168TimGlass]

So many moments in this video can bring joy and the pain of the loss we all felt. It's truly heartwarming to see your genuine reaction and to cry as we did all those years ago. Outstanding young lady, Outstanding!

[@jacobprobus132]

Dale Earnhardt Sr was my favorite NASCAR driver ever

[@frankt9288]

Truly phenomenal reactions all of your nascar reactions are just perfect!! React to The Day: Dale Earnhardt next?

[@populisttrope9385]

For anyone that's interested Emplemon makes incredible videos about all types of subjects not just racing. He is one of the best on youtube.

[@brianhawkins8370]

Raise hell, praise Dale.

[@MarbleFox162]

My mom and I were huge Dale Earnhardt fans when I was a kid. I remember sitting in front of the TV with my 1/24 scale diecast of his black 3 and mimic his movements on the track with my model car. I remember watching his final win live, and also his last race live. The first week after he died, I carried that toy car with me everywhere. I still have it. It’s in my lap as I write this. In January 2018, my mom, who I always watched the races with, passed away very suddenly. That Daytona 500 in 2018 was really hard. But seeing the number 3 win the Daytona 500, 20 years after Dale did was so special for me. And on the coffee table in front of the tv, was a picture of my mom, and that Dale Earnhardt diecast.

[@chrisbarnes6770]

Dale was the nicest guy.....until race time. At that point.....all bets were off! Love and miss that man. 💯❤️

[@theblackbear211]

In the Bobby Allison wreck note that the car passed directly under the flagmen's stand.

[@populisttrope9385]

He could see the air......legend

[@user-ue3kx2tl9h]

A few months after Dale's death, Blaise Alexander died the exact same way after getting bumped by Kerry Earnhardt in an ARCA race. Dale chose not to use the Hans device, though most other drivers were using them. It was optional and Dale was an older driver... His death did not force use of the Hans device. Blaise's death caused it becoming mandatory safety equipment. He was barely in his 20s, Dale had been racing longer than Blaise had been alive.

[@mrh3085]

Dale also wore an open faced helmet when most wore a modern full faced one. Dale was the bridge from the 50’s & 60’s stock car days to modern times. Dale was a gladiator who believed you shouldn’t be behind the wheel if you couldn’t handle the speed.

[@JaxTheReaper21]

Not sure when this video was made, but they left another cool event out. Exactly 20 years after Dale Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 in 1998, Austin Dillon, while also racing for Childress Racing, and also in the number 3, won the Daytona 500 in 2018. And in a salute to Dale he did a slide into the infield like Dale did when he won. And in the interview right after he won, he said the win was dedicated to Dale and all the Dale Earnhardt fans.

[@MissMausoleum]

I grew up watching NASCAR. I personally never watched it, but my dad did. I remember my dad recorded that race... And then accidentally recorded over it for a Mary Kate and Ashley movie for my sister and I. It didn't record over the crash though, but it still made me sad that it happened. My dad's favorite racers were Jeff Gordon, Dale Sr and Jr. I don't know that my dad watches NASCAR anymore, but somehow my 8 year old stumbled upon the sport, and now I'm buying him all the NASCAR authentic😂 I recently bought him a Dale Sr winners circle from Talladega... Yes, I let him play with it, yes it was still in original packaging from the year, yes it was the race before Dale's death... Yes, I plan to get another one for my dad.

[@johnjmacc6977]

Best way to explain Nascar from F1 is F1 is a fine country club Nascar is a frat party lol

[@JivinJoe1984]

I was there at the 2000 Winston 500, he put on a show that no-one has been able to do since

[@DiamondPaintWithDiamondDave]

"OMG I'm crying" same thing millions of us grown men were doing that day too...whether you loved or hated Dale, you respected him and couldn't imagine NASCAR without him, and suddenly in what looked like a typical harmless crash, we were forced to imagine it...and its never been the same. Dale's appeal wasnt just because of how good he drove, he was one of us, not some famous unrelatable person, but someone like us, a blue collar type of guy who just happened to be a NASCAR driver. Dropped out of school in 8th grade to go racing, and turned into one of the most successful businessmen. Was the first in NASCAR to trademark his own name. RIP Dale, we still miss you.

[@gb1706]

I still cry, he was my favorite driver.

[@robertredmon5409]

I grew up in Concord NC just south of Kannapolis NC. Dale Earnhardt was as close to a god on earth in that town as you will ever find. Kerry Dale Jr's stepbrother lived two streets over from us and had a full BMX track built next to his house that we all used to go ride on. Or in my case run on and play with GI Joes and tonka trucks when it wasn't being used by the bigger kids.

[@CrowsNestPlainsDream]

"Raise HELL Praise DALE!"

[@giafoneozu9998]

way later in dale jr's carrier he got passed a lot of cars in a couple laps to win daytona, and the way his car was going, it really looked like someone was pushing it! A lot of people said his father helped him that day!

[@Creek....123]

The sport is bigger now than ever

[@stephent2114]

We love you, Dale!

[@AdamCSmith]

I am a huge automobile fan and loved Dale Earnhardt. I drive Chevrolets because of him. I have a Corvette with a little number three on the bumper in honor of him. Long live The Intimidator. 🇺🇸 #3

[@MrKargo77]

I am a Dale Earnhardt fan. That race at Daytona was the last race I ever watched. Nascar was just never the same.

[@Alex-dc5mx]

I have been a Nascar fan since 95 at 7 year's old Dale Earnhardt was more than just my favorite racer he was my childhood idol i remember the day he died like it was yesterday i was devastated i still miss alot

[@Madviking66]

That February in 2001 was the last Nascar race I ever watched. I tried to watch but as a Earnhardt fan I couldn't watch anymore

[@timr109]

The 2001 Daytona 500 was the first race I watched from start to finish. I was 8 years old and pulling for Dale to win, I didn't know that was his son and his friend in front of him. All I wanted was for him to win. When he passed I couldn't watch NASCAR for years. I finally sat down and watched a race in 2007. I can't remember what race it was but that was when I started pulling for Dale .Jr. I haven't watched a race since he retired.

[@johnmunro7548]

Dale was one of a kind.

[@ericelander9936]

Forever The Man

[@shakeholland9294]

The Man, The Myth, The Legend.

[@JVTrickypants]

A great invention that was around before 2000 that really helped cars from taking flight when they would spin was roof flaps invented by car owner and engineer Jack Roush. They are basically panels on the roof (and eventually hood, and other areas) that don't do anything unless your car gets turned around. Then the flaps will lift as you're going backwards/sideways to disrupt the airflow and give negative lift to help keep the car on the ground.

[@davidkeese3372]

I was 8, on my first trip with my dad(who had been a big Dale fan for years and been going to the 500 for almost a decade). It was 1998 I was so excited for the trip, to be with my dad, my first live race, 2 weeks off school, and to cap it off with a Dale Earnhardt victory sitting in the 38th row of Petty tower. It couldn’t have been more perfect. I made my return trip in 2001 excited to see Dale and Dale Jr race for the 500. I always imagined they were like me and my dad. My dad was 49 I was 11 and it just felt like we were the same as them. I remember the drive down from Texas, we stopped at a city called Pensacola for the night. On our way to get dinner we got lost. As my dad went to turn left we were involved in a head on collision with a jeep. Fortunately for us the jeep was lifted and our 92 Buick roadmaster was squat to the ground the jeep instead of full impact drove over the top of the hood on the damaging the right side all the way over to the left. We were both unharmed and continued our journey in a rental car. We were back in Daytona sitting in the 38th row of petty tower once again(my dad had yearly tickets to the race) watching and cheering the 200 laps go by. Everyone was standing come the final lap and as we watched Michael waltrip win and Dale jr finish second. we saw the wreckage of Dale high up between turns 3 and 4 and thought nothing of it as we had seen Dale Sr survive worse. We left fairly quickly after the finish as we wanted to beat traffic. As we got out onto the highway we had the radio going for news about the race and Dales wreck and injuries. We heard he had been taken straight to the hospital an hour later we heard the announcement he had passed away in the ambulance. It was the hardest moment that him and I ever shared. It took us a few days to realize that Dales wreck was eerily similar to our own. Damage from right to left, head on, and coincidentally right in front of a hospital. We were shook to our cores. Later that year my dad was involved in another accident that put him in the hospital for 4 months. Again head on into the back of a truck, damage mostly starting from the right and continuing to the left as my dad tried to swerve to avoid contact. 2001 was a hard time for us is all I can say. Probably the most dramatic in detail memory I will ever have.

[@theblackbear211]

Thanks for reacting.

[@Mjones8383]

Ill subscribe only because you did this video on me and my family's favorite driver, we went to all Talladega and Atlanta races and all cried the day the 3 died

[@joshsmith4512]

my hero, RIP 😔

[@BrentM11]

The day Nascar died. What a legend. He was the best.

[@lizzaangelis3308]

Dale is like ayrton senna….. that would have been a race….. two amazing multi champions who hates to lose.

[@WVMothman]

I watched the 2001 Daytona 500 live; after the race there was a 2 hour blackout on the networks that kept everyone in the dark. We speculated that Dale was seriously injured or died based on chatter from people who were there. When the official announcement was made it was a combination of shock and utter disappointment, a lot of fans tuned out of NASCAR after that happened.

[@WhodatLucy]

Dale Jr was also voted most popular driver year after year

[@willracer1jz]

Also, watch Michael Waltrip's Blink of an Eye documentary on winning his first NASCAR race ever, the Daytona 500 in 2001 and loosing one of his best friends & boss at the same time. The documentary is on youtube and broken into multiple parts.

[@karter95]

He could not physically see the air. I do think that his famous mustache had something to do with it

[@craigward6647]

On lap 3 of the next 3 races after Dale's passing There was a caution. Also the following Datona 500 the next year lap 3 was run under caution.

[@PaulsWanderings]

Holy cow, Dale's first Daytona was on February 18, 1979 and he died at the Daytona 500 on February 18, 2001. I didn't realize that. I remember doing a dance of joy when Earnhardt won the '98 Daytona 500. The thing about the crash that killed Dale was that it looked like nothing but when you think that he went from about 200 mph to 0 in a matter of a few seconds it had to cause serious damage.

[@aaronshackelford6106]

Dale Earnhardt his last race is so emotional you have to cry it was so tragic for everyone watching the race that was there and on TV

[@dimetime35c]

While it was tragic some good came out of this tragedy. After this crash Nascar made the HANS device a mandatory piece of equipment. The HANS device or Head And Neck restraint device prevents the drivers head from whipping forward and causing the injury that killed dale. Until that crash it was optional and many drivers refused to wear it saying it wasnt "manly"

[@MrRhamlett]

Nascar: The rise of American speed is one of the best documentaries on the history on Nascar. It takes you all the way from its inception to modern stock car racing. Its really a good watch if you are interested in the history of the sport.

[@JamesSebastian-tv1fb]

Little did they know a year later the next season the third seven time champion would come to the sport and his name was Jimmie Johnson

[@Wired4Life2]

That said, EmpLemon does point out in his essay that Johnson's record-tying 7 championships coincided with the drop in NASCAR's popularity.

[@Jim-he4km]

NASCAR died the day after Daytona 2001, that's the day I learned Dale died :(😢. It was always the Earnhardt show for me, if Dale crashed I changed the channel. It's tragic that Michael Waldrip and Jr. Finished 1-2 in that same race. It just wasn't the same after.

[@josephharrison5639]

I’ve been a fan since 2006, I was born too late to see Earnhardt, I patched into Jimmie johnson, the thrid seven time champ and I wish I got to see petty and Earnhardt race, seeing the footage nowadays just doesn’t feel like it would if it were live

[@BlackSmokeDMax]

As one of the people who quit watching NASCAR, this guy is wrong in why I quit. It wasn't because it got safer, it was all the gimmicks for me. I still watch stock car racing, just at the local track level. It was roughly 2008-9ish when I quit watching. I realized I was just bitching about it all the time, and almost exclusively about the decisions at the top, so just dropped it entirely. Haven't regretted that at all. Btw, not sure there are any good videos on it, but off track stories about Earnhardt are incredible. You can see some stories sprinkled throughout Dale Earnhardt Jr's channel, just not sure there are any compilations.

[@Mikesacco1B]

“Blink of an eye” Dale Earnhardt Story through another drivers eyes

[@snowballninjamafiawa]

A lot of people stopped watching when he died. My mom was a huge fan. She said there was nothing left to watch.

[@epidemik8385]

Mike Helton's announcement to this day makes me cry.... watch the movie "Blink of an Eye" about Michael Waltrip

[@RZK1966]

Back when racing was racing, you knew what kind of car someone was driving by the way it looked. NASCAR took racing out of racing, it hasn’t been stock car for decades.

[@seahawksfan4204]

I never knew but it was the day i was born exactly when he died

[@oliversoderberg299]

This is great! Loveed it

[@austinfink3808]

He’s was my dads favourite driver I was born a few months after his death and grew up watching his son if you are interested about learning about him more I’d watch his sons podcast he has older nascar drivers on to tell him stories about his dad cause he never got to talk with him much even tho he raced with him

[@yellowjacket1232]

Dale Earnhardt and Ayrton Senna were my racing heroes. I lost them both and it's never really been the same to me. I've been to around 150 Nascar races in my 52 years and I still miss seeing Dale behind the wheel of the #3. RIP Ayrton and Dale

[@aaronshackelford6106]

Thank you I watch Dale Earnhardt since 1979 all the way up to his death 2001

[@arrankharchkrall2916]

Not once did EmpLemon ever state the true reason for Earnhardt's death. What killed him was all over the news in the 45 minutes that it took the world to finally learn that he had died: Nascar officials killed him by forcing him to race in spite of the fact that he had informed them that his seat belt had failed.

[@richardstephens5570]

That's a lie. Nobody FORCED Dale to race.

[@Forgotten_gen]

That is not accurate. The seat belt did fail, it tore at the mount. And that let his body shift and hit the wheel. The injures he received could of killed him on their own. And that's what they thought did for weeks (maybe longer) That is why Simpson safety equipment was removed from officially approved gear after the crash. But the autopsy proved it didn't matter because the skull fracture due to 1 having an open face helmet and 2 no neck support killed him first. One thing that isn't pressed hard enough his death changed safety standards in ALL racing. That one moment killed a legend but has saved lives of countless drivers since then across the world

[@yankee_tango]

I myself was not a fan of Dale Earnhardt Sr. as a driver, I am however a fan of Dale Earnhardt Sr. the man. One thing that this video does not talk about is the car he won the Daytona 500 has a penny glued to the dash, that penny was given to Dale by a young girl who suffers from Spina Bifida, she was a Make a Wish kid who Dale took a personal liking to, and had bought the family a handicap accessible van and gave it to them. The young lady's family were guests of Dale that weekend and the little girl gave Dale her lucky penny, and asked him to carry it with him during the race. He went back to the garage and glued that penny to the dash, I have seen that car in person at the RCR Museum, at RCR headquarters, the penny is still there. I believe the car is now at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Dale was a hell of a man, and it wasn't until years after his passing that I learned of the things he did for others that were never talked about publicly, that tells me he was doing these things to a higher purpose, he got his glory from racing he did not want to gain any glory from what he did away from the track, that was Dale the man. I too became tearful watching this so you are not alone, I would not have wished that upon anyone, Dale was much too young to have left this world when he did, and yes there will never be another one like him.

[@Taco002]

He's right when he said that about Jordan or Brady. I became a fan of Dale during his last season in the Blue and Yellow #3. I was 7. It was not easy to keep watching after his death. I did keep watching for a few more years but I just don't anymore. He was why I watched and now that Dale Jr. is not racing I don't even keep up with it at all.

[@trevorouderkirk1479]

Sterling Martin clipped him. And that's why we will never sniff the Nascar hall of fame.

[@titanicgaming1148]

Why nascar waited so long to implement the hans device after 3 driver deaths in 2000 will always be the biggest indicator that the hans device was needed. Dale was not a hater of the device this is a weird thing applied to him later when what he actually hates was close face helmets. The quote attributed to him on the hans device if i remember is him talking with rusty about how they both saw the close face helmet as a noose. But its unjustifiable what nascar did, adam petty, kenny irwin jr, tony roper died for basically nothing…