For millions of NASCAR fans, Feb. 18, 2001 is one of those days that needs no further explanation.
Like Sept. 11 of that same year, it is one square on the calendar that many wish had never happened. At the very least, we would have preferred that things happened differently.
The topic has been revisited ad nauseam in countless other videos, articles and books. So do we really need another interpretation of the most tragic moment in a generation of stock car racing?
In 2015, SPEED produced a rather poignant piece, appropriately entitled The Day. Michael Waltrip shared his perspective in both that one and his own theatrical version dubbed In The Blink Of An Eye. Rightfully so, as Waltrip was both the day’s biggest winner as well as one of its biggest losers. As we reach the quarter century mark of the passing of Dale Earnhardt, there is another new documentary on the tragedy. This past Thursday (Feb. 12), FOX Sports released yet another titled We’ve Lost Dale Earnhardt: 25 Years Later, which aired after the Duel races at Daytona International Speedway.
Before I get torched by the folks who still hold three fingers aloft during the third lap of every race, let me say that this subject matters to me on a massive personal level. When I was a kid in the 1990s, NASCAR was ever present on my grandpa’s television. I was fascinated and eventually wound up hooked on it as well.
Much to my grandpa’s dismay, I gravitated toward the black No. 3 car and was ecstatic as I witnessed each of his final nine NASCAR Cup Series wins. I listened to MRN broadcast Earnhardt’s Daytona 500 win on my Walkman at a car show, conveying what was happening to a handful of people who had gathered around. I realized later that I was their only link to the history that was taking place, thus serving as my first unofficial gig as a NASCAR reporter. Next, a celebratory fist pump bloodied my knuckles against my living room ceiling when he won at Talladega Superspeedway the following April. Not to mention, the 2000 Cracker Barrel 500 at EchoPark Speedway is still one of my favorite races in Cup Series history.
I was 16 years old on the day when the 43rd annual Daytona 500 went green. I dropped to my knees in that same living room six hours later as Mike Helton spoke the unthinkable into existence. I don’t even remember how long I knelt there staring in stunned silence. At some point, I trudged to my room and sat in the darkness, staring at nothing and looking back at everything that my fandom had encompassed. My mind filled with questions, none of which would be answered that night.
The emotions of those hours immediately after were more than the English language enables me to convey. But I want everyone to have an opportunity to appreciate what the untimely death of the Intimidator did to the NASCAR family. Therefore, no matter how repetitive, I have no objections to anything that connects current fans, many of whom may not have been alive yet, to events of the past. While tragic, the events of Feb. 18, 2001, are precious memories to me. It was a watershed moment, a line that was crossed, after which certain things would never quite be the same.
So despite the extensive mass of content regarding the subject that already exists, there is still room on the shelf for more. It’s difficult to explain to those who weren’t fans in 2001. This moment transcended NASCAR circles. Today, even the most Earth-shaking events relating to premier Cup drivers are barely worth a mention from traditional news outlets. But Earnhardt’s demise put NASCAR front and center, as it was the lead story when Tom Brokaw hosted NBC Nightly News the next evening. Earnhardt was on the cover of Time magazine, still the only driver to adorn the front of the publication.
Personally, I enjoy hearing from people who were affected and what they experienced on that day. It’s therapeutic to know that such an immense loss, the pain and the subsequent internal turmoil is a connection for all of us. We who survived that moment share the hurt through our admiration for the one man who did not.
In my mind, there is more to learn. There is more to share. After all, healing is a process, and sometimes it seems to be a process without a defined end. On that day, lap 200 was certainly a beginning. We’ve Lost Dale Earnhardt isn’t the first documentary on the topic, and it may not be the last. I’m OK with that.
Give me every one of the stories, interviews, memories and perspectives. I’ll gladly watch them all.
Frank Velat has been an avid follower of NASCAR and other motorsports for over 30 years. He brings a blend of passionate fan and objective author to his work. Frank offers unique perspectives that everyone can relate to, remembering the sport's past all the while embracing its future.
Follow along with @FrankVelat on Twitter.
The passing of Dale Sr will forever be the sadest moment for all Nascar fans but legacy fans still hurt the most Dale Sr vs Jeff Gordon was the greatest on track rivalry that will never be replicated
I thought the show was tastefully done. It was such a sad day.
i remember watching that race. i knew he was gone when he didn’t get out of the car. phone started ringing with people who knew what an earnhardt fan i was, told me to have hope. no i knew, then helton said those horrible words. 2 days later i went a memorial service at atlanta motor speedway. i have never seen so many men crying. when i got home i packed up all my earnhardt stuff. 25 years later it’s still in a box. racing changed for me. it’s on the tv, but i care about it like i used to.
I was at Rockingham the week after. DW did a very nice tribute. Still have the Earnhardt pennant that Rockingham was handing out to all the fans.
I remember one of the tributes to Dale was a video montage with Bob Seger’s ‘Like A Rock’ used as the theme. To this day, when I hear that song, I think of Earnhardt and tear up.