Losing a star
We have interesting relationships with celebrities. While most of us will never really know the people we admire and care about in film, television, or sports, their actions have a profound impact on our lives. And when one of those celebrities dies, we feel the loss. When Dale Earnhardt died, it took everyone by surprise—but his autopsy was the most shocking.
Who was Dale Earnhardt?
Dale Earnhardt, or Dale Sr., was a professional stock car racer from North Carolina. In his 25+ year career, he came to be known as one of the greatest NASCAR racers in the history of the sport. He died in a catastrophic crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
Darryl Moran, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Champion racer
Earnhardt’s combination of competitive and exhibition wins in his 26-year career totaled 100. He was one of only four NASCAR drivers to achieve this milestone. He is, to date, also the only NASCAR driver to win races consecutively in four different decades, from the 1970s to the 2000s.
TSGT JACK BRADEN, USAF, Wikimedia Commons
Stock car racing
Stock Car racing began as a type of race driving using production model cars, though it now uses cars specifically built for racing. Tracks are oval-shaped, and cars travel these tracks at over 200 mph. Races range in length from 200 to 600 miles.
BWard 1997, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
NASCAR
The most prominent stock racing organization is the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR. NASCAR is considered one of the top international motorsports organizations, and NASCAR stock car racing is one of the largest spectator sports in the United States.
Mike Kalasnik, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Family legacy
Dale Earnhardt came to racing through his family. His father, Ralph, was also a stock car racer. Earnhardt continued the family legacy, and his three children Kerry, Kelley, and Dale Jr. are all involved in stock car racing. Both Kerry and Dale Jr. are race-winning drivers in their own right.
Grindstone Media Group. Shutterstock
The Daytona 500
Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s final race was the appropriately named Daytona 500, a 500-mile race that takes place at Daytona Beach, Florida. Competing in, and winning, the race is considered a mark of prestige for a racer and tends to have the highest viewership and televised ratings of any stock car race in the world.
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8 months of crashes
Between May 2000 and Earnhardt’s fatal crash in February 2001, 3 other drivers had died of similar injuries. Racers Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr., and Tony Roper all suffered the same kinds of head trauma as Earnhardt, a basilar skull fracture, which were significant contributing factors to their deaths.
Jared Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
February 18, 2001
Due to the popularity of NASCAR racing, and of the Daytona 500 specifically, it’s estimated that over 17 million viewers witnessed Earnhardt’s fatal crash. Only a couple of weeks earlier, Earnhardt and his team had competed in an endurance race in Daytona, placing fourth overall in the competition.
Ted Van Pelt, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Before the race
According to those around him, Earnhardt appeared confident of his chances in the race that morning. He had not appeared at fan events or media previews of the Daytona 500 that year. Given the number of fans he had, this drew criticism from some fellow racers.
Darryl Moran, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Speed and safety
In 2000, NASCAR implemented some changes in how stock cars could be modified by each team, including the use of carburetor restrictor plates, and restrictions to the types of springs and shocks used on cars. Earnhardt saw these new restrictions as taking away some of the excitement and uniqueness of stock car racing.
Ted Van Pelt, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The race begins
Earnhardt’s confidence seemed well-placed early in the race. He was a front-runner throughout the 500-mile course and led the race for 17 laps. For the whole first three-quarters of the race, there were few problems, with caution flags being flown for two minor crashes on lap 49 and lap 157.
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A crash before the crash
With only 27 laps to go, a major crash eliminated 18 of the competitors in a very short time. On lap 173, racer Robby Gordon turned his car in such a way that it caused numerous other cars behind him to go out of control. A few racers were able to avoid the pile-up, but the race was temporarily halted to allow clean-up of the crash site. No one died in this major crash.
Jared Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
A fateful remark
While driving a stock car race, drivers wear headsets that allow them to be in contact with their crews. This way, a driver can let the crew know of any problems with the vehicle and the crew can advise the driver of anything to be aware of on the track. At one point, Earnhardt is described to have said, “...if they don’t do something about these cars, it’s gonna end up killing somebody.”
Heading into the home stretch
In the final 20 laps of the race, Earnhardt’s son, Dale Jr., and Michael Waltrip were the front runners. Both were members of Dale Sr.’s team, and he worked from third place to keep anyone else from getting in front. Throughout, Earnhardt was cheering his team on over the headset.
The crash
Earnhardt’s accident occurred on turn four of the 200th lap of the race. This was the final turn, only seconds away from the end of the race. At the incredible speeds the cars were traveling, it took only light contact with Sterling Marlin’s car to send Dale Sr. slightly out of control. As he tried to correct his course, things took a turn for the worse.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
The crash
Earnhardt crossed in front of the car driven by Ken Schrader, one of the other drivers who had managed to avoid the lap 173 pile-up. As a result, Earnhardt hit a nearby retaining wall at a speed estimated between 155 and 160 mph. The force was sufficient to break the right rear wheel assembly completely from the car.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
The crash
The force of the crash also knocked loose the hood of the car, causing it to slam against the windshield numerous times. As both cars came to a stop at the turn 4 infield, Schrader was able to pull himself from his car and rushed to assist Earnhardt. Unfortunately, there was little to be done for the acclaimed racer.
First on the scene
When Ken Schrader arrived at Earnhardt’s car to help him out, he immediately knew something was wrong. He called for the paramedics, rather than trying to get Earnhardt out of the car himself, knowing that things were very serious. 10 years later, Schrader admitted in an interview that he was pretty sure Earnhardt was dead right from the moment he saw the seriousness of the crash.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
The winners
While the crash was happening, Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip crossed the finish line, and the checkered flag was flown. At the time, neither knew what had happened, only that there had been a crash behind them. Waltrip won the race with Dale Jr. coming in second place.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
Rushed to hospital
NASCAR provides an on-site hospital and requires drivers to report there in cases of injury. When the injury is severe enough, however, a driver can be sent directly to the closest trauma center. Earnhardt’s injuries were considered extremely severe, and he was taken to Halifax Medical Center by ambulance.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
The announcement
At 5:16 pm, upon arriving at the hospital, Dale Earnhardt Sr. was pronounced dead. The official cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma to his head, among other injuries sustained in the crash. Earnhardt also suffered a basilar skull fracture during the impact with the retaining wall.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
NASCAR responds
Just under two hours after the accident, the president of NASCAR, Mike Helton, released a statement on Earnhardt’s death. NASCAR’s subsequent investigation revealed the specifics of the accident, including the angle at which the car hit the retaining wall and the estimated speeds of the cars involved in the tragic accident.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
“Black Sunday”
The death of such an acclaimed, beloved, and long-running figure in NASCAR racing was extremely emotional for fans of both the racer and the sport. The day of the accident was called “Black Sunday” by Sporting News. A public service honoring Earnhardt was held four days later at the Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Threats to Sterling Marlin
Looking for somewhere to place blame, many fans lashed out at Sterling Marlin, one of the other drivers involved in the fatal crash. Although Earnhardt’s son, Dale Jr., clearly absolved Marlin of any wrongdoing, the racer still received hate mail and death threats from fans over his role in the death of Dale Sr.
Ed McDonald, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Threats to Bill Simpson
Earnhardt’s car has been outfitted with seatbelts from a company called Simpson Performance Products. Founder Bill Simpson was a former driver who had started the company to help make the sport safer. Like Marlin, Simpson was subject to hate mail and death threats from fans who blamed him and his products for the death of the racing legend.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
Replacing a legend
As a result of the crash, and of Earnhardt’s legacy and popularity, Richard Childress, the owner of the team for which Earnhardt drove, retired the colors of Dale Sr.’s car. Earnhardt drove a black car, and subsequent races either used an inverted, mostly-white color scheme, or one with red and blue stripes.
Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Retiring No. 3
Also in honor of Earnhardt, the team stopped racing with the number 3 adorning their cars, taking instead the number 29. For just over a decade following the crash, a small “3” decal was affixed to the cars, near the number 29, in honor of Earnhardt. In 2013, the team began racing under the number 3 again.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
The investigation
In the wake of Earnhardt’s crash, there were a number of investigations into how the crash had happened and why it had been a fatal one. Rumors circulated that parts of the seatbelt harness had broken, prompting the threats toward Bill Simpson. Many speculated that had this not been the case, Earnhardt would have survived the crash.
William M. Plate Jr., USAF CIV. Wikimedia Commons
Causes of death
Given the high-profile nature of Earnhardt’s death, many different experts were brought in to verify the autopsy findings and offer some explanation. After the official autopsy, an independent assessment was carried out by Dr. Barry Myers and doctors at the University of Miami and Wayne State University.
Simpson exonerated
All the involved doctors concluded that it was not a seat belt problem that had caused the death, but a problem with a lack of head and neck restraint. Simpson Performance Products owner Bill Simpson was relieved by this news, but still left his position at the company, citing “too much” stress. The company also asked NASCAR to release an official statement asserting that the death had not been the fault of the company or its products.
The autopsy controversy
Following Earnhardt’s death, a legal battle played out in Florida as numerous news outlets sought access to both the autopsy report and autopsy photographs. Earnhardt’s widow Teresa has requested an injunction disallowing the sharing of what are usually public documents. Although potentially unconstitutional, the judge in the case ruled in favor of Teresa Earnhardt.
Darryl Moran, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Safety matters
NASCAR’s thorough investigation into the causes of the crash and of Earnhardt’s death prompted reconsideration of safety measures in the sport. While NASCAR president Helton noted “We are still not going to react for the sake of reacting”, the circumstances of Earnhardt’s death did have lasting effects on the safeguards of the sport.
Taublieb Films, Blink of an Eye (2019)
Better restraints
The safety belt controversy following Earnhardt’s death prompted many racers to adopt a 6-point safety harness, as opposed to the usual 5-point harness installed in cars. Further, the HANS (Head and Neck Support) device was adopted as a mandate by NASCAR in October 2001.
Zach Catanzareti, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Better barriers
Another consideration in Earnhardt’s fatal crash was the impact of his car against the track’s retaining wall. Between 2002 and 2005, most oval stock car racing tracks installed SAFER Barrier walls. Standing for Steel And Foam Energy Reduction, the SAFER barrier absorbs kinetic force during impacts, hopefully reducing the severity of injuries sustained by drivers.
Raniel Diaz, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
An October scare
Ten months after Earnhardt’s death, and during the time many safety measures were being debated in the stock car world, racer Blaise Alexander was killed during an event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Chillingly, the other racer involved in this fatal crash was Earnhardt’s eldest child, driver Kerry Earnhardt.
Grindstone Media Group, Shutterstock
The Car of Tomorrow and Gen 6
Another result of safety concerns about Earnhardt’s crash was the development of improved chassis for stock car racing. The Car of Tomorrow design was used in competitions following Earnhardt’s death. It was replaced by the even-more safety conscious Gen 6 car as of 2013.
Chris Short, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Legacy of the crash
Just a year after Earnhardt’s death, a similar controversy erupted around the death of TLC singer Lisa Lopes and the release of her autopsy documents. The blocking of releasing these documents was not successful, and Lopes’ autopsy photos began appearing on the Internet. In 2019, a documentary titled Blink of an Eye was produced about the career of Michael Waltrip, which included footage and commentary on Earnhardt’s fatal 2001 crash.
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