The biggest star in NASCAR died on the final lap of the sport’s biggest race on February 18, 2001.
Dale Earnhardt was killed in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 ten years ago Friday, at just 49 years of age.
There are few, if any, moments in sports history equivalent to the death of Earnhardt, considering the circumstances. Not only did he die on the final lap of his sport’s highest profile event, but he did so while two Dale Earnhardt Inc. drivers — one of whom was Dale Earnhardt Jr. — battled for the win.
On NBC Nightly News the day after the tragedy, anchor Tom Brokaw called Earnhardt’s death “the racing equivalent of losing Michael Jordan or Joe Montana” (NBC Nightly News, 2/19/01).
Such a devastating loss could have reasonably been expected to set any sport back for years. But NASCAR did more than just survive Earnhardt’s loss. The 2001 season began a run of sustained ratings success that lasted through the first half of the 2000s.
Even with that success, Earnhardt’s death continues to resonate throughout the sport, as was made obvious by the coverage of the 10-year anniversary of his death this week.
