Today is the anniversary of a tragic loss, as the world honors and remembers the 25th anniversary of the death of the legendary Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. But just 20 laps earlier, the seven time NASCAR Cup Series champion had issued a chilling warning about the safety of the cars they were racing.
NASCAR hasn’t been the same since. I think anyone who was a fan back then would pretty much agree with that, though his legacy obviously lives on and he remains a pop culture legend and the GOAT race car driver known around the world.
It’s pretty amazing what his legacy is considering he was just a small town boy from Kannapolis, North Carolina who had big dreams to follow in his father’s footsteps, and he died doing what he loved which is poetic in some dark and twisted way, I think.
Tragically, Dale Sr. was killed on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 after hitting the wall and suffering a basilar skull fracture. The Intimidator managed to win an incredible 34 races at Daytona during his NASCAR career, including the 1998 Daytona 500. He was so good at these big tracks that it was always said that he could “see the air” moving around the cars, knowing exactly where to go to get the best aerodynamic advantage and move (or stay) up front.
It was a shocking day, though, something no one was obviously anticipating or prepared for, and it sent people across the United States, particularly in the South, into mourning. I mean, people took it extremely personally, and he really was a beloved figure that people identified on a very deep level.
We’ve probably all seen what happened after the wreck: Ken Schrader, who was also caught up in the wreck, walked over to Earnhardt’s car and began frantically signaling for medical attention as soon as he looked inside. Schrader knew it was bad, and so did Dr. Steve Bohannon, the trauma doctor at the speedway that afternoon. During a recent interview with OutKick, Bohannon recalled seeing Earnhardt and knowing that he was gone immediately:
“I think everybody knew at the scene. Everybody knew that he had passed away at impact. I knew all the medics, and they shook their heads when they saw me walk up… When the car stops, the body keeps moving. And when your body quits moving, your brain keeps moving and decelerates inside your skull, and the forces are tremendous.”
The official cause of death? A basilar skull fracture, the fourth deadly accident from the same injury in less than a year.
It was such a sad day, that doesn’t even begin to really describe it, honestly, and the last person Dale spoke to before he took his final breath was his spotter, Danny Culler. Danny was his spotter who worked for the the final six years of Dale’s career, including during the 2001 Daytona 500.
And during an interview a couple years ago, Culler recalled The Intimidator’s last words, which were about the race, as you can probably imagine. Culler recalled:
“I can tell you the last words out of Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s mouth, the last thing he said. It was about two or three laps to go, and Michael was running the high groove. He said, ‘Tell Michael to run low. Tell him to run low. Tell him not to run high.’
So I had to go get Ty Norris and tell him, I said, ‘Dale said to tell Michael to run low. Not to run high. He never said anything else after that. Those were the last words out of his mouth. He was headed to the wall at a certain angle, and Schraeder kind of hits him with it, and he turned it a little different, changed the angle of the car against the wall, you know.”
Of course, by the immediate reaction of officials and those on the track, he knew it was bad, especially when they got team owner Richard Childress involved, and Culler said they heard the final news not long after they left the garage area:
“He crashes, the race is over, Michael won it, Jr. was second. He never said anything. [Someone said] ‘Richard, you better get down here.’ Well I knew it was probably pretty bad then… after we get out of the garage area, we found out a little later what happened, just a sad, sad day for NASCAR.”
There will never, ever be another Dale Earnhardt. Rest in peace, Intimidator.
Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s final race instructions to his spotter, Danny Culler. A look back at those final moments and the tragic crash that followed. #DaleEarnhardt #NASCAR #MotorsportHistory pic.twitter.com/IbQaKudhZi
— The Scene Vault Podcast (@TheSceneVault) February 18, 2026
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