Unlike his fellow competitors, who didnt learn Earnhardt Just being honest, over the years what I remember is hearing his head was turned in an unnatural position and he had blood coming form his ears. Dale said he just had to get her up in his lap and just hug on her a while until she got over it, Schrader said. These included the uncommon severity and trajectory of the car's impact with the wall, an immediately prior collision with [Schraders] car that put him out of position and a separation of the left lap belt under load that allowed greater motion within the car.. Earnhardt later told Schrader how Dorothy had been homesick. Schrader became the day's unwitting messenger of tragedy. ", Before @DaleJr let Ken Schrader leave the @DirtyMoMedia studio, he shared an emotional message on what he means to the Earnhardt family. 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"And now I'm thinking, 'I wonder what's gonna happen with all this stuff?' It's going away from me with that junk. Crash: Im Glad It Was You, Alligator Bites Off Leg Of Elderly Man At Florida RV Park, Coors Stock Goes Up As Bud Light Stock Takes A Hit Following Controversy, 6 Facts Youll Be Surprised To Learn About John Wayne, Cody Johnson Drops Details About His New Album, Crowd Cheers As Riley Green Slams BUD LIGHT With Lyric Swap, Anheuser-Busch CEO Breaks Silence As Stocks Take A Hit, Relive The Country Music Sing-Off Between Steve Austin And The Rock. He had a host of other injuries, including fractures to his ribs and left ankle, but he was dead instantly from the damage to his head, which included a ring fracture of the base of his skull, via Autopsy Files. As soon as Earnhardt Jr. saw Schrader's eyes, he knew he would need to go offsite to Halifax Medical to see his father. It was Teresa Earnhardt. Normally, his march to his waiting ride was a gotta-get-there mission. Per NASCAR, the legendary racer supported the idea of the walls being made softer, but he did not like anything that would have slowed the races down. It was Ken Schrader has never said what he saw other than he said about it is that isnt wasnt good and he got the hell out of there cant imagine what he actually saw. No one knew that February day would be the last one of Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s life. Dale Earnhardts death still an unforgettable day. Marlin had attempted one last push to catch them, moving below Senior down the backstretch. Fellow racer Ken Schrader was the first to get to him and realized he was dead, per ESPN. After the two cars slid down the track and onto the grass, Schrader climbed from his car and rushed over to check on his old friend. Tragic Details Found In Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s Autopsy Report. Schrader had walked to Victory Lane and delivered the terrible news of what he believed had happened in the middle of Waltrip's celebration, causing Waltrip to leave immediately. Dale Earnhardt, also known as The Intimidator, Ironhead and Man in Black had died after a crash on the last lap in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2001. He also was known as "The Man in Black." 3 car as it slid down the banking and into the infield grass, clearly under no control. There was some initial confusion about what had happened with the crash. Receive daily updates with the best country music videos, news, and more! Stream now on demand. Dale Earnhardt, also known as The Intimidator, Ironhead and Man in Black had died after a crash on the last lap in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18, 2001. THE RACE ITSELF was a good one, with 49 lead changes swapped among 14 different race leaders. Earnhardt, running fourth in his famed black No. Do I write about the time he let the clutch out of his car at the gas pumps and his car lurched forward, almost hitting a number of people? "I saw a friend in trouble. Months later, when the photos of the car were released as part of NASCAR's presentation of its crash investigation, hardly any image didn't include blood stains. On his way, Schrader was stopped by a TV crew and asked about Earnhardt. France Jr. was happy. I hollered at Dale a couple of times [on the radio] and he didnt answer back which was a little unusual., Schrader, who was the first person to attend the crash scene, said that moment will always stay with me and has famously refused to divulge any details of what he saw inside Earnhardts car. His non-fatal injuries were eight broken ribs, a broken left ankle and fractured sternum. Things happen and people are going to look for somebody to blame. Unfortunately, Dale Sr. collided with driver Ken Schrader and hit the outside wall head-on. The head-on collision meant his head had traveled straight forward, stopped before it could extend into a deadly head whip. He clearly understood that people were heartbroken over the death of such a legendary figure and perhaps thats why they were lashing out. "He's been absolutely on cloud nine, just ecstatic," Ann Schrader said. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. It certainly didnt take long for fans of Dale Earnhardt Sr. to begin threatening Sterling Marlin following the fatal accident. But this time, he made a point to come see me.". Dale Earnhardt Sr. died after his car crashed into a wall during the final lap of the Daytona 500 20 years ago. "He was relieved when we told him that Tony was OK," Childress recalls. How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style, Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season, Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season Based on the fact that a basilar skull fracture is essentially an internal decapitation, Kenny probably saw Dale slumped over, jaw broken, and blood pouring out his nose. Michael Waltrip was not there. And Earnhardt's 2000 resurgence as a title contender had the old-school fandom worked into a frenzy. ", With the field parked under a red flag so crews could clean up the mess, Earnhardt chatted with Childress on the radio. The engine stayed put, but everything around it moved, in some cases a full two or three feet to the right. Before @DaleJr let Ken Schrader leave the @DirtyMoMedia studio, he shared an emotional message on what he means to the Earnhardt family. #DJD pic.twitter.com/yuUtVhuJcB New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. He took one look and instantly recognized by the body language of the doctors that the battle was over. Like most observers, he can't believe it was bad enough to kill the racing legend. We've got good cars, man. Earnhardt Jr. kept his car positioned directly behind Waltrip in the closing stages while Earnhardt appeared to be blocking Marlin, Schrader and Ricky Rudd. I was a sportswriter for The Daytona Beach News-Journal at the time and I went to the infield care center after the accident, and will never forget how white Ken Schraders face was when he came out and how he stammered through an interview. 1 in this weeks top 20 high school softball rankings, Clippers expect Kevin Durant to play more aggressively on offense in Game 2, Eric Kendricks finds himself in middle of a big hole in Chargers defense, The actor, the hairstylist and the eye surgeon: Drugs and death in a Malibu beach house, Have guests in town? "There's a great photo of that moment," Petty says. He got in his car and I got in my car and we ran a race.". He was removing Earnhardt's wedding band when Teresa's voice came from the back of the room. On his way, Schrader was stopped by a TV crew and asked about Earnhardt. Earnhardt crash haunts Schrader | CBC News Loaded. 19 years after the crash, Ken stopped by Dale Jr.s podcast, Dale Jr. Download, and it got quite emotional, as Dale Jr. read Ken a letter he wrote thanking him for never speaking about the crash or what he saw. As a reporter who went to the occasional race beyond Daytona but didnt travel the circuit, I didnt know Earnhardt well. 'The ones that look really bad are never really bad, and the ones that don't look bad can be bad,'" Petty explains. "He came up and was like, 'Hey, you can do this. Age discrimination, How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Rainn Wilson, Hunter Renfroes three-run blast powers Angels to rain-disrupted win over Red Sox, Jalen Hurts agrees to five-year, $255-million extension with Eagles. He was the first one to see the scene and he knew how bad it was immediately but he's not the type to publicize it. It was Mikeys biggest moment, and youre adding news that he doesnt want. In 1997, he flipped his car with just 12 laps to go. But I knew hed want to know.. 3 | NASCAR's most beloved drivers. ", E60 explores the legacy of Dale Earnhardt 20 years after his death. As the cars tore through Turns 3 and 4 on that fateful final lap, Earnhardt maintained the strong-arm tactics that were the trademark of his persona. As his and Schraders cars spun down the track in unison, Earnhardts right-rear wheel parted company an indicator of the violence that had shaken through the vehicle. A racer through and through who spends his time away from Winston Cup at dirt tracks and other small circuits, Schrader had seen death before. "We went in there and knew it right away," he remembers now. Just a guess, but it's quite haunting to think about. He won 76 NASCAR Cup races and earned over $42 million in winnings, per Racing Reference. "So, now, here we all were, balancing grief, the loss of our friend. He arrived at Earnhardt's car less than 10 minutes after the crash, after crews had already cut the roof off the car and a surgeon stationed closer to the scene had already been administering resuscitation efforts. Two-wide, sometimes three-wide racing, became the norm late in the race, as it was the entire day. 3 on top | Dillon and RCR | Daytona from Goodyear Blimp | Duel lineups. Although it appeared to be a regular NASCAR crash at the time, the impact at this angle was devastating for the occupant. If they could drop out of school, accomplish great things, help out friends in need, own businesses, including a race team, and yet also dictate their will on many people, that would be a great life. Reads Letter To Ken Schrader 19 Years After Deadly Dale Sr. No one knew that February day would be the last one of Dale Earnhardt Sr.s life. Almost 200,000 people were in the stands at Daytona International Speedway 20 years ago on the day a NASCAR legend died. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 3 on the pole for the 2014 Daytona 500, it will bring back plenty of memories of seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt. Evans Chebet and Hellen Obiri give Kenya a Boston Marathon sweep, USWNT standout Julie Ertz joins Angel City FC on a one-year contract. IndyCar at Long Beach: Start time, how to watch, entry list, etc. And I said, 'Do what she says,'" Bohannon says. After the crash, NASCAR did an internal investigation and found that there were some design flaws in the cars that pertained to safety, per the Orlando Sentinel. You got the sense that something wasn't right.". In 2000, he was hired by the racetrack as its chief emergency doctor. It's morbid IMO. At the time of the interview, Ken still raced and 2020 marked his 50th year in racing, so it has been hard to schedule around that, but they finally got him. But anybody Ive talked to before--and Ive even got a lot of e-mails from fans who know me only from watching me doing interviews--they said they knew it was serious from that interview.. To stop suddenly at a high rate of speed is often disastrous and sometimes deadly. In 1993, he led 107 laps then was passed by Dale Jarrett in the last lap. Darrell Waltrip was there too, with a growing number of NASCAR officials. The world began looking at racing in a completely different way after his autopsy results. For every individual, Earnhardt and his legacy mean something different. Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com. A broken collarbone at Talladega and Earnhardt's rushed return had taken away his feel for the car. "We all knew that the biggest threat to keep one of us from winning the race was Sterling [Marlin]," Waltrip says of those frantic final 17 laps, running first with a mirror full of teammate Earnhardt Jr. and the black Chevy of Senior zigzagging back and forth to keep two different lines of cars at bay, the inside line led by Marlin and Rusty Wallace and the group in the outside lane led by Schrader. So many years have Dale Sr. was officially pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly after the crash. Dale Earnhardt's death caused the sport to look inward. Rusty Wallace finished third while Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott, who went from the pole to 42nd in a span of 30 laps, was fifth. And it was still there three hours later, when, in the infield grass at the bottom of that turn, Ken Schrader took that same window net down to talk with his old friend about their wrecked race cars, only to find the seven-time champion slumped over in his seat and the cockpit covered in blood. Schraders next thought was to go to Michael Waltrip, who was celebrating his first win, unaware of Earnhardts death. At the time I was like, 'OK, man, I hear you.' It was 13 years ago today when Earnhardt died on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. And Tony never really stopped, did he? Some even made phone calls to the shop that Marlin owned in Mooresville, North Carolina. I was more excited about that hug than the trophy or the money. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Or do I write about the time he was so gracious in his hauler talking to me and another reporter about Daytona? "I didn't think it was my place to tell the world," Schrader said. We compete and sometimes we fight and we want to beat each other on the racetrack, but this is a small group of people who do what we do. There were 12 to 15 medical personnel in the room, each doing their task amid the controlled chaos. 20 machine took a hard right-hand turn and drilled the concrete wall with a perfectly centered shot from the nose of his Pontiac. "I didn't know what the final deal was, so I just told him it was big and Dale was in trouble," Schrader said. Emotional Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt later told Schrader how Dorothy had gotten homesick on the trip, and that he'd spent a night comforting her. She had arrived with her stepson, Earnhardt Jr. An autopsy completed Monday showed Earnhardt died of blunt force injuries to the head. Think it was my place to tell the world, '' Childress recalls clearly understood that people were in room... The race, as it slid down the banking and into the infield grass, under! 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