Throughout a person’s life there are events that are forever etched in one’s mind and not even the passage of time can dim the vivid details.
For me, one of those days is February 18, 2001, the day we lost Dale Earnhardt. At the time, I was the editor of the weekly motorsports publication NASCAR Winston Cup Scene.
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I always covered a race from the press box because I needed to be in two-way radio communication with our photographers and pit reporters to direct them. I listened to the teams and NASCAR communications via my scanner earpiece that was in my left ear. I had a headset for my two-way radio that allowed me to communicate with our photographers and pit reporters.
The portion of the race that’s forever ingrained in my memory starts with the final lap. When the white flag waved, I keyed my microphone and told our photographers: “Heads up. Heads up. White flag lap. White flag lap. There’s going to be a wreck.”
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When the field barreled into the fourth turn on the final lap, I saw a car break loose and slam into the wall head on. It was between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. that afternoon, but it was so bright when the car hit the wall that I couldn’t see the car’s number. Then another car hit it and as they slid down the track to the apron the bright light dimmed. It was then that I could tell that one of the cars was Earnhardt’s.
Our photographer stationed in turn four was watching everything through her camera which was equipped with a telephoto lens. She called me on the radio and told me Ken Schrader had run over to Earnhardt’s car and after looking in the car, he had turned away with a horrible look on his face. Then I watched Dale Earnhardt Jr. run down pit road towards the garage after exiting his car and I got a sick feeling in my stomach.
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I exited the press box and hurried down the press tower stairs so I could get to the gate to go across the track with the teams’ spotters. When I arrived at the gate, my eyes met Earnhardt’s spotter’s eyes and the look he gave me was, “I don’t know.” I ran across the track and grassy apron to the infield media center. None of us were allowed in the Cup garage because NASCAR had closed it. Then I saw Tony Eury Sr., Earnhardt’s former brother-in-law who had overseen Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s two Busch Series championships. This tough racer was crying and that confirmed for me what I had already surmised.
When our photographer walked into the media center, I told her I needed to talk with her. We went into the small women’s bathroom, and I told her Earnhardt was gone. She teared up and said, “I knew it. I knew it as soon as I saw that hit. I’ve seen that hit too many times. I saw it with Adam Petty, and I saw it with Kenny Irwin Jr.”
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By this time, there was a solemn quietness in the media center. The general news media had started to enter the deadline room for the impending press conference. One could sense the anger the motorsports media felt towards the news media for invading their territory.
The old media center was packed with reporters when then NASCAR President Mike Helton walked solemnly and slowly to the front of the room. He picked up a microphone and said simply: “We’ve lost Earnhardt.”
It was a tough story to write for everyone. The Daytona Beach News-Journal reporter sitting across from me would write for a bit and then wipe his eyes, write some more and then wipe his eyes. The motorsports community was devastated.
That day changed NASCAR forever. Stock car racing had lost its biggest star and then NASCAR Chairman and CEO Bill France Jr. decreed he never wanted it to happen again. NASCAR’s Research and Development Center was born with improving safety in the sport its key objective.
Earnhardt will always be defined as a seven-time NASCAR Cup champion. However, safety is his legacy as in the 25 years since we lost Earnhardt, not a single driver in NASCAR’s three national touring series has died in a racing accident. It’s a day that will live in racing infamy.
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.