Human beings are enamored with so-called “storybook” moments that live up to the saying that fact is stranger than fiction.
In auto racing, the automobiles piloted by drivers do not know who is behind the wheel, nor do they care. They are inanimate machines with no knowledge of the destinies they help create.
Yet, there are times when racing produces some of the most incredible, human moments that feel as if they could have only been written in fiction.
The 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona was supposed to be a landmark event for NASCAR. Britney Spears was the race’s grand marshal. The event was televised on NBC in primetime just three days after America celebrated its 225th birthday. Under the backdrop of immense patriotism and fanfare, NASCAR, nearing the height of its popularity, was set to put on a show for the ages.
And it did, though it took tragedy for the story to come to fruition.
Less than five months earlier, NASCAR lost its greatest-ever driver, Dale Earnhardt, on the final lap of the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver Michael Waltrip won the race, with Earnhardt’s son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., finishing second.
Earnhardt’s death far overshadowed the accomplishment of Waltrip. NASCAR’s biggest star, one who was still capable of winning despite being in the twilight of his career, had been taken in what could’ve only seemed like the cruelest way imaginable.
Still, NASCAR raced on. Another Dale Earnhardt Inc. driver in Steve Park won the next week at Rockingham. Kevin Harvick, who took over Earnhardt’s car at Richard Childress Racing in the wake of his death, won at Atlanta in March. Those were both healing moments for the sport that brought an entire fan base together.
But nothing could compare to what would take place at Daytona in July.
How NASCAR’s greatest moment unfolded
Even as a relatively young NASCAR Cup Series team, Dale Earnhardt Inc. was fast — especially on the superspeedways, as evidenced by Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr.’s 1-2 finish in the Daytona 500.
It may not have mattered if Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip brought the slowest, most ill-handling cars in the Dale Earnhardt Inc. shop to Daytona. In the closing laps, there was nothing stopping Earnhardt Jr. from carving his way through the field, which he did, coming from sixth to the lead.
Waltrip repaid the favor Earnhardt Jr. had afforded him in February, pushing him around the speedway that had taken the latter’s father from him. Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip sped through turns 3 and 4, the site of Earnhardt’s death, and through to the checkered flag as the Daytona crowd, likely with some tears mixed in, cheered them home.