NASCAR: The Five Worst Last-Lap Wrecks At Daytona

Dale Earnhardt Sr. (2001)

There is one reason this incident stands above all others as the worst last-lap incident of all-time at Daytona. That reason is simple and would probably be the same answer for any NASCAR fan that witnessed the crash that day. It had nothing to do with the speed, the impact, or the implications it had on the race, it had everything to do with the fact that NASCAR had lost a legend that day.

It all started on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt had been blocking the inside and outside line for most of the afternoon to keep his son and his teammate out front, but it looked like the other drivers in the pack were getting more antsy with every passing second. It all came to a head in the final turn of the race, when Dale Earnhardt was clipped and sent into the wall by Sterling Marlin.

Earnhardt got loose as a result of the contact and tried to correct his car, but ended up over steering and crashing it right in the wall. The crash also collected Ken Schrader, who also battling for a top-ten finish that day. The two cars then slid down to the apron of the 2.5 mile superspeedway, where Schrader ushered for safety crews to hurry after checking on Earnhardt himself.

Michael Waltrip ended up winning the race that day, the first win of his Sprint Cup career and the first of two Daytona 500 wins, but he soon noticed that his team owner and best friend wasn’t there to celebrate with him. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also skipped victory lane celebrations to go to the local hospital and check on his father.

Unfortunately for the world of auto racing, the fans and most importantly The Earnhardt’s, Dale Earnhardt was pronounced dead only hours later as a result of blunt force trauma to his head as a result of the impact. Not only did the incident leave fans with a huge hole in their hearts, one that still hasn’t been filled many years later, it also left NASCAR with the task of better protecting their drivers.