Filed under: Ken Schrader, Daytona Int'l Speedway, NASCAR Crashes, FanHouse Exclusive, NASCAR
EDITOR'S NOTE: Ten years ago on Feb. 18, we lost Dale Earnhardt. NASCAR President Mike Helton used those very words that day - "we lost Dale Earnhardt" - in making the announcement that shocked and saddened people like no other death in American motorsports. It was a national tragedy - Earnhardt's photo appeared on the covers of Time and Newsweek - and it reflected the fact that during his amazing career, the sport had grown from its regional roots into a major national sport, in good measure because of his exploits.
Starting today and continuing for eight days, FanHouse is proud to present a series entitled Ten Years After - The Untold Stories. Most of these stories about that fateful day or about Earnhardt's career have either never been told or are recalled in greater detail than ever before. In this opening story, with the perspective of a decade gone by, FanHouse's Senior Motorsports Writer Holly Cain talks to Ken Schrader, who was the first person to Dale's car after the fatal accident.
After hitting the turn four wall and spinning down the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, Ken Schrader's car came to rest alongside Dale Earnhardt's famous black No. 3 in the infield grass as the rest of the field steamrolled by toward the checkered flag in the 2001 Daytona 500.
Frustrated that he was wrecked in the last corner of the last lap of the 500 and denied what looked like a sure top-five finish, Schrader unbuckled his safety harness, climbed out of his hobbled Pontiac and calmly made his way around the back of Earnhardt's car (above). He leaned into Earnhardt's window ready to commiserate with the seven-time champ on their misfortune but also to congratulate his good friend on Dale Earnhardt Inc.'s 1-2 finish in the Daytona 500.
Schrader took one look into the cockpit and instead immediately started motioning frantically for emergency workers to rush to Earnhardt's aid.
Schrader's reaction is an enduring moment. His gestures and body language broke the news that stopped the hearts of NASCAR fans around the world.
"I'm like, that (crash) was a pretty big deal, I'll climb out and go talk to Dale -- we were the only two cars in the middle of the grass and no one was there yet, so I just checked on him,'' Schrader explained to FanHouse recently in a rare and candid interview about that fateful day.
"I never thought (he might be dead). There was no instinct or anything, no gut feeling.''
"It was just tough seeing what I saw because I walked up there and took the window net down and thought he'd be happy to see that Mikey (Waltrip) won the race, but pissed off because he wrecked.
"I got caught off-guard with what I saw.''
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