Death of Dale Earnhardt

Dale Earnhardt was an American race car driver who gained worldwide fame as a stock car driver for NASCAR, recording seven Winston Cup championship victories and 76 career wins, including the 1998 Daytona 500. He was killed in a final lap collision at the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2001, when he crashed into the retaining wall after making contact with Ken Schrader. Earnhardt's death was officially pronounced at the nearby Halifax Medical Center at 5:16 p.m. EST (21:16 UTC). He was 49 years old. His funeral was held four days later at the Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Earnhardt's death was highly publicized and resulted in various safety improvements in NASCAR auto racing.

The 2001 Daytona 500, the 43rd running of the event, was the first race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series schedule. It was held on February 18, 2001 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, consisting of 200 laps and 500 miles on the 2.5-mile (4 km) asphalt tri-oval. The race was the first ever Winston Cup telecast shown by the Fox network, which had received broadcasting rights along with NBC at the end of the previous season, replacing the two former NASCAR broadcasting channels CBS and ESPN. Bill Elliott won the pole and Michael Waltrip, in his first race in the #15 car for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., won the race. This was the first Winston Cup victory of his career, coming in his 463rd start after 462 races without a win. His teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished second and Rusty Wallace finished third.