The accident in the final turn of 2001's Daytona 500, where Earnhardt lost his life

Dale Earnhardt was a NASCAR driver whose death on February 18, 2001 led to controversy over its causes and the degrees of responsibility of those involved. The controversy ultimately led to improvements in NASCAR and general race track safety. Earnhardt died in a last-lap crash during the 2001 Daytona 500, the fourth NASCAR driver to die in the nine months since Adam Petty's death in May 2000. Due in large part to overwhelming fan outcry, NASCAR began an intensive focus on safety that has seen the organization mandate the use of head-and-neck restraints (currently, only the HANS device is approved for competition), oversee the installation of SAFER barriers at all oval tracks, set rigorous new rules for seat-belt and seat inspection, develop a roof-hatch escape system, and develop a next-generation race car built with extra driver safety in mind, dubbed the Car of Tomorrow. Crash in turn four This work is copyrighted. ... Crash in turn four This work is copyrighted. ... The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, 500 mile (805 km) NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ... This article is about the elder Dale Earnhardt. ... The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, 500 mile (805 km) NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ... Adam Kyler Petty (July 10, 1980 - May 12, 2000) was the first fourth-generation driver in NASCAR history. ... The HANS device (Head And Neck Support device) is a safety item compulsory in many car racing sports. ... The Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barrier, sometimes called a soft wall, is a new technology found primarily on oval automobile race tracks and intended to make racing accidents safer. ... The Toyota Camry Car of Tomorrow body. ...

Circumstances of Earnhardt's death

Following the start of the Daytona 500, Earnhardt led several of the opening laps, and continued to be a front-runner throughout the race.^[1] During a pit stop, Earnhardt made contact with the #36 car of Ken Schrader in an incident that left both cars running without damage or loss of position. On lap 173, a large accident took place, involving 20 cars. Tony Stewart, who had beaten Earnhardt in the Budweiser Shootout, found his car tumbling wildly down the backstretch.^[1] As it tumbled, Earnhardt managed to weave his way through wrecked cars and come out unscathed. The race was stopped to facilitate cleanup of the track, and when the race resumed, it was Earnhardt and DEI drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Michael Waltrip in the top 3 positions. As the laps wound down, Waltrip was leading Earnhardt and Earnhardt, Jr. Ken Schrader with the 2006 Little Debbie paint scheme Kenneth Schrader (born May 29, 1955 in Fenton, Missouri) is a second-generation race car driver. ... The Budweiser Shootout is an annual NASCAR Nextel Cup Series exhibition event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the weekend before the Daytona 500. ... Dale Earnhardt, Inc. ... Michael Waltrip #55 NAPA Dodge (right), courtesy USAF Michael Curtis Waltrip (born April 30, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky) is a professional race car driver and owner of Michael Waltrip Racing. ...

Going into the final turn of the last lap, there was apparent contact between the back bumper of Earnhardt's car and the nose of Sterling Marlin's. ^[2] Earnhardt’s car veered off the track's steep banking, onto the flat apron, and then turned sharply up the track, toward the outside wall, into the path of another car - the #36 Pontiac driven by Ken Schrader. The impact sent the two cars nose-first into the wall.^[2] Earnhardt's #3 hit at a critical angle at nearly 150 miles per hour. The left-rear wheel assembly broke off the car on impact. The hood pins severed and the hood flapped open, slamming against the windshield as the car slid slowly down the track. Sterling Marlin (born June 30, 1957 in Columbia, Tennessee) is a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver who currently drives the #14 Waste Management Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Ginn Racing. ...

While Michael Waltrip raced toward the checkered flag to claim his first victory, with Earnhardt, Jr. close behind, the cars of Earnhardt and Schrader slid off the track's asphalt banking toward in the infield grass inside of turn four. After climbing from the wreck of his car, Schrader peered into Earnhardt's car, only to jump back and signal for EMTs. Hours later, at a NASCAR press conference, NASCAR President Mike Helton announced that Dale Earnhardt was dead. Helton's exact words were: "We've lost Dale Earnhardt". The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Aftermath

Dale Earnhardt's death received widespread media attention. Fans began congregating at the headquarters of Richard Childress Racing and Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, as well as the track where Earnhardt died, Daytona International Speedway. Earnhardt was featured in that week's Time Magazine, and video from the race was played on nearly every major United States televised newscast. Earnhardt's funeral was telecast live on multiple television networks, including CNN and Fox News Channel. Richard Childress Racing is a NASCAR team fielding Chevrolets for Kevin Harvick (#29 Royal Dutch Shell), Clint Bowyer (#07 Jack Daniels) Jeff Burton (#31 (Cingular Wireless/AT&T), full-time, and Scott Wimmer (#33 Holiday Inn part-time in the Nextel Cup series, as well as the #2 BB... Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ... (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... The Fox News Channel (FNC) is a United States-based cable and satellite news channel. ...

Earnhardt's death was the catalyst for change that continued six years later. Following his death, there was a police investigation, as well as a NASCAR-sanctioned investigation. Nearly every detail of the event was made public, from the finding of a broken seatbelt inside Earnhardt's car to graphic descriptions of the injuries the driver suffered at the moment of impact. The allegations of seat-belt failure led Bill Simpson to resign from the company bearing his name, which manufactured the seatbelts used in Earnhardt's car and nearly every other NASCAR competitor's machine. ^[3] Bill Simpson (born March 14, 1940, Hermosa Beach, California), is a retired American racecar driver and a pioneer in the racing safety business. ...

Several press conferences were held in the days following Earnhardt's death. At one point, fans were threatening to kill Sterling Marlin for causing the wreck. It was Earnhardt's son, Dale Jr., who absolved Marlin of responsibility and asked everyone who loved his father to stop assigning blame for his death.

Earnhardt's #3 car was immediately retired by team owner Richard Childress. Childress made a public pledge that the number would never again adorn the side of a black car sponsored by GM Goodwrench, the color scheme and sponsor Earnhardt had driven since 1988. Earnhardt's team was re-christened as the #29 team, with the same sponsor (GM Goodwrench) but a new color scheme. A reversed color scheme (white with black numerals and a black stripe on the bottom) was used for races at Rockingham and Las Vegas. For the race at Atlanta, a new GM Goodwrench scheme was introduced, with angled red stripes and a thin blue pinstripe, resembling the AC Delco Chevrolets driven in the Busch Series. Later versions of the car would bear greater resemblance to the machine that Earnhardt piloted but with a more contemporary flair. GM Goodwrench is an auto repair service for General Motors. ... The North Carolina Speedway, affectionately known as The Rock, was home to NASCAR racing from 1966 to 2004. ... Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located at 7000 Las Vegas Boulevard North in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a 1,200 acre (4. ... Atlanta Motor Speedway is a superspeedway in Hampton, Georgia, USA, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... NASCAR Busch Series logo The Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCARs second division (often compared to Triple-A baseball), and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organizations top level, the Nextel...

Childress' second-year Busch Series driver Kevin Harvick was named as Earnhardt's replacement driver, beginning with the race following Earnhardt's death, the Dura Lube 400 held at North Carolina Speedway. Special hats bearing the #3 were distributed to everyone at the track to honor Earnhardt, and the Childress team wore blank uniforms out of respect, something which disappeared quickly and was replaced by the wearing of the GM Goodwrench Service Plus uniforms. Dura Lube 400 pole sitter Jeff Gordon symbolically gave Earnhardt the pole for the race. For the racing team owned by Kevin Harvick and his wife Delana, see Kevin Harvick Incorporated. ... The North Carolina Speedway, affectionately known as The Rock, was home to NASCAR racing from 1966 to 2004. ... Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American race car driver. ...

Fans took it upon themselves to begin honoring Earnhardt by holding three fingers aloft on the third lap of every NASCAR Nextel Cup race. Meanwhile, NASCAR's Television partners also went silent for the third lap, a practice that was repeated until the 2002 race at Rockingham where race broadcaster FOX did the honor for the final time. For the first three weeks after Earnhardt's death, on-track incidents brought out the caution flag on lap three. Three weeks after Earnhardt's death, Harvick scored his first career Cup win at Atlanta driving a car that had been prepared for Earnhardt. In the final lap of the 2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500, Harvick beat Jeff Gordon by .006 seconds. Fox is a general term applied to any one of roughly 27 species of small to medium-sized omnivorous canids in the tribe vulpini with sharp features and a brush-like tail. ... The Golden Corral 500 is a NASCAR Nextel Cup stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. ...

Cause of death controversy

At a news conference five days after the fatal crash, NASCAR officials announced that a seat belt had broken in Earnhardt's car. Daytona International Speedway physician Dr. Steve Bohannon said he thought the faulty belt had allowed Earnhardt's chin to strike the steering wheel, causing a basilar skull fracture, killing him. The manufacturers of seat belts for NASCAR, Simpson Race Products, maintained that the belt had failed because it had been installed in an unapproved fashion in order to increase Earnhardt's comfort, an allegation that had been supported by some who were familiar with the situation. The Orlando Sentinel, particularly Sentinel sportswriter Ed Hinton, attempted to acquire Earnhardt's autopsy records and photos for study, autopsy records normally being public documents in Florida, but Earnhardt's widow, Teresa Earnhardt petitioned a judge to seal the records. After a short court battle, it was mutually agreed to appoint Dr. Barry Myers, an expert on crash injuries at Duke University, to independently study Earnhardt's death. On April 10, 2001, Myers published his report rejecting NASCAR's explanation, finding that Earnhardt's death was in fact the result of his inadequately restrained head and neck snapping forward, independent of the broken seat belt (making the question of proper or improper installation irrelevant). Philip Villanueva, a University of Miami neurosurgeon who had previously analyzed the crash for the Sentinel before the autopsy records were available, said he had reached the same conclusion, but had wanted to examine the autopsy photos to be certain. Dr. Steve Olvey, medical director of CART for 22 years, and Wayne State University crash expert John Melvin also agreed with Myers' report. Simpson's founder, Bill Simpson, called the report "The best news I've heard in seven weeks. I've been living in daily hell."^{[citation needed]} Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ... A basilar skull fracture (or Basal skull fracture) is a linear fracture involving the base of the skull. ... The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. ... Edward Talmage Hinton (born July 21, 1948 in Laurel, Mississippi) is one of the most well-known and respected motor racing sportswriters in the United States and around the world. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Teresa Earnhardt Teresa Earnhardt is the widow of Dale Earnhardt, mother of Taylor Nicole and stepmother of Kerry Earnhardt, Kelley, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. ... Duke University is a private coeducational research university located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Miami (also known as UM or just The U) is a private university founded in 1925 with its main campus in the city of Coral Gables in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States. ... Neurosurgery is the surgical discipline focused on treating the central and peripheral nervous system. ... Champcar has been the name for the class of cars used in the United States premier open wheel auto racing series for decades. ... Wayne State University is located in Detroit, Michigan, in the citys Cultural Center. ... Bill Simpson (born March 14, 1940, Hermosa Beach, California), is a retired American racecar driver and a pioneer in the racing safety business. ...

On the same day as Myers' report was made public, NASCAR announced its own investigation, after having remained silent for six weeks since the accident. However, when the greatly anticipated official NASCAR report ^[4], which had cost over a million dollars, was published on August 21, 2001, it cited collision with another car, the speed and angle of impact, and separation of the seat belt as factors in the fatality. After NASCAR's report, Simpson retired, citing the stress as "too much." The Simpson company attorneys asked NASCAR to unequivocally assert:^[5] August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• The belts were of high quality in workmanship and there were no design or manufacturing defects.
• The belts met the NASCAR rule book requirements.
• The belts, as installed, did not conform to manufacturer installation requirements.
• The separation of the left lap belt was not a result of design or manufacturing defect, but caused by improper installation.
• The belt separation was not the cause of Earnhardt's death.

NASCAR, however, did not respond.

At the time, NASCAR declined requiring drivers to wear uncomfortable head and neck restraints. NASCAR president Mike Helton said that "We are still not going to react for the sake of reacting." However, it did state that it "encouraged their use." By August 19, 2001 41 out of 43 drivers were wearing them at the Pepsi 400 by Meijer at Michigan International Speedway, just two days before NASCAR's report came out. The HANS device (Head And Neck Support device) is a safety item compulsory in many car racing sports. ... Helton(left) meeting with Adm. ... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The GFS Marketplace 400 is a NASCAR Nextel Cup stock car race held at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. ... Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (3. ...

Two months later, a crash in an ARCA race that killed driver Blaise Alexander of a basilar skull fracture caused NASCAR to quickly mandate head and neck restraints. Incidentally, Earnhardt's son Kerry Earnhardt was involved in the crash that killed Alexander. Michael Simkos ARCA car at Salem Speedway, Indiana The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is an auto racing sanctioning body in the United States founded in 1953 by John Marcum. ... Blaise Alexander (March 26, 1976-October 4, 2001), was a stock car racer from Statesville College, Pennsylvania. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Autopsy photos

In the midst of the general controversy, legal, political and public opinion were all engaged in ways that changed Florida's laws as to how and under what circumstances public record medical examiner files, including autopsy photographs, would be released to members of the public.

On or about February 19, 2001, the Volusia County Medical Examiner performed an autopsy on Dale Earnhardt's body. During a press conference, Amy Rippel of the Orlando Sentinel made a public records request to inspect the public autopsy records of Dale Earnhardt. The unusual act of notifying NASCAR and Teresa Earnhardt was made prior to releasing the records sought by members of the public and media. February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Volusia County is a county located in the state of Florida. ... Post-mortem, postmortem and post mortem redirect here. ...

Three days later, Teresa Earnhardt filed a legal brief in the Circuit Court of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, in and for Volusia County, Florida (Case No. 2001-30373-CICI Div. 32).^[6] Once the complaint was filed, the Medical Examiner was barred from releasing the public records, including autopsy photographs, pertaining to Dale Earnhardt, until a formal hearing on the merits of Teresa Earnhardt's case could be heard.

On February 28, March 13, and March 16, 2001, the Orlando Sentinel, Michael Uribe, founder of WebsiteCity.com, and Campus Communications, Inc., publisher of the University of Florida's student newspaper The Independent Florida Alligator, filed motions to intervene into the Earnhardt v. Volusia litigation in order to uphold their rights to inspect and copy public records held by the Volusia County Medical Examiner to include the photographs and videotape of Dale Earnhardt's autopsy examination. ^{[7] [8] [9]} February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in leap years). ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university located in Gainesville, Florida. ... The Independent Florida Alligator is the daily student newspaper of the University of Florida. ...

On June 12-13, 2001, a trial was then conducted before Judge Joseph Will. Will eventually ruled against Uribe and CCI's original public records requests and constitutional arguments to inspect and copy the medical examiner files pertaining to Dale Earnhardt, to include autopsy photographs. Judge Will's ruling set forth in motion an extensive legal battle later fought in the appellate courts by both Uribe and CCI seeking to deem the denial of their public records request unconstitutional under Florida State and Federal laws. Then on December 1, 2003, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear Uribe and CCI's appeal. ^[10]. Thus, the Florida Legislature's March 29, 2001 law preventing release of Dale Earnhardt's public record autopsy photographs would remain in effect. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Appeal. ... December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States...

The Florida Legislature's March 29, 2001 law, also known as the Earnhardt Family Protection Act, was sponsored by Senator Jim King (R-Jacksonville) and changed Florida's previously long standing and historically open public records laws from that day onward. The Earnhardt law deemed Florida's medical examination autopsy photographs, video and audio recordings exempt from public inspection without the expressed permission from applicable next of kin. March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (89th in leap years). ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... James E. Jim King is a state senator from Floridas 8th district, living in Jacksonville. ... Over seventy countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation, which sets rules on access to information or records held by government bodies, the oldest being Swedens Freedom of the Press Act of 1766. ... Next of kin is the term used to describe a persons closest living blood relative or relatives. ...

References

1. ^ ^{a b} I Killed Dale Earnhardt, Slate.com
2. ^ ^{a b} Earnhardt dies instantly of head injuries, ESPN.com
3. ^ Daytona: From the Birth of Speed to the Death of the Man in Black. Hinton, Ed. Warner Books, 2001. ISBN 0-446-52677-0.
4. ^ Nascar.com
5. ^ NASCAR releases findings of Earnhardt crash probe, CNNSI
6. ^ Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief
7. ^ Sentinel Motion to Intervene
8. ^ Uribe Motion to Intervene
9. ^ CCI Motion to Intervene
10. ^ Petition for Writ of Certiorari

See also

• Death of Ayrton Senna
• List of racing drivers who died in racing crashes

Ayrton Senna da Silva (IPA: ) (March 21, 1960–May 1, 1994), better known as Ayrton Senna, was a Brazilian Formula One triple world champion. ... As auto racing is a dangerous sport, many individuals have been killed in crashes related to the sport, either in a race, in qualifying, in practice or a private testing session. ...

External links

• NASCAR's official report on the accident