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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 4: Dale Earnhardt Sr. & Dale Earnhard, Jr. pose together at the raceway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Earhnardts and Andy Pilgram earned second in the GTS category during the 2001 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. (Photo by ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images)
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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 4: Dale Earnhardt Sr. & Dale Earnhard, Jr. pose together at the raceway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Earhnardts and Andy Pilgram earned second in the GTS category during the 2001 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. (Photo by ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images)
NASCAR documentary ‘Blink of an Eye’ will make its network debut on FOX Sports 1 on March 13th at 8 PM EST. The feature film revolves around the life of former NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip, his exploits in the Daytona 500 races, and his relationship with racing icon Dale Earnhardt Sr.
Originally published as a book by the name ‘In the Blink of an Eye’ in 2011, it chronicles many facets of Waltrip’s racing career.
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Among the many plotlines that grip the story, none fascinate fans more than the time he won his first ever Cup Series race in 462 starts at the all-telling 2021 Daytona 500.
By the looks of it then, there are certainly elements of intrigue, passion and emotion associated with this NASCAR-based documentary.
BLINK OF AN EYE, a feature film based on Michael Waltrip's New York Times bestselling book, documents Waltrip’s relationship with Dale Earnhardt and the 2001 Daytona 500.
📽️ Premiering Saturday at 8:00 PM ET on FS1 pic.twitter.com/Ji8Ar9uTk9
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) March 11, 2021
Michael Waltrip won the 2001 Daytona 500 in saddening circumstances
The bond between Earnhardt Sr and Waltrip had grown to be quite a special one off the track. It was because of this solid trust and admiration they had for one another that Waltrip came over to race for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the 2001 season.
The team’s No.15 had not started that year’s Daytona 500 race brilliantly, but caught up to the rest of the pack with nearly 168 laps done.
From there until the end, he and Dale Earnhardt Jr changed hands for the lead, with Earnhardt Sr running in the background in 3rd.
But a disastrous final lap accident saw Earnhardt Sr suffer a huge crash, which also involved Ken Schrader and Sterling Marlin. At the other end of it, Waltrip just about tipped Earnhardt Jr by 0.124 seconds to win his first ever points-paying Cup Series event.
Waltrip has now become a NASCAR pundit in the modern day
In one perspective, Waltrip winning the 2001 Daytona 500 was the best possible way he could pay tribute to his good friend. The documentary will hence seek to make racing fans reminisce, both the good and the bad memories, from nearly 2 decades ago.
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DARLINGTON, SC – SEPTEMBER 3: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Sr. pose for a photograph after the Pepsi Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway on September 3, 2000 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Craig Jones/Getty Images)
As far as the present day goes, Waltrip now plays a role of a pre-race analyst in the Cup Series for FOX Sports. He also has his own podcast named the ‘Waltrip Unfiltered Podcast’ which sees him converse with many people from the NASCAR community in every episode.
NASCAR has certainly come in leaps and bounds from the days where the likes of Earnhardt and Waltrip were in the prime of their careers.
But that said, not a day goes by where the sport does not remember the legendary Richard Childress Racing No.3 and his contributions.
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