2001 was an emotional year for all of NASCAR. Back then, NASCAR had the luxury of riches, with names like Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Bill Elliott, and many others competing against each other. But no one would have guessed that it’d be the last they’d see of one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time.

Dale Earnhardt is considered one of, if not, the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. The legend won 7 Cup Series in his career – a feat unbroken, and only emulated by two others, viz. Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.

In the 27 years he raced in the Cup Series, there was possibly no other driver as intimidating and dominating as him; that’s why the nickname ‘The Intimidator’. Unfortunately, however, Dale Sr became a casualty of the hazards that racing has.

At the Daytona 500 in 2001, Dale Sr. got into one of the most infamous accidents in NASCAR history. It was possibly the most hyped-up race at the time because of the new billion-dollar deal between Fox and NASCAR.

At the start of the race, Dale Sr. even gave interviews about safety as the HANS device was slowly coming to the fore; it was an option, and an option he would never use. He said, “I ain’t wearing that damn noose.”

He was confident he’d win the race, given the momentum he had behind him. Dale Sr had almost won the Championship in 2000 and had now won the Budweiser Shootout a few weeks earlier at Daytona, too.

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However, that momentum ended up not going his way.

NASCAR fans tear up seeing Dale Earnhardt and Chase Elliott

An old video from the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona in 2001 made fans wistful. A young Chase Elliott, in the hands of Bill Elliott, is visibly pulling the old “too slow” as Dale Sr. came up to him to shake his hands.

The old video moved fans as it brought back a rush of old memories of the Intimidator.

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Lucky for Chase to have gotten to see greatness in the flesh.