NASCAR hasn’t seen a truly dark day since the last one it saw – that was in 2001, more than 20 years ago. But the darkness of that day continues to haunt those who witnessed it. Ask Kevin Harvick, whose life completely changed in 2001. He remembers everything as clearly as daylight.

Kevin Harvick began his Cup Series career with Richard Childress Racing. His 3rd-place finish in the Busch Series in 2000 had given the RCR management confidence that they had a good driver on their hands. But with Dale Earnhardt ahead of him, he was only given a part-time, 7 races entry for the Cup Series in 2001.

The bitterness of the biggest moment for Kevin Harvick

Things, however, quickly changed with the first race of the 2001 Cup Series at Daytona. As history has very unkindly told us, that was the last race and ultimate lap of Dale Earnhardt’s life.

Kevin Harvick witnessed it all. He was forced right into the middle of it, as he was the one who replaced Earnhardt (although in a renumbered car). Calling it the biggest crisis he has seen in his career, he even ranked it above winless seasons.

Harvick told CBS, “There’s really no match for jumping in a race car and taking over for Dale Earnhardt. There’s nothing like that was for the first six or eight weeks. You just can’t match it. Never will. Never come close…”

“I mean, there’s never going to be a media session that big again. There’s never going to be a conversation that big again. There’s never going to be a bigger moment in my career,” he said about those few days and weeks following Dale’s death.

“I Don’t Want to Be Here Right Now”: Remembering One of the Darkest, and Most Shameful Days in NASCAR History

Harvick would’ve dreamed of his debut in the Cup Series. But unfortunately, it came under the worst possible circumstances.

The complexities of that Daytona 500 race in 2001

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Harvick’s unenviable debut in the Cup Series wasn’t the only additional storyline that developed outside of Dale Earnhardt’s death that day.

That race was meant to be special for other reasons as well. Michael Waltrip, running for Dale Earnhardt Inc., had made his 463rd start that evening. He had not been able to win one race in the previous 462 starts. But he won that day, only to see his close friend and mentor die behind him.

Closely following Waltrip, in second was Dale Earnhardt Jr. The Intimidator’s son, protégé, and heir was making just the second start of his career at the historic race. Managing to finish second, it was supposed to be a day of great joy and celebration in the Earnhardt household. Alas, that’s not how things panned out.

Following the passing of Dale Sr, NASCAR went on mission mode to bring in a slew of safety measures. The list of measures introduced included the mandating of the HANS device – which possibly could have saved Dale Sr’s life that day.

Watch This Story: Dale Earnhardt Jr Set to Make His Annual Return to the Xfinity Series at Bristol

Dale Sr’s death was the last fatality that the Cup Series had to witness. God bless his soul.