On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered one of the
greatest drivers in National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) history, died at the age of 49 in a last-lap crash at the
43rd Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Earnhardt died of a basilar skull ring fracture, the most serious
type of skull fracture.        
        
        
   
       

Ralph Dale Earnhardt
(April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)

LeeRoy Yarbrough chased down Charlie Glotzbach, who
had an 11-second lead, and passed him on the final lap
after starting 19th. It was the first Daytona 500 won on a
last lap pass.

Yarbrough won in a back-up Ford car after crashing his
primary one. This would also be the second-last Daytona
500 before the NASCAR Grand National Series became
the Winston Cup Series in 1971. Starting in 1971, all races
were to have 43 competitors maximum in a starting grid
starting with the 1971 Daytona 500.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Cale Yarborough, considered one of NASCAR’s all-time greatest drivers and the first to win three
consecutive Cup titles, died Sunday at the McLeod Hospice
House in Florence, South Carolina . He was 84.

NASCAR announced the death of the Hall of Famer and South
Carolina native in a statement. No cause was given.

1984 – The fourth and final Daytona 500 trophy for Cale.

NASCAR star Kurt Busch announced his retirement on
Saturday. He stepped away from racing after he suffered
a concussion in a crash at Pocono in July 2022.

He announced at Las Vegas Motor Speedway he would
step away from full-time racing last fall.

Jimmie Johnson was among the racing legends who were elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame on Wednesday along
with crew chief Chad Knaus and Donnie Allison.

Johnson won seven NASCAR Cup Championships during his
career, which is tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for
the most all time. Johnson’s first five came consecutively.

He is also the all-time winningest driver at five tracks. In
addition to that, he won Driver of the Year five times and
was the first racing driver to win The Associated Press
Male Athlete of the Year in the U.S. He had 83 total Cup
wins. Johnson will be 47 in September.