It is hard to believe that it has been almost 20 years since the fall of Dale Earnhardt on the Daytona 500, which ultimately resulted in his tragic death. He proved to be one of the greatest NASCAR drivers in the history of motorsport. This legendary career, however, unfortunately came to an abrupt end in the worst possible way. Although there are many horrible memories of that day, three-time Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip saw his wife give Earnhardt a sinister gift, which may also have given him the comfort he needed.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. was one of the greatest drivers of all time
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There is one word that can best describe Dale Earnhardt in terms of his racing career: winner.
Earnhardt is still tied for most Cup Series championships, with seven. His first title came in 1980, which was only his second season in the Cup Series, and came after he won the Rookie of the Year award in 1979, according to the Bleacher Report.
Earnhardt then spent six years before winning his second title, since that came in 1986. The championship finally started its dominant NASCAR race, as he won his third title the following season in 1987. The 1987 campaign was also likely the most dominant season of his career, as Earnhardt won 11 races with his career record that season.
Earnhardt then went on for a few seasons without a title, but won his fourth championship in 1990 before winning another second consecutive title in 1991. Earnhardt had not yet dominated yet, as he then won his sixth championship in 1993 before returning to -back in 1994.
This Cup title was the last, but he finished second in the standings twice later. His career came to a tragic end, however, in 2001.
Dale Earnhardt tragically died in an accident at the Daytona 500
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On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt competed in the Daytona 500. According to ESPN, Earnhardt had the lead during lap 183 before allowing Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to pass. As two Dale Earnhardt Inc. pilots were leading, Earnhardt chose to prevent anyone from trying to pass Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr., via ESPN.
However, as you may know, Dale Earnhardt later was involved in a fatal accident while running. ESPN reported that, “according to the official accident report, Earnhardt’s Monte Carlo was traveling at 160 mph when it hit the concrete wall within 1 hour and immediately decelerated to 42-44 mph. The impact registered about 60 G’s, so much force that it pushed the entire front right corner of the car from an aerodynamic curve to a flat surface that fit perfectly into the wall like a puzzle piece. The engine remained stationary, but everything around it moved, in some cases, sixty or three meters to the right. “
Earnhardt had broken ribs, a broken ankle, a fractured sternum and cuts on his scalp as well as his chin. What unfortunately resulted in Dale Earnhardt’s death, however, was a fracture of the skull base. The fracture included breaks in all the bones where the skull and spine meet, according to ESPN.
It was a devastating time for NASCAR and all sports.
However, before the fall, he received a sinister but significant gift.
Stevie Waltrip gave him a sinister but significant gift that day
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According to ESPN, on Earnhardt’s instrument panel when he fell there was a Bible verse written on a piece of paper. Darrell Waltrip’s wife, Stevie, gave it to him. She did it after it was a pre-race routine that she had been doing with her husband for years. Earnhardt then asked her to start doing this for him too.
The verse? Proverbs 18:10, which says: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run there and are safe. “
It is definitely a sinister verse, especially considering the way Earnhardt sadly died that day. Darrell tried to get her to find a different verse too. However, she said that something said she needed to go with that one.
“It ended up being exactly what he needed in the car that day,” Darrell told The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Dale Earnhardt’s tragic death was one of the most horrific moments in NASCAR history. Perhaps Stevie Waltrip’s gift, however, gave him the comfort he needed on that terrible day.
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