Firestorm Episode 7 -- Inside the Heartbreaking Aftermath of the 2001 Daytona 500

When the #3 went silent on the final lap at Daytona, only one window net came down. From the broadcast booth, Darrell Waltrip was still celebrating his brother Michael's historic win. But on pit road, a thick sense of dread had already begun to spread across the Daytona landscape. Ken Schrader reached the car first. One glance told him everything. Seven-time champion spotter Danny Culler radioed Earnhardt three or four times: "Dale, you okay? Talk to me." The radio never answered. At 5:16 PM, Dale Earnhardt was pronounced dead. Before NASCAR President Mike Helton stepped to the microphone — before the cameras turned, before the world officially knew — Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned to his teammates and said something none of them would ever forget. In this episode, we go inside the hours immediately following the Dale Earnhardt death — through the eyes of Ken Schrader, Richard Childress, Rusty Wallace and Dale Jr. himself. The silence. The shock. The grief. And the single sentence that stopped the world. This episode covers: Ken Schrader's moment at the car Danny Culler's desperate radio calls that went unanswered Michael Waltrip's victory, forever overshadowed by his boss's crash Richard Childress' reaction in the infield care center Rusty Wallace's complicated friendship with The Intimidator — and the water bottle he once threw at him Dale Jr.'s words that became the most heartbreaking quote in NASCAR history The storm had been building for nine months — since Adam Petty's death in May 2000. The 2001 Daytona 500 was where it finally hit land. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices