It is the most bittersweet moment in the history of American motorsports. If you ask any casual fan who won the Daytona 500 in 2001, they might take a second to search their brain for the name Michael Waltrip. But ask them what happened on the final lap of that same race, and they will tell you exactly where they were when Dale Earnhardt Sr. hit the wall in Turn 4.
The 43rd running of the Great American Race was supposed to be a celebration. It was the first race of a massive new TV deal with FOX. The energy in Florida was electric. Then, in a flash of black and yellow and blue, everything changed.
The Underdog Finally Breaks the Streak
Michael Waltrip entered the 2001 season as a bit of a question mark. Honestly, he was a guy who had spent 462 races in the NASCAR Cup Series without a single trip to Victory Lane. Think about that for a second. That is over fifteen years of showing up to work and never quite finishing first. Most drivers would have packed it in long before that.
But Dale Earnhardt saw something in him.
Earnhardt hired Waltrip to drive the #15 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for the newly expanded Dale Earnhardt Inc. (DEI). It was a massive gamble. People talked. They wondered why "The Intimidator" would give a top-tier seat to a guy who hadn't proven he could close the deal.
On February 18, 2001, Waltrip proved everybody wrong. He stayed near the front all afternoon, drafted perfectly with his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., and held off the pack. When the checkered flag waved, Waltrip had done it. He was a Daytona 500 champion.
But as he pulled into Victory Lane, the vibe was... off.
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Why This Race Changed NASCAR Forever
Usually, the winner of the Daytona 500 is treated like a king. There is champagne, screaming, and enough hats to fill a stadium. Waltrip was happy, sure, but the celebration felt hollow because everyone was looking back toward Turn 4.
While Waltrip and Junior were crossing the line first and second, Dale Sr. was involved in what looked like a relatively routine "fender bender" by Daytona standards. He had been playing defense, blocking for his two DEI cars to ensure they got the win. Ken Schrader’s car made contact with Earnhardt’s, sending the iconic black #3 nose-first into the concrete retaining wall at roughly 160 mph.
It didn't look like the "Big One." We had seen Dale survive much worse-looking flips at Talladega and Daytona before. But this was different. The angle was all wrong.
Ken Schrader was the first person to reach the car. If you watch the footage today, you can see the moment Schrader looks inside the cockpit and immediately signals for help. He knew. Basically, the greatest driver of his generation was gone.
The Technical Details of the Win
If we strip away the tragedy for a moment to look at the pure racing, Waltrip’s win was a masterclass in restrictor-plate strategy. In 2001, NASCAR used a specific aerodynamic package designed to keep the cars in a tight pack. It was "plate racing" at its most volatile.
- Lead Changes: The race saw 49 lead changes among 14 different drivers.
- The DEI Dominance: The Dale Earnhardt Inc. cars (Waltrip and Earnhardt Jr.) along with Dale Sr. himself, controlled the draft for a huge portion of the final 50 laps.
- The Late Big One: On lap 173, a massive 19-car wreck took out favorites like Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte. Tony Stewart actually flipped his car over the top of others, which looked way more dangerous at the time than the crash that eventually claimed Earnhardt's life.
Waltrip led 27 laps in total. He wasn't just a lucky guy who inherited the lead; he was fast all week. He won his twin 125-mile qualifying race earlier that week, proving the #15 car was the class of the field.
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The Aftermath: Safety vs. Speed
We cannot talk about who won the Daytona 500 in 2001 without talking about the HANS device. Before this race, safety equipment like the Head and Neck Support (HANS) was optional. Many old-school drivers, Earnhardt included, didn't like them. They felt restrictive. They felt like they couldn't "feel" the car.
After that Sunday, NASCAR didn't really give them a choice anymore.
The death of Earnhardt triggered a safety revolution that likely saved dozens of lives in the two decades that followed. SAFER barriers (the "soft walls") were installed at every major track. Full-face helmets became the standard. The "Car of Tomorrow" was developed with a center-mounted seat to keep drivers away from the doors.
It is a weird irony. The darkest day in the sport’s history is the reason why the sport is so safe today.
Realities of the 2001 Season
Following the Daytona 500, the 2001 season became a year-long wake. Every track the circuit visited felt like it was missing its heartbeat.
Michael Waltrip struggled with the weight of it all. How do you celebrate the biggest achievement of your life when it cost you your best friend and boss? He didn't win another race for a long time. In fact, his next win didn't come until he returned to Daytona the following year for the July race.
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Meanwhile, Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the face of the sport overnight. The pressure on that kid was unimaginable. When he returned to Daytona in July 2001 and won—leading almost the entire race—it was one of the few times in sports history where the outcome felt scripted by something higher than a rulebook.
Breaking Down the Misconceptions
A lot of people think Waltrip won because Dale Sr. died. That’s just factually incorrect. Waltrip was leading the race on merit. Dale Sr. was in third place specifically to act as a "buffer" to prevent the rest of the field (led by Sterling Marlin) from getting a run on the leaders.
If the crash hadn't happened, Waltrip almost certainly still wins that race, with Junior in second and Senior likely in third or fourth. It would have been the greatest day in the history of DEI. Instead, it became a footnote to a funeral.
Another misconception is that the crash was "Sterling Marlin's fault." For months after the race, Marlin received death threats from fans who thought he "dumped" the #3 car. It got so bad that Dale Jr. had to publicly come out and tell people to stop. It was a racing accident. Just a terrible, freak-angle racing accident.
Takeaways for the Modern Fan
If you are looking back at this era of NASCAR, you have to understand that 2001 was the end of the "Wild West" version of the sport. It was the moment NASCAR grew up and realized that "rubbing is racing" had consequences that were too high to pay.
- The Winner Matters: Michael Waltrip's win is a testament to perseverance. 462 losses before a win is a record that will likely never be broken. It’s a lesson in not giving up on your career, even when the world thinks you're a "bust."
- Safety is Non-Negotiable: If you race anything—from go-karts to stock cars—never skimp on your safety gear. The 2001 Daytona 500 is the ultimate proof that it only takes one "minor" hit to change everything.
- The Impact of Leadership: Dale Earnhardt’s vision for his team was realized that day. He wanted to build a powerhouse that could beat the established giants like Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Racing. He succeeded. He just wasn't there to see the trophy presentation.
To truly understand the 2001 Daytona 500, you have to watch the final three laps. Watch how the #15 and #8 cars work together. Watch how the #3 car weaves back and forth, guarding the lane like a lion protecting its cubs. It is some of the most beautiful, selfless driving you will ever see.
When you remember Michael Waltrip as the man who won the Daytona 500 in 2001, don't see it as a tragedy. See it as the fulfillment of a promise made by a mentor to a friend who just needed one shot to prove he was a winner.
For anyone wanting to dive deeper into the technical mechanics of that specific race, looking up the "restrictor plate aero packages of 2001" will give you a clear picture of why the cars moved the way they did. You can also research the "HANS device implementation timeline" to see exactly how NASCAR pivoted their entire business model toward driver survival within months of Waltrip's victory.