We are all familiar with the heartbreaking moment during the 2001 Daytona 500 race. NASCAR lost one of its shining jewels that day, as a last-lap crash proved to be fatal. Dale Earnhardt was on a drive to secure his second Daytona 500 victory, fiercely battling rival Ken Schrader. But a fated contact between them took out Earnhardt’s life. However, there were also times when Dale Sr. narrowly escaped a fatality.

His reckless driving style was no secret among fans. Despite that, Dale Sr. once even managed to trump death. As a fresh alternative to the much-trumpeted grim tale of his last moments, let us dive deep into an exhilarating story of survival. And Dale Jr. is here to help with that.

When Dale Earnhardt Sr. cheated death

Dale Earnhardt was always known to threaten his rivals with his ‘Intimidator’ tactics. Most famously, he wrought the “Pass in the Grass” iconic memory during the 1987 Winston Cup race. After Bill Elliott bumped Dale Sr. into the grass, the latter plowed ahead and swerved back to the speedway to spin out his rival. But contrary to these moments, once, an accident seriously threatened Dale Sr.’s ambition to win as well as his life.

In the Talladega 500 race of July 1985, Dale Earnhardt dodged disaster. A piece of driveshaft from the Trevor Boys’ car swooped in and pierced through his windshield, narrowly missing him. He finished 24th, after skipping 32 laps. His son, Dale Jr., recently gave some interesting snippets of this incident, including Dale Sr.’s eagerness to store this terrifying memory. “I went to the shop the next week and saw the car, and the driveshaft that went through it was still in the floorboard.” 

Then Dale Earnhardt Jr. further elaborated on the incident, harping on his father’s ironman grit through such nerve-racking incidents. “The entire driveshaft came out of one car… was kicked into the air by another… and struck dad’s roof… sending half of it over the car and the other half through the windshield. Dad was on tough dude, bloody and face full of glass. I don’t think there was a driver any tougher but I know in those days they all had to be tough. RCR would end up getting to the finish line somehow that day.”

This demonstrates only one of many instances when Dale Earnhardt made a close call with death. For instance, in the 1997, Daytona 500, his car flipped, and an ambulance had to escort him away. But still, Dale Sr. made a daring comeback to his ride and rejoined the race after a commercial break. Then in 1986, he had climbed out of his car mid-race, while his rivals flitted by at tremendous speeds, just to wipe the mud off his windshield.

All these instances testify to Dale Earnhardt’s undoubted racing grit and determination, as Dale Jr. pointed out. But it also shows his reckless style, which earned him NASCAR’s wrath once.

NASCAR did not take kindly to Dale Sr.’s wildness

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Usually, Dale Earnhardt is remembered for his daring, winning moments. But the reason why his ‘Intimidator’ racing became known was due to an inherent penchant for the wild. With his self-taught aerodynamic skills, Dale Sr. could force inexperienced drivers into silly mistakes through sheer intimidation. If all else failed, he inevitably gave someone a spin. So at the Miller’s 400 race in Richmond, in 1986, Earnhardt made an aggressive move and caused an accident that collected Darrell Waltrip.

Earnhardt was promptly slapped with a $5000 fine and put under a $10,000 bond. Bill Gazaway, former NASCAR VP of competition, justified this penalty: “There is a fine line between hard racing and reckless driving, and Earnhardt clearly stepped over that line Sunday. We simply cannot tolerate or condone such actions. We must preserve the integrity of our sport.”

However, sticking true to his rebellious nature, Dale Earnhardt Sr. disagreed with what the fine line means. He partially accepted his mistake, albeit arguing that it was not intentional. “I misjudged the distance between the cars. I turned him sideways. It’s my fault. I’m not denying that. I made a mistake and hit him. But I don’t think I’m guilty of reckless driving or wrecking somebody purposely. It was an accident.”

As far as we know Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s driving style, maybe the wreck was not intentional after all. His son continues to invigorate us with such stories, and we crave more.