Watch: Dale Earnhardt’s Final Interview Before His Tragic Daytona Demise

The stories surrounding the late Dale Earnhardt Sr have been of great intrigue to newer NASCAR fans. The Intimidator exploits do not need a description as they are legendary. However, it is the stories behind the man that have brought him closer to fans even after over two decades since his untimely demise. One of the more chilling videos of the Intimidator was his final interview ahead of that fateful day at Daytona.

The Intimidator’s last race was the 2001 edition of the Daytona 500. It was during the last moments of this race when the 7-time Cup Series champion lost his life. His son Dale Earnhardt Jr was also driving in the same race where the iconic driver slammed into the wall and suffering a fatal basilar skull fracture. It was one of the darkest days in NASCAR history.

It was almost like Dale Earnhardt Sr foreshadowed his tragic demise

Since The Intimidator’s death, his stories have become the stuff of legends. One of the most spine-chilling interviews he did, looking in hindsight, was the one before the 2001 Daytona 500. A lot of people at the time believed it to be quite a normal interview. Looking back, it was almost like he was foreshadowing the tragedy that would befall him.

Back then, Dale Earnhardt Sr was in the twilight years of his career. His car was not as competitive as he had liked it to be. But The Intimidator still believed he could get a good run in The Great American Race that year. Sr spoke about how the wind had picked up on the track and how fans would witness something they hadn’t seen before.

“Well, we got a good shot. Got a good race car. Wasn’t really excited about the car yesterday afternoon in the last practice but the car is coming around. I think it’s gonna be okay, we got a good engine in it but…little wind today. I think there’s going to be some exciting racing. You’re gonna see something you probably have never seen on FOX,” he said.

The year before the tragic incident took place, Dale Earnhardt and Dale Jr became only the fifth father-son pairing to ever race in The Great American race together. While this was a proud moment for the family, The Intimidator did not quite enjoy being referred to as the older Earnhardt on the grid.

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The Intimidator hated being called ‘Senior’

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Ahead of the 2000 Daytona 500, the two Earnhardts were being interviewed on track by Ralph Sheheen. Sheheen went through the history of father-son pairings in The Great American Race as he invoked three generations of the Pettys, and two generations of the Bakers and the Allisons each.

As the former NASCAR presenter came to the Earnhardts, he made the mistake of referring to The Intimidator as Dale Earnhardt Sr. The 7-time Cup Series champion quickly shut Sheheen down as he made his opinion quite clear on national television. “No. Dale Earnhardt. Dale Jr,” he said.

The Intimidator may have passed away but his achievements and his stories still live on with the fans. Dale Earnhardt Sr is a legend and will always be a person of intrigue for young fans of NASCAR, and there are plenty of his stories to go around. What is your favorite Dale Earnhardt Sr story? Let us know your thoughts.

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