Watch: Back in 2001, Ken Squier Delivered a Perfect Eulogy on Dale Earnhardt’s Tragic Demise

Dale Earnhardt’s fatal accident is perhaps the most devastating shock ever experienced by the NASCAR world. The 7-time Cup Series champion lost his life on the final lap of the 2001 season-opener in Daytona. The motorsports world was plunged into a grief that would last for months. Amidst the doom and gloom, the legendary racer was given a fitting eulogy by another NASCAR legend, Ken Squier.

For two decades, Ken Squier was the lap-by-lap commentator for NASCAR on more than one network. He has called some great races and covered Dale Earnhardt’s seven Cup Series championship wins. Squier was also the one who coined the term “The Great American Race” for the Daytona 500. At this very race in 2001, the world lost one of the greatest motorsports athletes of all time.

The legendary commentator recalled Dale Earnhardt’s pre-racing days while delivering the eulogy

In a beautifully worded eulogy, Ken Squier likened Dale Earnhardt to everything stock car racing was at the time. He spoke about when The Intimidator was just a child with a dream of becoming the Winston Cup driver, just like his father Ralph Earnhardt.

“Whatever stock car racing is, Dale Earnhardt was,” he said. “He was the child in the back of a pick-up truck at Charlotte Motor Speedway with his dad, watching those cars in the 600 and dreaming someday of being in Winston Cup Racing. He was the teenager whose equipment was a t-shirt and a crash helmet, bumming rides, building cars trying to prove that he could handle those short tracks in the Carolinas, just as well as his father, Ralph Earnhardt did, who was a national champion.”

It’s safe to say that Dale Earnhardt achieved the dream he had as a kid and more. The seven-time champion is considered by many to be the greatest driver in the history of the sport. His achievements simply cannot be overstated. In his eulogy, Ken Squier recalled The Intimidator’s first couple of seasons in the Winston Cup Series and how he came to be known as The Intimidator from a boy who only had a crash helmet and a t-shirt for equipment when he first started.

WATCH THIS STORY: Tears behind the wheel: Dale Earnhardt Jr’s hidden struggles 

The nature of Earnhardt’s death was brutal but the legendary commentator believed that the 7-time champion was happy in his final moments. He was locked in an intense battle on that fateful final lap, doing what he loved. “As they went into that turn and he saw what was coming about, I would consider that Dale Earnhardt died happy,” Squier concluded.

Ken Squier is loved by NASCAR fans everywhere today. During the 80s and the 90s, he was the voice of the sport as he narrated intricate storylines and intense action with the same level of brilliance and poise. However, recent news about the 88-year-old’s health has devastated his fans.

Insider shares concerning update on Ken Squier’s health

SiriusXM Radio host Dave Moody recently shared a grim update about Ken Squier’s health. After Legends Day 2023, he broke the heartbreaking news on Twitter. At the New England Racing Museum, he was joined by well-known pundits like Dr Dick Berggren and Mike Joy, among others, to celebrate Ken Squier.

“Unfortunately, Ken was unable to attend, and his family has asked that I share you with you all that he is almost certainly in his final days. The last three years or so have been extremely difficult,” Moody tweeted to fans’ dismay.

It truly is incredible how commentators become such an important part of a sport’s fans thanks to their skills as a wordsmith. Ken Squier is a NASCAR legend and will go down as one of the greatest commentators the sport has ever had.

Read More – Amidst Rising Fear of Driver Invisibility, Dale Earnhardt Jr Calls on “Corporate Sponsors” to Take Back Lost Charge