The Earnhardt Era
1979 was also the rookie year of the man who would go on to become one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR history: Dale Earnhardt. The son of accomplished dirt track racer Ralph Earnhardt, Dale had dropped out of high school against his parents’ wishes to follow in his old man’s footsteps. Fearless to the point of near-recklessness, Earnhardt drove with a brazenly aggressive style that earned him both the nickname “the Intimidator” and a legion of die-hard fans. Earnhardt won Rookie of the Year honors in his first full year on the circuit and the season championship his second. But a victory at Daytona continually eluded him. During the ’80s and ’90s, Earnhardt won more qualifying races at the superspeedway than any other driver in history, yet on the days of the 500, fate seemed determined to keep his No. 3 Chevy out of Victory Lane. In 1986 he was in the lead with three laps to go—and ran out of fuel. In 1990 he was in the lead on the very last lap—and blew a tire. In 1991 he was in the lead early on—and hit a sea gull. It wasn’t until his 20th attempt, in 1998, that Earnhardt finally won. His years of frustration, his eventual victory, and his on-track death in 2001 became the defining drama of Daytona in the modern era.

Larry McReynolds
1998 champion crew chief with Dale Earnhardt. My first year with Dale was 1997. We took the lead with about 25 laps to go. Then with 11 or 12 laps to go, Jeff Gordon turned us sideways and the car started barrel rolling. The car finally settled down on its wheels, and Dale got into the ambulance. You could tell he was frustrated. He was sitting there looking out the back door, and he said to himself, “You know, all the tires are up on that car.” So he got out of the ambulance, got into his car, cranked it up, and drove it back to the pits. We pieced and patched just enough to get to the end of the race. It was another one of those years.

Richard Childress
Owner of the No. 3 car. We came so close to winning so many times. We won the Daytona 499 on several occasions, but we didn’t get to 500 till 1998. That was like a burden was lifted off of all of us. [After winning under a caution flag, Dale] came on the radio and said, “Mr. France, can I go out here and tear your grass up?”

McReynolds
That’s the first time I remember seeing anyone do donuts in their racecar. Then when we got into the press box later and looked down, the son of a gun had almost made a perfect 3 with the marks from his donuts.

Childress
But what was so cool was seeing everyone from the other crews step out on pit road to congratulate him.

Hammond
I was there. It was a real slow roll down pit road . It was almost like a general on review. It was like all the troops came out and stood on the line and saluted the general as he came down the ranks.

Waltrip
Whom Earnhardt signed in 2001 to drive for his team Dale Earnhardt, Inc
[Before the 2001 Daytona 500], Dale said, “Me and you and Dale Jr. can work together and win this race.” That right there just goes to show you  how perceptive Dale was, because when I looked up in my rearview mirror with 10 laps to go, it was the three of us running one, two, three. And I was fortunate enough to get to the front first.





Rusty Wallace
1989 NASCAR points champion and current ESPN analyst
I remember coming down the back straightaway, and it was the last lap. Dale came flying across my bow with the nose pointing right at the wall at over 200 mph. I missed him by about six inches. He hit the wall, and we went on. Michael won the race, Dale Jr. was second, and I finished third. I’ll never forget thinking, Boy, old Earnhardt’s going to be mad as a hornet—he wrecked on the last corner. Never could I have known he would have lost his life right there.

McReynolds
who joined the Fox broadcast team in 2001
It was our first broadcast [with me in the booth]. I saw the ambulance leave, and it didn’t even make a stop at the infield care center. At that point I didn’t feel good at all. I was sitting at the Daytona airport eating a hamburger—I remember exactly where I was—when our producer called and said, “Larry, Dale didn’t make it.” The Elvis Presley of our sport had been killed.

The 50TH 500
In the wake of Dale Earnhardt’s tragic death, NASCAR ramped up safety efforts, installing impact-dampening track walls, mandating head and neck restraint systems for all drivers, and eventually engineering a newly designed racecar with multiple safety features that will make its Daytona debut this year at the 50th running of the 500. Today, a century after America’s earliest speed demons took to the sands of Daytona Beach, and half a century after Big Bill France inaugurated the 500, NASCAR stands unchallenged as America’s fastest growing sport. As its signature event, the 500 reaches an audience 100 times greater than that of a normal race, challenging even the Super Bowl as the biggest sporting event in America. And on February 17, NASCAR’s latest crop of supertars will start their engines, looking to drive 500 miles into the Daytona record books.

Jeff Gordon
1997, 1999, 2005 Daytona 500 Champion
Winning the Daytona 500 gets better each time. The longer you’re in the sport, the more you appre­ciate the big races. With this year being the 50th anniversary, it’s going to be huge.

Jimmie Johnson
[With historic races,] you look at who won the first, the 25th, and then the 50th. Those things really carry weight and prestige. It’s not like we need any more motivation out there, but it’s something we’re all going to be thinking about.

Stewart
I’ve won two championships, and I’ve won the Brickyard 500 in Indianapolis twice; Daytona’s the only major race I haven’t won. That definitely makes it a high priority. Our biggest race is the Daytona 500.

Harvick
There’s nothing even close that measures up to the Daytona 500. And to actually win the race, everywhere you go now you’re introduced as Daytona champion. It’s the race that makes our sport what it is.

Jimmie Johnson
The Daytona 500 is the only race that brings a title with it. That just speaks to how big it is. Before I won my season championships, I would be introduced as the Day­tona 500 winner. You’re never introduced as, say, the Darlington champion. No, you’re the Daytona 500 champion.

Earnhardt Jr.
So many greats drivers have come into our sport and never won the Day­-tona 500. It’s such a hard prize. I used to think I’d never win. So when it does happen, it’s amazing and you cannot fucking believe it. Winning the Day­tona 500 is the single most exciting moment of your life. That was the single most-coolest day ever.