This Sunday, NASCAR starts their Cup Series with the 63rd running of the Daytona 500. It will mark almost two decades to the day of Dale Earnhardt’s untimely death on the last lap at Daytona in 2001.
ESPN recently announced their newest E60 documentary, featuring the late Earnhardt, set to air Sunday Feb. 14 at noon, just hours before the green flag is waved at Daytona International Speedway.
Titled Intimidator: The Lasting Legacy of Dale Earnhardt, the documentary will revisit the fateful day Earnhardt died, analyzing his legacy and lasting impact that altered the safety of NASCAR. Following the crash Feb. 18 2001, NASCAR has made significant safety improvements to its cars and tracks.
The documentary features ESPN senior writer and multiplatform contributor Ryan McGee, who has covered NASCAR for more than a quarter-century and is the reporter for this E60 special. As shown in the trailer, McGee interviews Dale Earnhardt Jr. who was on the track with his father on that day 20 years ago. Earnhardt Jr. also lived through many safety changes made to NASCAR following his father’s death.
Others interviewed for the doc include seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, former legacy driver and current commentator Kyle Petty, Dr. Steve Bohannon who was one of the first to reach Earnhardt’s wrecked car, Mike Helton the sport’s vice chairman who announced the death and many more. Scott Cikowski, Jason Kostura and John Minton produced the special.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
