Emotional Dale Earnhardt Jr Gives NASCAR Driver Closure Following Dale Sr’s Tragic Accident

February 18th, 2001, will always be regarded as one of the darkest days in NASCAR history.

On that fateful day during the annual Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt lost his life in an accident. Needless to say, it was a massive loss, not only for the NASCAR community but racing as a whole.

At the time, Dale Sr, Sterling Marlin, and Ken Schrader were involved in the fatal wreck.

Heading into turn 4, Marlin’s car collided with Earnhardt’s left rear. As a result, the #3 car slid onto the flat apron, and to his credit, Dale Sr tried to save the car.

Unfortunately, trajectory meant that he was heading toward the outside retaining wall. To make matters worse, he collided with an unsuspecting Schrader, who hit him behind the passenger door.

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That resulted in the car snapping straight towards the wall, nose first. The impact was reportedly around 155–160 mph, but despite all that happening, the race continued on.

This lasted until the chequered flag, all under green flag conditions. Schrader was the first man to try and rescue the 7-time Cup champion and was possibly the first to witness his final moments. To this day, he had always held his silence on what happened in those moments. Obviously, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was hugely grateful for that.

Dale Earnhardt Jr penned a beautiful letter to Ken Schrader

Once, the former NASCAR driver made an appearance on the Dale Jr. Download podcast. After a wonderful time regaling with old stories about his career, Earnhardt Jr decided to address the “big elephant in the room”. The former Hendrick Motorsports driver then revealed he penned a letter to Schrader and wanted to read it to him.

He read, “I’ve known you a long time and a lot of time has passed since that happened. You’ve been a great friend to me. You’re one of only a few to see the darkest moment for my dad. That you have intimate knowledge of those moments, you are a keeper of that delicate information.”

“It makes me feel close to you, Kenny. I feel pain for you to have to carry that memory, but you carry it for me, you carry it for (sister) Kelley, for dad’s family, you carry it for anyone who’s ever cheered for him. It’s a secret that you’ll keep ’til your last breath. Kenny, I know you might sometimes wish you weren’t the one, but I’m glad it was you.”

DIVE DEEPER

After hearing Dale Jr. Schrader was close to tears, and it was a poignant moment. Dale Earnhardt Jr waited to share the letter for a long time. Although that day was incredibly tragic, it also brought Schrader and Earnhardt Jr together in remembrance of the fallen legend.