Ralph Dale Earnhardt is one of NASCAR's most celebrated drivers, a renowned master of the sport and a passionate car enthusiast. One of the 2001 season-openers was at the prestigious Daytona 500. Earnhardt Sr. was running the final stages in 3rd place. The legend was content with this order as he could act as a buffer to protect 1st and 2nd places, which were held by Michael Waltrip and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. On the final lap, with the two front-runners pulling away, Earnhardt Sr. was caught up in a mele with Sterlin Marlin and Ken Schrader. A brief brush with Marlin turned Earnhardt Sr. sideways and put him right in the path of Schrader, who's car pushed that of Earnhardt Sr. several hundred feet as the race was finishing. While it wasn't NASCAR's most dramatic incident. It was revealed that Earnhardt's seatbelt had failed, allowing him to be forced between the seat and the steering column of the car for those several hundred feet. Shortly after being taken to hospital, the injuries suffered proved to be fatal to Earnhart Sr. The lacklustre safety apparatus in NASCAR vehicles was markedly challenged following the incident, and the sport's governing body soon responded with various changes over the following seasons.
