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“Iconic Proverb Accompanies Dale Earnhardt During Tragic Crash, Son Dale Jr., Keeps Tradition Alive”

2001 Daytona 500: Daytona International Speedway (February 18, 2001)

For the NASCAR community, February 18, 2001, was the day that everything changed.

It was a day when one of the most exciting Daytona 500 races in the sport’s history turned tragic. It was a day when celebration instantly turned to sorrow. It was a day when, as former driver Ken Schrader later said, Superman took a bullet.

A few hours earlier, everything seemed perfectly normal. The pomp and circumstance that annually accompanies the Great American Race went off without a hitch. And another tradition inconspicuously took place as Stevie Waltrip, wife of racing legend Darrell Waltrip, handed a Bible verse, written on the smooth side of some tape, to another future NASCAR Hall of Famer—Dale Earnhardt.

This had become a ritual for the unlikely pair after the gruff driver known as “the Intimidator” saw Stevie writing out a Bible verse on a piece of gray duct tape for her husband Darrell who was still competing at the time.

“Where’s mine?” Earnhardt matter-of-factly asked.

Even after her husband retired, Stevie kept bringing Earnhardt those Bible verses just before the engines started.

“He insisted on it,” Darrell told Christian Sports Journal. “He’d get out of his car and go looking for Stevie if he didn’t have it.”

That was the case at the 2001 Daytona 500. When Stevie finally arrived, he read the verse, smiled and thanked her, and stuck the adhesive paper to his dash. Earnhardt responded to the command to start his engine and departed pit road for a lengthy race that would come down to the final lap.

Somehow, Earnhardt found himself in the unique position of helping two of his teammates get to the front of the pack. Those two drivers were his son Dale Jr. and Michael Waltrip (Darrell’s younger brother) who ultimately won the race. As Earnhardt attempted to block oncoming traffic, his iconic #3 car got loose and made hard contact with the outside retaining wall.

Although the hit didn’t seem much worse than any other accident that was typical of a superspeedway, the shocking truth eventually emerged that Dale Earnhardt had died on impact. As his car rested against the wall, that Bible verse remained affixed to the dash:

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10)

Stevie later revealed that she had spent a little longer than usual deciding on which verse to write for Earnhardt that day. After hearing the news, she understood why.

“I had seen enough changes in Dale over the years that I’m convinced God gave me his last Scripture so that I, and everyone else who cared about him, might be comforted as to the condition of his soul.”

After Earnhardt’s death, some of the new safety measures that had been considered were quickly implemented including the requirement of all drivers to wear the HANS device that helps prevent head and neck trauma.

Not long after, even as Dale Earnhardt Jr. was still mourning his loss, the rising star decided to honor his father’s memory in a surprising way. Just like his dad, he asked Stevie Waltrip to bring him a Bible verse that he could have in his car for every race. At first, she personally delivered the verses to his car. As she began spending less time at the track, she began sending the verses to Motor Racing Outreach team members who would make sure Dale Jr. received it on pit road.

More recently, his wife Amy has been in charge of making sure the tradition continues. She is also known to post a picture of each week’s Bible verse to her Twitter account including the one that rode to Victory Lane with Dale Jr. at Talladega Superspeedway during the 2015 GEICO 500.

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men…we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us…” (Titus 2:11-14)