The Intimidator's death at the 2001 Daytona 500 still reverberates within a sport he had a colossal effect upon.

Before Dale Earnhardt's crash, race car drivers were dying at a historic rate -- the worst season in 36 years -- and there hadn't been an overwhelming demand for change. At least not yet.

Dale Earnhardt's death was the fourth NASCAR fatality over a span of only nine months. In the 20 years since Earnhardt's death, there have been zero. Here's why.

Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s tragic death left the NASCAR community without one of its earliest legends.© Getty Images Dale Earnhardt Jr. with his family, from left: Isla, Nicole, and wife Amy.© Getty ...

We go back to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Pepsi 400 win at Daytona, which came just five months after the passing of his father, ...

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt died 22 years ago today as he came off Turn 4 on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. "The Intimidator" was 49 years old.

This is Part I of a four-part series on the life, death and safety legacy of Dale Earnhardt, 20 years after his fatal crash at the 2001 Daytona 500.

The Intimidator's death at the 2001 Daytona 500 still reverberates within a sport he had a colossal effect upon.

The Intimidator's death at the 2001 Daytona 500 still reverberates within a sport he had a colossal effect upon.

Earnhardt refused to wear a closed-face helmet or a HANS device, both of which NASCAR mandated after his death. It is impossible to know whether either one of those would have prevented his death.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. paid condolences to the deceased legend Humpy Wheeler as he passes away aged 86 surrounded by his loved ...