In one hideous moment, the world of auto racing found the date of Feb. 18, 2001 etched in its collective psyche.
That was the day NASCAR's greatest hero, Dale Earnhardt, was killed in a crash on the final turn of the final lap of the Daytona 500.
The scenario of his death seems almost incomprehensible. As Earnhardt was running in third place, two cars he owned were running first and second with the checkered flag in sight. Earnhardt was a few hundred feet behind the leader, Michael Waltrip, and his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt's Chevrolet was in a pack of cars involved in a fierce battle. Realizing it was too late for him to win the race, he decided to run interference for Waltrip and his son. The decision proved tragic when the No. 3 Chevrolet fell into the path of Sterling Marlin's Dodge.
The slightest contact sent Earnhardt's car out of control and toward the wall. As the Chevrolet shot toward the concrete, Ken Schrader's Pontiac ran into its side, changing the angle of impact.
The combination of that angle of impact, a seatbelt that ripped in the collision and the rapid deceleration when the car hit the wall resulted in a basilar skull fracture that killed Earnhardt instantly.
The seven-time Winston Cup champion was unable to celebrate the fact he was the winning owner of NASCAR's biggest race of the season. As safety workers frantically tried to remove Earnhardt from the car, it became clear this was not a day of celebration.
It was perhaps the darkest day in NASCAR history, a real life "Black Sunday."
Earnhardt was a gigantic hero to American auto fans. He had a mythic presence and his loss drew shock even from those who do not follow auto racing.
Just as Sept. 11 made America realize that freedom sometimes comes with a heavy price, Earnhardt's death seven months earlier was the wakeup call that auto racing is inherently dangerous.
Earnhardt's death was the fourth NASCAR fatality in a less than a year and all four deaths were the result of basilar skull fractures. While NASCAR officials were slow to respond to the deaths of Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and Tony Roper in 2000, Earnhardt's death brought an acute awareness that drastic safety measures had to be implemented.
Many drivers who once scoffed at the thought of using the Head and Neck Support (HANS) device saw the light and decided to wear the system. In October, NASCAR made head and neck restraint systems mandatory.
Earnhardt's death left many wondering if NASCAR would find its next hero. But that man was not far away as Jeff Gordon regained his status as champion after a two-year hiatus.
Gordon dominated 2001, winning six races and six poles and securing his fourth Winston Cup championship since 1995. His signature victory came in August at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he became the first three-time winner of the Brickyard 400.
When Gordon's crew chief and mentor, Ray Evernham, left the team in September 1999 to help bring Dodge back into the sport, Gordon's career stalled. But Gordon and new crew chief Robbie Loomis rebuilt the team into championship form as Gordon won his fourth title and Loomis captured his first.
"What's funny about people writing me off is you have to love the critics," Gordon said. "They are writing what is on their minds and they can inspire you in a lot of ways. They certainly inspired me and this team. This year is gratifying because we are doing it when people didn't think we could."
Equally impressive was Kevin Harvick's season, one in which he won the NASCAR Busch series title and Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honors. He drove full-time on both circuits after he was named to replace Earnhardt in the days after the driver's death.
Many expected Harvick to wilt under the intense demands of competing full-time in two major racing series. But he won his first Winston Cup race in just his third start when he beat Gordon by inches in March at Atlanta. He won again in July at Joliet, Ill., and finished in the top 10 in the Winston Cup standings.
Harvick dominated the Busch series and clinched the championship in November at Rockingham, N.C.
"We got to the point where it felt like I had been hit by a sledgehammer," he admitted. "I didn't want to go do anything anymore. I didn't want to leave my house, I didn't want to test, I didn't want to do anything. When we had the week off after the Sept. 11 tragedy, that week off really refueled the fire. Up until that point, I was dragging."
While Chevrolet won the NASCAR Manufacturer's Championship, Dodge made a successful return after a two-decade absence. The car builder swept the front row for the season-opening Daytona 500 and won four races in 2001.
The year was a long and painful one in stock car racing, but it was one in which the Indy Racing League made significant progress while the rival CART series moved to the brink of self-destruction.
There were times during its first five years when IRL critics -- and even some of its supporters -- doubted whether the series could survive. Without a large fan base and sponsorship support and facing low television ratings, the IRL was barely on the radar screen, except for the annual Indianapolis 500.
But Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George would not give up his dream.
In the IRL's sixth season, his perseverance finally paid off as the circuit came of age in 2001. It was easily the most positive season since the series began competition in 1996. The IRL finally is on the verge of gaining acceptance in the United States as a major league open-wheel series.
By maintaining a steady course in terms of rules and focus, and with some major front office folly in CART, the Indy Racing League is primed to gain even more momentum in 2002.
The IRL has gotten this far by maintaining its identity. Some fans may not like it, but at least they know what that identity is. In contrast, since abandoning the Indianapolis 500 in 1995, CART has failed to create an identity in the United States.
CART events are far more popular internationally than in the United States.
The IRL has stuck to its plan of racing on oval tracks throughout the country with no illusions of becoming an international series.
"It was an important year for us because we actually showed some growth in our schedule," George said. "We also showed some growth in attendance through some really nice sellouts. We also showed some venue increases at places like Phoenix."
The man who really symbolized George's young American driver philosophy was 22-year-old champion Sam Hornish Jr. He won the first two races of the season and used consistency to easily wrest the title from Buddy Lazier.
Hornish capped his spectacular year in October with a victory in the season finale at Texas. His worst finish came at the Indianapolis 500, but that may have been one of his best drives
After spinning out and killing the engine early in the race, he lost four laps while getting towed to the pits. Once he returned, he had one of the fastest cars but could not overcome the deficit and finished 14th.
In 13 IRL races, Hornish had 10 top-three finishes.
"It's a great feeling, a big tribute to the young age of a lot of new drivers that are coming in, not only in the Indy Racing League but also NASCAR," Hornish said of winning the title. "Every couple years, you need to break the trend and start something new, so you see the age come down."
CART, meanwhile, fell victim to its own mismanagement. Joseph Heitzler never was taken seriously as the latest leader of the series. After drivers refused to race at Texas Motor Speedway in April because they believed the cars were too fast for the track, Heitzler spent most of the year trying to justify a series that has been fractured by a group of team owners looking out for their own self-interests.
Although CART teams swept the top six positions at the Indianapolis 500, the series was unable to build on that momentum.
The most telling sign came when Roger Penske, one of CART's co-founders in 1978, announced he was pulling his two-car team out of CART and would compete exclusively in the IRL beginning next year. That means Gil de Ferran, who won his second CART title in 2001, and Castroneves will be running the 15-race, all-oval schedule next year.
In December, CART ousted Heitzler and chose Chris Pook, the respected promoter of the Long Beach Grand Prix, to help correct some of the problems that have led to its recent demise.
The Formula One circuit made its second trip to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September for the United States Grand Prix. Mika Hakkinen, on the verge of taking a one-year sabbatical, scored an impressive victory in what could be the last win of his fabulous career.
