On July 7th, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Pepsi 400 coming from 7th place with just nine laps remaining to beat teammate Michael Waltrip. He dedicated the victory to his late father.
It was his first appearance at Daytona Motor Speedway since the tragic passing of Dale Earnhardt Sr., who crashed on the same track on February 18, 2001. The elder Earnhardt was involved in a sudden last-lap crash during the Daytona 500. A legendary figure in the world of auto racing, Dale Sr’s death is cited as one of the reasons for major safety changes in NASCAR.
