One minute Michael Waltrip was celebrating the most significant victory of his racing career, the next he was doing what the rest of the NASCAR world was: mourning the death of the sport’s most iconic driver.
We’re talking, of course, about the 2001 Daytona 500.
Waltrip took the checkered flag that fateful day in Florida, moments after Earnhardt crashed into the wall on the race’s final lap. And although hours passed before “The Intimidator” was pronounced dead, the incident immediately cast a dark cloud over what should have been a celebration of Waltrip’s great achievement (and his first career victory). It was as complex as complex gets.
The lead up to 2001 Daytona 500, as well as the fallout, are chronicled in “Blink of an Eye,” an upcoming documentary based on a New York Times bestselling book and directed by Paul Taublieb.
Check out the film’s official trailer below:
“Blink of an Eye” will hit theaters as a Fathom Event.
It releases in New York and Los Angeles on Sept. 6, and nationwide Sept. 12.
