DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP)
The Intimidator. Old Ironhead. Tough and unyielding, a winner on the racetrack and often sarcastic and calculating off of it.
Even people who knew nothing about racing knew Dale Earnhardt's craggy, mustachioed face and his reputation as a driver never afraid to bang fenders or shake his fist at a rival.
Despite those traits and his rough appearance or maybe because of them Earnhardt was a key figure in the explosive growth of NASCAR during the past 20 years from a regional sport into a mainstream America powerhouse.
That's what made his death in Sunday's Daytona 500 so shocking.
``This is incredible, just incredible,'' driver Jeremy Mayfield said. ``You figure he'll bounce right back. Your first thought is, 'Hey, he'll probably come back next week at Rockingham and beat us all.'''
As word of the fatal, last-lap wreck spread, fans cried and the big flag in the middle of Daytona International Speedway's vast infield waved forlornly at half-staff.
The death of Earnhardt - still a championship contender at 49 - was the biggest blow to auto racing since the 1994 crash that killed Formula One star Ayrton Senna.
On the day NASCAR began a new era with the return of Dodge after a 16-year absence and the beginning of a six-year, $2.8 billion TV contract, it's biggest draw was suddenly gone.
Earnhardt was the first driver killed in the Daytona 500, which began in 1959. Six drivers have died of injuries from wrecks during practice or qualifying races for the 500.
Neil Bonnett, one of Earnhardt's best friends, was killed in 1994. Rodney Orr died in a wreck three days later, also in practice, and was the last Winston Cup driver killed at the track until Earnhardt's crash.
Earnhardt died perhaps because of an uncharacteristic decision to let his son and the newest driver on his own team fight it out for the victory while he protected their flank.
Earnhardt crashed on the last turn of the last lap vying for third place at the front of a tight five-car pack. In front of him, Michael Waltrip held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. for what should have been the biggest moment in the short history of Dale Earnhardt Inc.
Earnhardt had to be cut from his battered car and was taken to Halifax Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead of head injuries.
Safety personnel tried furiously to save him, three EMS workers leaning into the car, working on Earnhardt, and two firefighters ripping off the roof to get him out.
``He had what I felt were life-ending type injuries at the time of impact and nothing could be done for him,'' said Dr. Steve Bohannon, an emergency physician at the hospital who also works for the speedway.
The crash began when the back left corner of Earnhardt's famed black No. 3 Chevrolet bumped with Sterling Marlin's Dodge.
Earnhardt's car fishtailed slightly and briefly slid to its left, down toward the infield, before suddenly swinging back to the right and cutting across traffic at a sharp angle. He hit the wall headfirst and Ken Schrader's yellow Pontiac crashed into the passenger side of his car.
With Earnhardt's Chevy already smoking and shredding at the front, Schrader's car stayed lodged into its side, forming a T. The cars careened again off the wall, plowing into the final turn and sliding to a stop. Both cars ended up in smoking heaps on the infield grass.
``I guess someone got into Dale because Dale got into me and then we went up,'' the uninjured Schrader said. ``We hit pretty hard and Dale hit harder.''
The accident removed all the luster from a glittering race that kept the record crowd of 195,000 spectators on their feet most of the afternoon.
Nearly two hours after the race, NASCAR president Mike Helton, his voice breaking with emotion, walked into the infield media center with the unbelievable news.
``This is undoubtedly one of the toughest announcements I have ever personally had to make. We've lost Dale Earnhardt,'' Helton said.