Dale Earnhardt Survives

On the last lap of the 43rd Annual Daytona 500 on February 18, 2001, Michael Waltrip was in the lead with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in second. In third was Dale Jr.'s father, Dale Earnhardt. On the fourth turn, Earnhardt and Ken Schrader crashed, though, as if fate came in just in time, Earnhardt miraculously survived. This is the POD for this timeline.

2002
On the very first lap of the July Pocono race, DEI driver Steve Park lost his life in a wreck which started when Rusty Wallace slightly tapped his car. The wreck had him slide into the wall head on at full speed and violently flipped over teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Earnhardt went over to Park's car to try and assist, but the second he got there, he ran towards the medics. In Victory Lane afterwards, pit reporter Dave Burns announced that Park had succumbed to his injuries, while Dale Earnhardt said in tears, "This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen, Steve should be here, I warned NASCAR about the head on hits, and they didn't listen. First Adam, then Kenny, then Blaise, and now this. They have blood on their hands". After this event, NASCAR launched a full investigation, and required the HANS device (much to the protest of Earnhardt) for the following race. For the rest of the season, Park's #1 was driven by Kenny Wallace.

2003
2003 was Earnhardt's final season before his retirement.