Tony Stewart recollects shocking incident on how he learned about Dale Earnhardt’s Daytona 500 crash in an old interview

The 2001 season kicked off on a grim note for Tony Stewart, as he found himself involved in a harrowing incident during the Daytona 500. Known as "Black Sunday" or the "darkest day in NASCAR," the race remains etched in the hearts of fans as a day of unimaginable tragedy.

A video featuring an old Tony Stewart interview recently surfaced on X (formerly Twitter). In the interview, He admitted that he was alongside Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the hospital. Stewart shared how he recognized that Earnhardt was in critical condition following his crash, which ultimately killed him.

"When they accidentally rolled me in the same room he was in," said Tony Stewart.

He added:

"So I had already been there, they had done all the scans on me, and they went to put me back in a room and they had already put Dale in the same room. They accidentally put me in there and I was only in there a second, but I knew when I saw Dale it wasn't good."

On lap 173 of the 2001 Daytona 500, an 18-car crash unfolded on the back straightaway, collecting drivers on the way. During the race, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr. led, with Earnhardt Sr. in third. In the final moments, Earnhardt Sr. lost control, collided with Sterling Marlin, and crashed into the outside wall.

Tony Stewart bore the brunt of the collision when his car was sent spinning after a collision with Ward Burton. His car flipped twice after being pushed over by Robby Gordon, hooked onto Bobby Labonte's hood, and eventually came to a stop in the infield. He was transported to Halifax Medical Center due to shoulder discomfort.

Stewart's crash was somewhat overshadowed by the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, due to a fatal basilar skull fracture.

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Tony Stewart's impact on NASCAR and beyond

Nicknamed "Smoke," Tony Stewart is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He presently holds the role of co-owner of both the Superstar Racing Experience and the NASCAR team Stewart-Haas Racing.

Stewart has had an incredible career, winning four titles in the NASCAR Cup Series. He won two of them while driving (in 2002 and 2005), one in 2011, when operating as both an owner and a driver. His fourth came in 2014, as the sole owner. He is the only driver in history to achieve championship victories in both IndyCar and NASCAR.

His last full-time competition in the NASCAR Cup Series was in the 2016 season, where he drove the No. 14 Chevrolet SS for his team, Stewart-Haas Racing, with Mike Bugarewicz as the crew chief.

He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January 2020.