DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Twenty years ago, the world of racing lost one of its biggest stars when Dale Earnhardt died during a crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500.

In a new special, ESPN’s E60 will take viewers back to that fateful day to explore the legacy of Dale Earnhardt and the effect his loss has had on the sport of NASCAR, including safety improvements to cars and racetracks

E60 Presents – Intimidator: The Lasting Legacy of Dale Earnhardt will debut on Sunday, Feb. 14, at Noon ET on ESPN, just hours before the Daytona 500 gets underway at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

ESPN senior writer Ryan McGee, who has covered NASCAR for more than 25 years, is the reporter for the story.

In the program, McGee has a revealing interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr., and the retired NASCAR star speaks openly about his father, what he remembers about that day 20 years ago, and how safety in the sport has evolved.

In addition to Earnhardt Jr., among those interviewed for the story:

• Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson.
• NASCAR driver Ryan Newman, who survived a spectacular crash in last year’s Daytona 500.
• Former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty.
• Dr. Steve Bohannon, trauma physician who was one of the first to reach Earnhardt’s wrecked car.
• Mike Helton, NASCAR Vice Chairman, who announced Earnhardt’s death.
• Steve Phelps, NASCAR President.
• Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR Executive Vice President Chief Racing Development Officer.
• John Patalak – NASCAR Senior Director of Safety Engineering.
• Mike Massaro, former ESPN reporter who covered 2001 Daytona 500.

The multiplatform treatment will include a four-part series written by McGee for ESPN.com, beginning Tuesday and running on consecutive days through Friday.

Excerpts from the program will air on SportsCenter during the week and on Sunday morning, when McGee will be reporting from Daytona and will join the program. The Saturday edition of Outside the Lines on Feb. 13 will have a preview of the special as will the OTL on SportsCenter segments in the Noon ET SportsCenter on Thursday and Friday.

McGee also will be a guest on the ESPN Daily Podcast on Friday, Feb. 12.

After the initial airing, the program will re-air multiple times on ESPN networks and will be available for on-demand viewing on the ESPN App.

The program was produced by Scott Cikowski, Jason Kostura and John Minton.

Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Mordano, veterans of the U.S. women's national hockey team, announced their retirement Tuesday.

 "We've always prioritized hockey; we missed funerals, birthdays, weddings," Lamoureux-Mordano told ESPN. "Last year we had a shift in perspective, and we felt like we we were missing life events because of hockey. ... I'm due in [five] weeks now -- I'm having another boy. So there's obviously the timing of getting back into shape for another Olympics, when I don't have ample amount of time. Taking everything into account, it was a tough decision to walk away, but the right decision for us."

 In 2018, the twins helped Team USA to its first Olympic women's hockey gold in 20 years by defeating rival Canada in the final. Lamoureux-Mordano scored the game-tying goal in the third period, and Lamoureux-Davidson's shootout goal -- a flashy move she and her skills coach dubbed "Oops I Did It Again" -- sealed the victory. They also won a pair of Olympic silver medals, in 2010 and 2014, and seven medals from World Championships -- six gold and one silver.

 "When you step on the ice and you get to play against them, you can tell right away they want to win," Canadian team captain Marie-Philip Poulin said. "They'll do anything in their power to do it. It's tough to play against them, but over the years there's been mutual respect. The one thing I value is how hard they compete."

 Lamoureux-Davidson and Lamoureux-Mordano, 31, also were key leaders in 2017 as players challenged USA Hockey for equitable support and similar treatment as the men's and boys' programs.

 "We would all sit around and talk about things, but we didn't necessarily have the resources to incite change," longtime teammate Hilary Knight said "The twins were bold enough to make the connections and explore avenues; they were a galvanizing force for our team in 2017 to get us to where we wanted to be." 

 After threatening to boycott the upcoming World Championships, the women and USA Hockey agreed on a landmark, four-year contract that included increased pay and promises for the same travel arrangements and insurance coverage as the men. Additionally, USA Hockey vowed to increase its fundraising and programming for girls' youth programs.

 The twins also made a massive push to include maternity leave in the contract -- something that had existed before, but was left out of their previous agreement. Lamoureux-Morando and Lamoureux-Davidson became the first two players to use those new maternity benefits, when they each gave birth to sons in 2019. The twins received full stipend payments from USA Hockey through their pregnancy, and were guaranteed to be invited to two camps postpartum.

 "We always had this goal, leaving the locker room and jersey in a better place than when you found it. I think Jocelyne and I can truly say we were able to do that," Lamoureux-Mordano said. "When we reflect on our careers, going through our gender equity dispute with USA Hockey -- then playing in the World Championships on two days of practice, then winning -- is a moment we'll always be so proud of. We changed the landscape and will continue to change the landscape for women's hockey players, and players around the world. That and the Olympic gold medal are a close 1-2." 

 At 5-foot-6 with a physical brand of hockey, the twins are what Knight calls "do-or-die homies you want on the ice with you." They were also often applauded for their adaptability. Lamoureux-Mordano, for example, was constantly being bounced around from defense to forward. 

 "As teammates, they were just resilient," Knight said. "There was a point in time, and I don't even know if I should be sharing this to be honest, but I didn't know if they would make the Olympic team in 2018. Their talents weren't being showcased the way we all saw them showcased, and obviously the way everyone in the world saw them showcased in 2018." 

 Added Angela Ruggiero, a Hockey Hall of Famer, who briefly overlapped with the twins in the national team program: "Those two are my little sisters. I saw so much of myself in them in some ways. ... I saw a desire to make an impact, right out the gate. They were never just content. They always wanted to be better."

 The twins say they would like to stay involved in hockey. They are releasing their first book, "Dare to Make History," later this month. They also plan to keep advocating on behalf of their college program, the University of North Dakota, which cut its women's hockey team in 2017.

 "That happened like the day after we signed our contract in 2017, which was pretty crushing," Lamoureux-Davidson said. "Monique and I want to continue to be a voice for that program, and help bring it back in a positive way."

 One other piece of business: the women's national team's contract with USA Hockey expires in April. 

 "We're going to be involved in the negotiations," Lamoureux-Mordano said. "Hopefully securing the next contact for the next group of players coming up will be our final stamp as players in the program." 

William Saliba has again been critical of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after leaving the club on loan.

Saliba joined Arsenal from Saint-Etienne for €30 million in 2019 when Unai Emery was in charge but failed to play a single minute for the club, spending last season back at St Etienne on loan.

- Olley: Why have Arsenal sent Saliba on loan?

He returned to Ligue 1 with Nice in January, on a temporary deal for the remainder of the 2020-21 season, and has expressed his dissatisfaction at not being given a chance to prove himself in the Premier League.

"It is clear that so much has changed in the last year," the 19-year-old, who won Nice's player of the month award for January, told RMC Sport.

"When I saw that the coach changed a lot changed for me too. In this year there has been a lot of change. He [Arteta] judged me on two-and-a-half matches. I would have liked for him to play me more. But he told me I wasn't ready.

"I was waiting for him to give me a chance, but football is like that. When I initially came to Arsenal the league looked very good, so I showed up to training and wanted to train on my own to show the coach I was ready.

"I am happy now. I want to play for Nice. The idea when you are part of a team is a better feeling for me."

During an interview with Telefoot at the end of January, Saliba said: "I really, really, really didn't think that I would be transferred for €30 million, to think that I would arrive, where people were expecting a lot from me, the fans excited about me and you find yourself in the reserves, play zero, zero, nothing in the Europa League or the league."

Misbah-ul-Haq believes the 2-0 series win over South Africa was like "a breath of fresh air" for a Pakistan team which had until then been low on confidence, and also hoped that it puts an end to questions about his own performance as head coach.

Misbah still has one and half years left on his contract with the PCB, but as losses began piling up, his position came under scrutiny. He and his staff were the subject of a review by a board-appointed cricket committee after they returned from a dismal tour of New Zealand, where they lost the Tests 0-2 and the T20Is 1-2. They gave Misbah an ultimatum. The results in the home series against South Africa would decide his future as head coach.

On Tuesday, having done what was demanded of him, Misbah faced reporters in Lahore opened up about what it has been like for him over the past few weeks.

"Obviously with all the uncertainty, it definitely brought in pressure and I don't want to go to the right or wrong side of it but sometimes you don't really have to focus on end results," Misbah said. "There are so many other factors, the circumstantial ones but people start making noise after a series of picking up only the defeats disregarding the work behind it. Playing away isn't difficult .. there were performances and I am not saying that I am not taking responsibility for bad performances. If I am being appreciated after winning then definitely I am answerable to the defeats as well but you have to take the circumstances in account as well to judge someone."

Since Misbah's appointment, the PCB has made several big decisions, such as removing Sarfaraz Ahmed as captain and dropping him from all three formats. Azhar Ali took charge of the Test side while Babar Azam was chosen to lead in limited-overs cricket. However, after an unsuccessful tour of England last year, Ali was stripped of the captaincy and Azam was made captain across formats.

Misbah was facing trouble as well. It is understood that the board had come close to sacking him after the New Zealand tour, potentially replacing him with coaches from the High Performance Centre in Lahore.

"There should be continuity and if we are here for three years for instance then the assessment should be after the given time frame," Misbah said. "Try to wait, sit back, there will be ups and downs. It will never be only victory or only defeats. Things need to be seen in perspective. It's a process, with a new team and players you have to follow up on the development of the team and players. For results it takes time and sometimes it takes a little more time as well but taking abrupt decisions based on frustration and disappointment doesn't help. Change is important but only if it's for the sake of betterment."

Pakistan have now risen to No. 5 in the ICC Test rankings, their highest position since 2017. They were largely in control of both Test matches against South Africa, wrapping up the one in Karachi within four days and fighting back with great skill on the last day in Rawalpindi.

"It's like a breath of fresh air and it was important as the team was very low in confidence and overall people were angry," Misbah said. "Playing at home plays a big part in giving boys enough confidence to do well. The series and matches were tough and performances came from difficult situations that showed the character of the team. Winning is one factor but the way an inexperienced team dealt with ups and downs made one hell of a difference. There were tough situations and there were stages when we could have lost hope but every time they showed determination and came out well. We had seen glimpses in New Zealand as well and all of it shows that team is moving in the right direction. Credit should be given to these players for winning against a top class team."

Pakistan's dismantling of South Africa was so efficient that Misbah is confident this team can be successful no matter where they play. "We were hopeful of showing more fight in England but unfortunately the first defeat in Manchester which still hurts was a setback," he said. "We should have won that Test match and the series. We weren't able to have those finishing touches and even in New Zealand we were dropping crucial catches and something was always pulling us back. So these are the things we managed to rectify. I think we've also settled on a good team combination with Faheem (Ashraf) providing us with balance. There is still a need for improvement in certain departments but we are brimming confidence right now we are in a better position to win away series."

And finally, Misbah made it a point to praise Azam's efforts in leading Pakistan and took pains to explain that it is the captain - and no one else - who is in charge of the team.

"In cricket, the role of captain is very important and if he isn't fully in-charge and has confidence in his playing XI then it will be difficult for him. Obviously when we make someone captain then we have to empower him and trust in him. We know that he makes a decision and we help him and at the end of the day you (as coaches) aren't in the field for every ball or over but he is and as a captain he has to run the show. Babar is young and with such a big series he did well utilising the resources and that is what we want.

"It isn't like a war for power between a captain and management on who will make decisions. He is too young but handles everything nicely. It's for the sake of betterment we let him grow and our job is limited but decisions we make are with consensus. We plan sitting together and he is the one taking the team to fight in the field. I am happy the way he is developing and with time and more cricket he will get the confidence and he will keep on growing bigger in his role."

Nate Diaz says he wants to stay active in 2021, and he has two opponents at the top of his wish list.

Diaz, one of the most popular fighters in the UFC, told ESPN's Ariel Helwani in a video interview published Tuesday that he wants to fight top lightweight contenders Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira next, but in the welterweight division or at 165 pounds.

Diaz also said he wants to fight twice in 2021, at "minimum." He said he's willing to fight up to four times this year, if possible, and he'd like his first fight to be in April or May.

"I'm ready to get this show on the road. ... I'm just trying to get it going," Diaz said. "Last year, it was a real bummer."

Diaz has not fought since a loss to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 in November 2019, and he competed in the Octagon only twice since his two-fight series with Conor McGregor in 2016. Poirier's TKO win over McGregor at UFC 257 last month got Diaz's attention. He and Poirier were supposed to fight in 2018, but the bout fell apart.

Now, Diaz said, would be the right time to rebook that contest.

"I'm not gonna play f---ing nice guy like Conor McGregor just did with him," Diaz said. "Conor just walked him right in for the taking. I think a fight with me would be more real, a more serious situation for him. I don't think he could sleep with that."

Poirier could have a shot at the UFC lightweight title lined up next or a trilogy fight with McGregor. They are 1-1 against one another. If Poirier goes in that direction, Diaz said he's interested in a fight with Oliveira, who is coming off a dominant win over former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.

Two other lightweight contenders, Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, have called out Diaz in recent weeks. But he wants to face someone coming off a victory.

"That's the guy right there," Diaz said of Oliveira. "I'll fight that guy. I like the winners. ... I'm trying to fight the guys who are winning."

UFC president Dana White said last month that the promotion was trying to set something up for Diaz at lightweight. But Diaz said he doesn't want anything to do with 155 pounds, calling it a "dead division." He said he's willing to fight anywhere from 165 to 190 pounds.

Diaz (20-12) is a cult favorite in MMA, having been a part of some of the biggest pay-per-view events in the sport's history with McGregor twice and Masvidal. The Stockton, California, native beat McGregor via second-round submission at UFC 196 in March 2016, and lost to him five months later at UFC 202.

Diaz, 35, returned to the cage in August 2019, beating Anthony Pettis. Against Masvidal, he fell via TKO because of a cut (doctor's stoppage) after the third round. There was talk last year about a rematch with Masvidal, but Diaz said he has moved on to "bigger and better things."

"I think Oliveira is the best fight right now," Diaz said. "And Dustin Poirier."

This is part one of a four-part series on the life, death and safety legacy of Dale Earnhardt, 20 years after his death at the 2001 Daytona 500.

THE INTIMIDATOR STANDS watch over his hometown of Kannapolis, North Carolina, day and night, his arms permanently interlocked across his chest, his folded Gargoyles shades sticking out of his shirt pocket, as visible as the Wrangler "W" on the back of his jeans and the seams in his favorite cowboy boots.

It is a frosty February afternoon, and the statue of Dale Earnhardt is staring into the face of a hard winter wind like it was a rival on the racetrack. The smirk that peeks out from beneath his signature mustache says, "C'mon, man, is that all you've got?"

The 9-foot-tall bronze statue is, appropriately, larger than life. To those who were around him in person, those devotees who work to keep alive the Gospel of The Intimidator, including the man who carries Dale Earnhardt's name, that's the way his legacy feels.

"It's huge!" Dale Earnhardt Jr. says with a hearty laugh. "It's amazing and I've loved the opportunity to take [my wife] Amy there, to take my daughter there. When you see other people visit it and post their experience online, it's a great thing.

"But those are just momentary sorts of things. They're not forever. They're not the memory. It doesn't replace the memories, you know?"

The 2021 Daytona 500 is Sunday, and Feb. 18 marks the 20th anniversary of the day NASCAR's biggest star was killed in the final turn of the final lap of the race he loved more than any other. This Great American Race will be no different than all the others run since 2001, as the pall cast by the death of Earnhardt at age 49 has never gone away. But the milestone date has made this year feel especially heavy.

Twenty years without Dale Earnhardt on the racetrack with his hands on the wheel of his famed No. 3 Chevy. That's a lot of time to process the legacy of the legend. Twenty years means the number of people who have watched NASCAR without Earnhardt might very well equal or be greater than those who watched races with him in the field. With each day and race, the images of Earnhardt become more aged. The videos of his 76 wins are in standard definition. The photos of his seven NASCAR Cup Series championships are on film. There have been 719 Cup Series races without him, an entire generation passed, and enough time for dozens of racers to have debuted and retired.

His untimely death still reverberates within the sport and beyond. In a four-part series in conjunction with E:60 (Sunday, noon ET), we examine the racing risks Earnhardt knew all too well and the sacrifice of a superhero life that has since saved so many others: his rivals, his son and Ryan Newman in the Daytona 500 one year ago.

But first, one must understand Earnhardt's colossal effect on stock car racing itself. His handshake was like a pneumatic vise grip. He played mind games like Muhammad Ali, owned corporate boardrooms like Peyton Manning and walked into the racetrack every Sunday with the swagger of Tiger Woods. Drivers who raced against him at Talladega and Daytona even claimed he could see air.

It's all true. Every bit of it. Dale Earnhardt wasn't a stock car racer. He was the stock car racer.

WHEN EARNHARDT WAS alive, he was often compared to a fellow North Carolinian also at the height of his stardom: Michael Jordan.

As we experienced last year with the airing of "The Last Dance," propping up an athlete from back in the day as still being the GOAT can lead to pushback from those who never saw them compete.

But those who wonder why Earnhardt is such a big deal didn't see the life those of us above a certain age witnessed. They didn't see him as a rough-hewn rookie in the 1970s, a kid from the mill hill who could barely talk on camera, pissing off the likes of Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison with a chrome horn the size of the Carolina Piedmont and an attitude to match. They didn't see that brash, bushy-faced young man whom those legends tried to lecture about playing fair, who then walked up and seized their stock car kingdom right out of their gloves.

They may have been born too late to witness 1987's "Pass in the Grass," when Earnhardt snookered Bill Elliott and Geoff Bodine to win the NASCAR All-Star Race ... or the time at Richmond when he told his team he was going off the radio for a minute and then drove by them on pit road as he climbed out of the window to clean off his windshield, driving his Chevy with his knees ... or when he wrecked Rusty Wallace and Terry Labonte at Bristol '95 and shot his smirk at Wallace when the fellow future NASCAR Hall of Famer angrily winged a water bottle off Earnhardt's head ... or heard him say this when he was asked by a reporter about chatter that the sanctioning body was going to slow the cars down: "If you're not a race driver, stay the hell home. Don't come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you've got feathers on your legs and butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat that candy ass."

Earnhardt is the man Hollywood was trying to re-create in "Days of Thunder" baddie Rowdy Burns. The filmmakers even tried to talk him into playing the part himself because they didn't think anyone else could pull it off.

He is the man of four nicknames: Ironhead (which was not a compliment), One Tough Customer (thank you, Wrangler), The Man in Black (thank you, GM Goodwrench) and The Intimidator (thank you, sportswriters, for all those T-shirts sold).

"He's dead and been gone for 20 years. The stories, you've heard 'em all, right? But maybe you haven't." Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt was a pioneer among professional athletes who trademarked their signatures and image, and the first auto racer to do it -- a high school dropout (his greatest regret) who built a business empire estimated to be worth half a billion dollars when he died. He founded his own merchandise company and ended up handling souvenir sales for nearly all of NASCAR's other stars, including his fiercest rivals. A decade after his death, he was still the second-best-selling driver when it came to merchandise, trailing only his son of the same name.

He won 34 races at Daytona, from all-star shootouts to the 1998 Daytona 500. He won nine times at Darlington Raceway. He won a record 10 times at Talladega Superspeedway, including the last of his 76 career victories in 2000, when he dashed from 18th to first over the race's final six laps. That otherworldly final Earnhardt win capped off a runner-up finish in the championship standings, at age 49.

He raced with broken legs and collarbones. He won the pole at Watkins Glen and nearly won the race with both a broken collarbone and separated sternum. He knocked down trees with a bulldozer. He worked his farm and tossed hay bales around like beach balls, even when he could afford to hire an army of ranch hands to do it for him. He routinely pulled his truck off the road to shoot a deer on the horizon of his property that no one else riding with him could even see.

"Someone will ask me, you know, explain to us Dale Earnhardt," says Mike Helton, former NASCAR president and the man who often found himself on the receiving end of an Earnhardt rant. "Explaining Dale, that's like trying to explain John Wayne or Neil Armstrong or other heroes from that era that you can no longer experience.

"... But you still try to explain it, because there was no one else like him. Never will be."

EVEN ON A February day as cold as this one in Kannapolis, there are still a couple of cars each hour that come to see the Dale Earnhardt statue. The visitors almost always come in pairs, an older race fan with a youngster in tow. The elder tells stories as they point to the centerpiece of Dale Earnhardt Plaza, located just off Dale Earnhardt Boulevard, somewhere between Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, the glass-covered HQ once touted as his "Garage Mahal" and the row-house neighborhood known as Car Town, where his mother Martha still lives.

The statue is a short walk from the site of the textile mill where his father Ralph once walked off the job to go race full time, and a short drive from the roadside cemetery where Ralph eternally rests beneath a headstone decorated with an etching of his race car. The mill site is now home to a minor league ballpark, home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, the team Earnhardt once co-owned (they were the Intimidators then) and whose daredevil mascot still sports a familiar mustache.

"I love to stop by there and I love when people tell me about going by there," Earnhardt Jr. says of the rejuvenated area around his father's bronzed likeness, the crown jewel of what the local tourism board promotes as the Dale Trail. "But you know land becomes valuable, land finds new purpose. Statues like that are moved to other locations and could disappear altogether one day, so I don't, I don't invest a lot of emotion in it."

So, what does he invest in?

"Items, photographs, whatever I can find that keeps me connected to Dad, and I have invested a lot in that. Just ask Amy."

Earnhardt Sr. memories have become Earnhardt Jr.'s stock in trade. If you're on an internet auction site late at night and find yourself losing a bidding war over Intimidator memorabilia to someone with seemingly bottomless pockets, there's a better than average chance it's against his son. Over the past half-decade, in particular, he has been on what he describes as "a quest" to locate anything his father wore, raced or built.

He gleefully describes tracking down an early 1980s Chevy Nova his father raced in the NASCAR Busch Series, a find he verified when his uncle said there would be a handmade driveshaft loop. When he rolled up under the car, there was a handwritten note, "Handmade by Dale Earnhardt." Later, he and his mother were digging through a box of old photos and there he was, a little boy, sitting behind the wheel of that same car. Now he sits in that same seat, having fully restored his father's ride.

He pulls a firesuit he purchased online from a vacuum-packed plastic bag. It was worn by his father in Victory Lane more than a quarter century ago, and the son immediately takes a drag off the clothing. He calls Amy over: "Smell this!" It still holds the scent of beer and Winston cigarettes.

He found one of Senior's uniforms from his Rookie of the Year and title-winning seasons of 1979-80 by accident, stuffed in a trash bag that was about to be thrown out as he was emptying an old family storage unit. Sometimes he slips on a pair of boots his dad wore for years, footwear the old man loved so much he had them resoled dozens of times.

"He wore boots like I wear tennis shoes, just all the time," he says. Now Earnhardt Jr. will wear them around the house from time to time, just to walk a little bit in his father's shoes.

"It's kind of like doing your genealogy in your family tree. There's no end, right?" he says, describing his scouring of NASCAR fan accounts on social media, especially those that post classic photos. If he finds one of his father that he has never seen before, he'll reach out to thank them.

"I try to contain my excitement because I know it's kind of weird to be that excited over something so silly, but you're like, this is amazing! I just learned something new about my dad!" Earnhardt Jr. says of those moments when he sees Senior wearing a uniform he's never seen, a sponsor he didn't know about or a moment he wasn't aware of. "You're not expecting to learn new things about him at this point. You know, he's dead and been gone for 20 years. The stories, you've heard 'em all, right? But maybe you haven't."

SOMEONE ALWAYS WANTS to share their Senior memories with Earnhardt Jr. Heck, it happens even when he doesn't leave the house. The UPS man delivering those eBay packages, the plumber, the pool cleaner ... anyone who stops by, they have this look on their faces whenever they have Earnhardt Sr. stories they want to pass along.

It was like that when Junior was a kid, when he was a teenager breaking into racing, and certainly when he became the "next big thing" in the NASCAR Cup Series, employed by his old man. Back then, it was too much. The Intimidator experience was overwhelming.

"When I was a little boy, he was Dad at home and he was Dad at the track," Earnhardt Jr. recalls. "But then, as I got older and I started to see the Dale Earnhardt in him that everyone else was seeing, right? He was still Dad, but I also was starting to see this icon, and this hero.

"And I would even look at him that way, like fans would look at him. I would be, like, intimidated by him, nervous to be in the room with him and, uh, feel inferior to him, you know and all these unhealthy things, right? I'm his son and he just got so big."

As a result, the true father-son moments became harder to come by, even when Earnhardt Jr. started driving for his father in the Busch Series in 1996 and moved up to Cup by decade's end. When he sees TV commercials or an interview they did together, he recognizes that intimidated look in his eye and says that he wishes he had taken a deep breath, made himself relax and enjoyed those moments more.

Only at the end was he figuring out how to feel differently.

"We had a moment on pit road of the 2001 Daytona 500 when he grabs me by the neck and he's like, 'Hey man, we've got good cars, take care of your car and we're gonna have some good finishes,'" he says. "And that was like a super Dad moment."

Of course, the Earnhardts didn't know that would be the last time they talked. They simply thought Feb. 18, 2001, was just another race day. But in three hours, their lives and the lives of everyone on pit road at that moment would be changed forever.

Part II of this four-part series continues Wednesday with a look at the culture of motorsports safety in the years leading up to the tragic 2001 Daytona 500.

Leinster back row Jack Conan has joined the Ireland squad as they prepare to take on France in Dublin on Sunday.

Ireland are also expected to provide an update on the availability of Caelan Doris, who returned to his province last week with "concussion-like symptoms".

Leinster's Ed Byrne has also remained with the squad having provided front row cover last week, while Munster forward Gavin Coombes has returned to his province.

Captain Johnny Sexton and lock James Ryan will go through return to play protocols this week before their availability is determined, having both been forced off in Cardiff with head injuries.

Conan has won 17 appearances for his country, the last of which came in Ireland's World Cup 2019 opening win against Scotland, before the back row's tournament was ended by a fractured foot.

Ireland fell to a 21-16 defeat in their opening game of the Six Nations and now welcome France, who established their title credentials with a thumping win over Italy on Saturday.

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – It was all Tim McCreadie on Monday night when the DIRTcar Late Models rolled into Volusia Speedway Park for the 50th DIRTcar Nationals.

McCreadie’s Monday masterclass gave him his 13th career DIRTcar Nationals feature victory in his third different series, extending his honor of being one of the most diverse drivers of his generation. He’s now got six DIRTcar Late Model wins, five Super DIRTcar Series wins, and two World of Outlaws Late Model wins at the DIRTcar Naitonals.

Starting from the pole position aboard his Longhorn Chassis No. 39, the Watertown, N.Y., native immediately scooted to the race lead and never let it go. He encountered one close call through lap traffic and had to survive a hungry Mark Whitener in the closing stages, but there was nothing to stop the former World of Outlaws champion from clinching the wire-to-wire win.

“I know of knew what to do, I just had to lay into the cushion until somebody drove by me somewhere else,” McCreadie noted. “I kept seeing Phil and he gave me some great hand signals. It’s always nice to get a win down here during speedweeks.”

Even with all of his success at the Barberville, Fla., half-mile, McCreadie has yet to score a DIRTcar Nationals Big Gator Championship. That’s a stat he could change this week, especially considering his strong start.

“I’m just lucky to do this, and I just appreciate what everyone does for me,” McCreadie said. “I don’t do as much as I used to, these guys they pick up all the slack if I need to take a nap because I’m getting old. It’s not easy. Every one of us is trying as hard as we can out here, but sometimes it’s not your night, so we’ll take this. We know we’ve got another day tomorrow.”

Chasing McCreadie to the line and making it interesting down the stretch was Mark Whitener, who gave it his all in the No. 5. After starting fourth, Whitener went searching and slid by Devin Moran then Kyle Bronson to get to the runner-up spot. He kept his run alive by tracking down McCreadie, but the clock ran out and the 30-lapper went checkered before he could make a move.

“I had to hunt something down to pass him, I found something when I got to second,” Whitener thought. “I started losing the ass end of the car getting into the corner though, and I just couldn’t hang with him on the top. I never could pull up to his bumper to get a slidejob on him. All in all, a really good finish for us against these guys.

Rounding out the podium on night one of the DIRTcar Nationals was Devin Moran.

“I wish we could’ve started on the front row to see what we could’ve given Timmy,” Moran said. “Mark moved around more than I did in the middle part and he just got up there sooner than me.”

Closing out the top ten in Monday’s program, which included a 51-car field, was Kyle Bronson, Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard, Brandon Overton, Josh Richards, Rick Eckert and Tyler Bruening.

The finish:

1. 39-Tim McCreadie; 2. 5-Mark Whitener; 3. 9-Devin Moran; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson; 5. 32-Bobby Pierce; 6. 1-Brandon Sheppard; 7. 76-Brandon Overton; 8. 14-Josh Richards; 9. 0E-Rick Eckert; 10. 16-Tyler Bruening; 11. 3S-Brian Shirley; 12. 58-Ross Bailes; 13. 29V-Darrell Lanigan; 14. 19-Chase Junghans; 15. 97-Cade Dillard; 16. 20-Jimmy Owens; 17. 72-Mike Norris; 18. 2-Dan Stone; 19. 99B-Boom Briggs; 20. 7MM-Michael Maresca; 21. 6JR-Parker Martin; 22. 54-David Breazeale; 23. 21-Billy Moyer Jr; 24. 17M-Dale McDowell.  

Jordan Spieth hit the ball all over the place in Phoenix, but only needed 61 swings on Saturday and that caused a social media uproar. In this Golf Central Podcast, senior writers Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner dive into Spieth's play. Was it a resurgence? A one-off? What comes next? And they tackle big Brooks' win and the TPC Scottsdale fans.