Auto News 5

It looked like countless other crashes on countless other racetracks where countless other drivers bounded out of their cars with injuries no more severe than bruised egos. The wreck seemed so inconsequential that the TV cameras didn't even linger on it, choosing instead to follow the lead cars as they crossed the finish line of the Daytona 500. It wasn't until after the broadcast was over that the almost incomprehensible news was reported: Dale Earnhardt-NASCAR's biggest and baddest icon-had been killed in what appeared, at first glance, to be the motorsports version of a fender bender.