America’s greatest tragedy, 9/11, forced NASCAR to make an unprecedented change in this way

2001 was definitely one of the worst years for NASCAR and the world. What is interesting, however, is that it was the only year that NASCAR held a race on a Thanksgiving weekend. Well, it’s Thanksgiving week right now, so why not delve deeper into this extraordinary event?

As always, the 2001 Cup Series season started in early February with a schedule of around 36 series races over 40 weeks. In addition, Thanksgiving, which was traditionally a day off for drivers, was to be a public holiday according to the 2001 schedule.

However, due to the unforeseen and terribly ill-fated terrorist attacks of September 11, NASCAR suspended its race in New Hampshire. Originally planned for September 16, 2001, the governing body now had to find the next open date for the race.

And it wasn’t going to be easy. First of all, there were no free weekends between the original date and the final date of the season that was decided upon. Additionally, the likelihood of snow and cold weather hung over the event.

To be on the safe side, NASCAR announced that they would be hosting the final race on Black Friday. Because if the weather thwarted the plans, the sanctioning authority would at least have the option of postponing them to next Saturday or Sunday.

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However, the weather on the day of the race was in keeping with the sport. And as a result, NASCAR held a race on a Thanksgiving weekend for the first and probably only time.

Why was 2001 particularly difficult for NASCAR?

The Daytona 500 race is always one of the most hyped and coveted events in NASCAR. Additionally, the 2001 Daytona 500 was very special as it was to be the first race to be televised after the sport signed its new deal with Fox Sports.

However, a fateful incident during the race changed the course of NASCAR history forever. During the final laps of the 2001 Daytona 500 race, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt collided with fellow racers Sterling Marlin and Ken Schrader.

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As a result, Earnhardt crashed into the track’s retaining wall. The force of this crash was so severe that Earnhardt suffered a fractured basilar skull. Unable to take the injury, Earnhardt died instantly, leaving a crush on fans and loved ones on that fateful day in Daytona.