Fox Sports finds itself in a tight spot for including Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s fatal crash in their promotional montage of “25 Years of NASCAR on Fox.” The evocative vision of the crash in 2001’s Daytona 500 has caused widespread criticism from fans and NASCAR figures for insensitivity and poor taste.
The video intended to celebrate Fox’s 25-year run in partnership with NASCAR in their greatest moments of racing glory; however, depicting Earnhardt’s crash undermined the festive mood of the event. Some have even branded it as clever but disrespectful to the seven-time champion by undermining his enduring legacy.
Outrage Among Fans and NASCAR Figures for Fox’s Blunder
The backlash was immediate, with NASCAR personalities and fans pouring over social media expressing their disappointment. Most of them felt that the crash that killed Earnhardt and remains a painful memory for the NASCAR community should not be used for promotional purposes.
NASCAR fans on X were outraged, saying, “Here’s a take. Earnhardt’s fatal 2001 crash and [Ryan] Newman’s near-fatal 2020 crash should never be used for a positive ad. Ever.”
Another fan wrote, “Whoever put this package together with a fatal crash included and whoever approved that package for broadcast should lose their job. Unbelievable.”
Fox bashed for including footage of Dale Earnhardt crash in ’25 years of NASCAR on Fox’ video https://t.co/SL6FdUvhDk
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 16, 2025
Journalist Daniel Baldwin was among some of those who pointed not only to Fox’s blunder of using the crash footage in a promotional montage but also, ironically enough, that some of the clips shown to promote Fox’s NASCAR broadcasting anniversary were actually aired by NBC and ESPN, such as the footage of George W. Bush and Jeff Gordon vs. Clint Bowyer.
Fox’s Response and Broader Implications
As of now, Fox Sports has made no public announcement in response to the criticism. This has reignited the debate on how Earnhardt’s legacy should be remembered. As much as the crash in 2001 is a black mark in NASCAR’s record, it helped introduce vital safety changes to the sport, not to mention the implementation of the HANS device and SAFER barriers.
Including the crash footage in a promo video is ethically questionable because of how unsettling it is to use tragedy for advertising purposes. One fan simply said on X, “They put Dale’s fatal crash in a season kickoff hype video.” Another vocal fan who has been a NASCAR enthusiast for more than 30 years said, “Nah, we are not here for using Dale’s crash for promos”
They put Dale’s fatal crash in a season kickoff hype video. https://t.co/BSRu5xcB40 pic.twitter.com/l8EzZu0uGz
— Brennan Somers (@Brennan_Somers) February 16, 2025
Nah, we are not here for using Dale's crash for promos https://t.co/8iVZl6YFuf
— Sarah Davis 🤫 Bubba fan // 23XI stan (@sarahdavisagain) February 16, 2025
To many viewers, celebrating Fox’s enduring partnership with NASCAR by exploiting the Earnhardt tragedy has overshadowed the message of the video. To millions of people, the accident has served as a reminder of how to balance respect for heritage with sensitivity toward victims whose memories still resonate deeply to this day.