Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt in the Blink of An Eye
The lives of former NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip and legend Dale Earnhardt are forever entwined
The lives of former NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip and legend Dale Earnhardt are intertwined. The incredible and tragic story of that fateful day was told in the 2011 Michael Waltrip book In the Blink of an Eye: Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything, and now the story has been turned into an upcoming documentary titled Blink Of An Eye.
Waltrip's incredible career was forever changed on February 18, 2001, the day of the Daytona 500. Waltrip had at that point, gone 462 races without a win. But on that day racing legend Dale Earnhardt had positioned himself at the close of the race to help Waltrip, and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr., finish in 1st and 2nd place respectively as both were members of his team. It would have been a story unto itself except that would be the last race Earnhardt Sr. would ever race. In a tragic accident that reverberated across the nation, Earnhardt was killed in a crash on the final lap.
Blink Of An Eye tells the story of Waltrip's remarkable career, as well as the guilt and grief he felt after the events of that fateful day. The film features interviews with Michael Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Richard Petty, and was directed by Paul Taublieb (who had previously produced the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau).
The film is set for limited release September 6th in New York and Los Angeles before its nationwide release September 12th.