About 6 p.m., Waltrip comes to the press box to be interviewed. After Waltrip's interview ends, Brooke Mitchell, who handles Waltrip's public relations, tells him Earnhardt is dead. At about 7 p.m., Mike Helton speaks to reporters. We've lost Dale Earnhardt. After a race, fans usually celebrate around the track.
Parties break out.
But this night, there is quiet. Fans stand around a bonfire in Turn 4. Michael Waltrip spends the night in his motorhome in the infield. The word spreads through Daytona.