"I just wanted to get back to the race" - When Dale Earnhardt Sr dived out of ambulance to continue Daytona chase

Dale Earnhardt Sr was one of the most renowned stock car racing drivers of the late 1970s. He is remembered for winning the Winston Cup Series (now NASCAR Cup Series) seven times and for his unwavering spirit for racing.

During his expansive career of 26 years, Earnhardt Sr had some unimaginable moments. One of them came during the 1997 Daytona 500 race. It was Earnhardt's 19th attempt at winning the prestigious race. The #3 racer was running in second place, behind the race leader Bill Elliott.

With just 12 laps to the chequered flag, Earnhardt made an attempt to pass Elliott. However, just before the North Carolina-based driver began his move, he got tagged by the third-place racer Jeff Gordon.

The impact caused Earnhardt Sr to lose control and hit the outside wall hard. The car bounced back on track and in front of the fast-approaching Dale Jarrett. This secondary impact turned Earnhardt's Chevrolet upside down and back into the fence before getting flipped right-side up.

The race car finally stopped on the grass. Earnhardt Sr came out of the mangled car and got into an ambulance for a quick examination at the infield medical center.

However, while watching through the ambulance, Earnhardt noticed that the car was standing on all four wheels. Jumping out of the ambulance, he observed his car and asked one of his crew members to check if the car cranked up.

With his Chevrolet racecar coming back to life, Earnhardt hopped back in the car and got into the pit. His crew did a decent job of putting the car back together, allowing Earnhardt to finish the race in 5th place, five laps down from the race winner Gordon.

Remembering the racing legend, a fan posted a clip of the incident on Instagram, captioned:

"Dale Earnhardt gets back in after crash"

In the post-race interview, Dale Earnhardt Sr said:

"Well, I just wanted to get back in the race and you know, try to make laps. We are running for a championship." (3:23 onwards)

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Remembering the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt Sr during the 2001 Daytona 500 race

At the age of 49, Dale Earnhardt Sr was still involved with stock car racing. The North Carolina-based driver was racing as usual in his #3 Chevrolet.

On the penultimate lap of the race, Earnhardt got involved in a three-car crash. After making a small contact with Sterling Marlin, he collided with Ken Schrader and hit the outside wall head-on. The impact caused a seatbelt failure in Earnhardt's car, causing a fatal basilar skull fracture.

Earnhardt was rushed to the Halifax Medical Center, where he took his last breath. The announcement was made by the then-NASCAR president Mike Helton.

His son, Dale Earnhardt Jr stepped on the podium with a second-place finish in the same race.