FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2006, file photo, Dale Earnhardt Jr., puts on his helmet and protective HANS device during preparations the day before the Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. NASCAR mandated the use of head-and-neck restraints in late 2001. Drivers had resisted using the U-shaped neck restraint made of carbon fiber because they found it cumbersome and restrictive. They became required equipment after 25-year-old Blaise Alexander was killed in a crash at Charlotte Motor Speedway some eight months after Earnhardt's death.(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 1999, file photom NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, right, and team owner Richard Childress, pose in Victory Lane after Earnhardt won a qualifying auto race for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Childress, now 75, often wonders what NASCAR would look like had Earnhardt survived. Childress was far more than Earnhardt's car owner. The two were hunting and fishing buddies, business associates and close friends. (AP Photo/Harold Hinson, File)

FILE - In this March 11, 2001, file photo, Kevin Harvick holds up the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Cracker Barrel 500 auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. Harvick was driving for the GM Goodwrench Chevrolet team in place of Dale Earnhardt who was killed in a crash at Daytona that year. Childress had to push Harvick into Earnhardt’s seat a year earlier than planned, rebranding the No. 3 to the No. 29 to give Harvick his own identity. Photo/Ric Feld,FIle)

FILE - This Feb. 9, 2020, file photo, shows a SAFER barrier wall in Turn 4 during qualifying for the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race qualifying at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Steel And Foam Energy Reduction Barrier was designed to absorb and reduce kinetic energy during high-speed crashes. "Soft walls” have been gradually added to nearly every NASCAR track, first in high-impact areas, The Steel And Foam Energy Reduction Barrier was designed to absorb and reduce kinetic energy during high-speed crashes. "Soft walls” have been gradually added to nearly every NASCAR track, first in high-impact areas and later, after Kyle Busch broke both legs in a 2015 crash at Daytona, in place of nearly every spot of exposed wall. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2011, file photo, a statue of Dale Earnhardt rises above an entrance at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. On the cusp of a national popularity explosion, NASCAR never stopped after the deaths of Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tony Roper. But losing Earnhardt forced the stock car series to confront safety issues it had been slow to even acknowledge, let alone address. The dramatic upgrades have saved multiple lives — NASCAR has not suffered a racing death in its three national series since — and are the hallmark of Earnhardt's legacy. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2020, file photo, Ryan Newman's car goes airborne after crashing into Corey LaJoie (32) during the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. NASCAR fans and fellow competitors feared the worst for Newman, but the 2008 Daytona 500 winner walked out of the hospital 48 hours later holding hands with his girls. He is a symbol of how far the sport has come since NASCAR's darkest day 20 years ago, when seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt was killed in the final turn of the 500. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 13, 1997, file photo, the checkered flag in Victory Lane reflects in the sunglasses of Dale Earnhardt,, after he won his eighth consecutive 125-mile qualifying auto race for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. On the cusp of a national popularity explosion, NASCAR never stopped after the deaths of Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tony Roper. But losing Earnhardt forced the stock car series to confront safety issues it had been slow to even acknowledge, let alone address. The dramatic upgrades have saved multiple lives — NASCAR has not suffered a racing death in its three national series since — and are the hallmark of Earnhardt's legacy. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 18, 2001, file photo, Dale Earnhardt's (3) window pops out of the car after being hit by Ken Schrader (36) during the Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. On the cusp of a national popularity explosion, NASCAR never stopped after the deaths of Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tony Roper. But losing Earnhardt forced the stock car series to confront safety issues it had been slow to even acknowledge, let alone address. The dramatic upgrades have saved multiple lives — NASCAR has not suffered a racing death in its three national series since — and are the hallmark of Earnhardt's legacy. (AP Photo/Greg Suvino, File)