What Happens in Blink of an Eye?
The complete story of Blink of an Eye, from the first scene to the last, in 302 words (about 1 minute). Spoilers throughout.
Spoilers ahead
The film tells the story of Waltrip’s racing career from its beginning, showing him work his way up to NASCAR by winning in go-karts and lower divisions of racing. Waltrip’s career in the then NASCAR Winston Cup Series begins when he receives advice from Richard Petty to start racing directly in Winston Cup rather than going through the developmental NASCAR Busch Series (now known as the Xfinity Series) first. His early career is largely overshadowed by his older brother Darrell’s; unlike Darrell, Michael has minimal success in the Winston Cup Series, failing to win a single race in his first 462 Winston Cup Series starts.
After a frightening accident at Bristol Motor Speedway, Waltrip befriends seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Dale Earnhardt. In 2000, he agrees to drive a new third car for Earnhardt’s Winston Cup Series team, Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) for 2001. The move makes Waltrip and Earnhardt’s son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., teammates. In his first race for DEI, Waltrip, Earnhardt Jr., and Earnhardt are running in the top three in the 2001 Daytona 500. While Waltrip leads Earnhardt Jr. to a one-two finish, Earnhardt is involved in a fatal accident with Ken Schrader on the final lap. Schrader visits Waltrip in Victory Lane to explain the severity of Earnhardt’s injuries, shortly before his death is confirmed to the public.
NASCAR returns to Daytona that summer for the 2001 Pepsi 400. In the closing laps, Earnhardt Jr. and Waltrip find themselves running one-two in that order. Despite badly wanting a win to help in the healing process, Waltrip instead chooses to push Earnhardt Jr. to the victory just as Earnhardt Jr. had pushed him to his Daytona 500 win earlier that year. The two celebrate Earnhardt Jr.’s victory together in a moment of healing for the entire NASCAR community.
