■ 25 January 2010 | 9:12 PM
What are the NASCAR memories you hold on to?
Lots of work going through interviews from the media tour last week. As I was transcribing part of Jimmie Johnson's interview session, I came across an interesting comment he made when asked about his dominance in the Cup:
"I think, in any sport, to see someone make history is pretty special,'' Johnson said. "I've only see a few things in my life (like that). There's only certain things that you can remember and hang on to in sports.''
That last line really struck me. It's true. For all the sports viewing, whether it's NASCAR, basketball, football or some other sports, there are only a few standout moments we take with us from day to day and come to mind from time to time. Yes, if you've followed this sport long enough, there are certain days that will be forever remembered from the 1979 Daytona 500 finish to Bill Elliott going for the Winston Million to Dale Earnhardt's death.
What other moments are special to you, the memories you'll hold on to as long you live?
It's a tough question even for me as I head into my 12th season covering the sport. Yes, Dale Earnhardt's death will always be with me as I was there that day. It will be with me as much for the shock as the reaction of so many people. I also won't forget the spring weekend in 1999 in Martinsville when Petty Enterprises swept the events with Jimmy Hensley winning the truck race and John Andretti winning the Cup race. I want to say Richard got a ride to Victory Lane on one of those vehicles. Until RPM won last year with Kasey Kahne, Petty hadn't been to Victory Lane since that weekend.
One moment I'll never forget is that while working on a story in 2005 about Dale Earnhardt's last win (the 2000 Dega race where he went from like 18th to first in the last five laps). I got a video of the last 20 laps and took it to the key drivers in the race that day and had them tell me what they were doing and how Earnhardt got to the front. I sat down with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in his motorhome at Dover that fall and talked to him about the race and then he popped the disc into his DVD player and the race popped up on his big screen in there. Right toward the end, Earnhardt makes this big charge where he passes about 7 cars from the exit of turn 2 to the entrance of turn 3. I had Dale Jr. stop the disc, told him what was going to happen and then let him watch it. I had seen that run dozens of times in my research. This time, I turned toward Earnhardt Jr. as he sat and watched it. As his father, motored to the front, a small smile creased Dale Jr.s' face and then he spoke only one word.
"Wow.''
Maybe not the most historic or significant moment in the sports, but it's a memory that I've kept all these years and will likely stay with me for a long time.
Well, time to get back to transcribing. I'm anxious to see what you say.
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Dale Earnhardt is the dynamic force in my NASCAR memories.
Prior to Feb - 2001, I was a tried and true Richard Petty fan. I was born in 86' and grew up on ESPN covering NASCAR, but really took a fondness to the Petty Blue 43. I still remember the 1996 NASCAR year in review video, and the Rockingham race in which Earnhardt nearly took out Bobby Hamilton to take the checkard flag. Before his death Earnhardt wasn't really a favorite of mine, I still liked the 43 and liked Andretti winning in 99, but I respected all that he had accomplished and knew (from spinning Terry out in 99, beating Bobby in the 2000 Atlanta race by inches, and the Dega 00 race he won) that he was something special. His death transformed who I liked. I became a fan of Dale after he was gone, and now continuously root for Jr.
1972 Capital City 500
My first race, age 12, was Richmond, Sept. 72. Great race between Petty, Allison, and Buddy Baker (in his first race for the 71 car). The three tangled in turn 4, sending Petty over the metal guardrail and slapping into the chain link fence outside of the track.
Petty bounced off of that fence, back onto the track, shifted gears and kept on going. He soon passed Allison and Baker, re-took the lead and won the race.
I figured that kind of thing happened all the time...and I was hooked. Over 37 years (and LOTS of races) later...never anything even CLOSE to that!
There's a giant photo of that crash on the wall of the Richard Petty Museum in Randleman! Anyone else there that day?!?
memory
JR turning Kyle into the wall at the Richmond race right after Dale Jarrett commented that neither one of them were going to mess with the other one so early in the race is my favorite memory. Being there and seing the stands erupt on cheers when it happened made it really, really something to remember.
Some more memories
Just a few more quick memories:
- Richmond at night when it was a 1/2 mile
- Harvick's first win when he swore Dale was riding with him
- Alan Kuwicki's first backwards victory lap
- Ricky Rudd winning at Dover in his own team, when he refused to pit because they'd messed up too many previous pit stops!
- The smile on Mark Martin's face all of 2009
- Kyle Busch forgetting his girlfriend's name at the awards dinner
- How all of NASCAR has embraced the Victory Junction Gang camp, and other charities
- Seeing Mark Martin race at Langley Speedway
Too many more lifetime memories to list. I could spend hours writing them down! I've been a NASCAR fan over 40 years.
just win it!
Does it have to me a Cup memory? If not, the most memorable event for me was at Langley in 1969 when I was a NASCAR pit license holder with our mini-stock team. An Austin Mini Cooper running a highly modified 1275. Our car won many races on the circuit and the driver wanted to win above all things. Always.
This one race, his left rear wheel came off and he was black flagged. But he was winning the race ( 10 laps) and he did not care that he only had 3 wheels or that he had been black flagged! He won too. But of course, he really didn't.
Note: The suspension was loaded such that the tiny little LR tire almost never touched the ground anyway, and never did in a corner. Also, the spider gears were welded up in such a way as to fool the inspector but still basically have both wheels pulling. Details available on request, lol.
Still thinking about a Cup moment! C'mon February!
Lot's of memories
Too many memories to write down, but I'll give you a latest and earliest. My latest memory has to be Rick Hendrick sending two planes down to Haiti. It's an example of the type of people involved with NASCAR. My earliest memory has to be the first race I attended - the 1968 Southern 500. I was in the Navy and went down with a couple other sailors in a borrowed motorhome. Back then the Southern 500 was run on Monday. We arrived Saturday night and couldn't enter the infield until Sunday AM. One side of the track had a long line of cars waiting to go in. On the other side was a parking lot of officials and probably drivers and crew. In 1968 motohomes were a rarity, so the track officials assummed we were someone important and let us park in the "special" parking lot. All night long there were parties all around the track, and they continued all day Sunday inside the track. Lot's of strange clear beverages in mason jars!
The Intimidator
That black 3 car was what got me hooked on racing:
- Watching the 3 and 2 car battling side by side for laps at every track
- Dale giving Terry a bump on the last lap at Bristol
- I was underway, watching the 500 on the day he passed - saw the wreck, cursed his bad luck . . . then we lost the satellite feed and had to wait until later that evening and an email from a friend.
My memory
I remember when it wa a sport a man could take his family to. Money took over along with the people that attended just to get drunk. All the drivers have to make a million a year causing the price of a ticket out of my range to take the family. They take their own beer and whiskey and many are too dunk to be there. I wil not submit my family to this drunken party again or pay their price to attend.
Great racing
Dustin, I came to NASCAR late, after observing the passionate reaction of racing fans following Dale Earnhardt's death. I started watching NASCAR to see what the deal was, and was hooked by the great racing I saw: Harvick beating Gordon by a bumper at Atlanta, Craven outracing Jarrett at Martinsville, Craven and Busch bumpin' and rubbin' to the checkers at Darlington, Junior winning at Daytona. (I hope we see a return to that great racing again.)
I doubt this is what you’re looking for…..
’61 or 2 in Richmond with my parents when I was little. Some good ole boys were climbing the board fence to sneak in. One of ‘em grabbed hold of a hornet’s nest. He was screamin’ and dancin’.
Joe Weatherly won the race. He was my hero. The only race I ever saw him win.