they could easily bring this back with the package they have now. just add the 2 inch wicker bill across the top of the car. i miss this type of racing at the plate tracks. now its so incredibly hard to pass they all just run in a single file.
The next thing ya know, NASCAR will be running those electric cars out on the ole racetrack! NASCAR is so far removed from what it used to be, that I don't much watch it anymore.
Kevin Wolfenden yes but in 04 his reign ended and the Jeff was the dominant driver at Dega. won 05. Should have won 06. And swept Dega in 07. Since JR and Jeff have been strong but not like it used to be. Too bad Jeff is retired. At least Jr is still racing.
Look carefully at the 7:42 minute mark. They did bring out the caution. However, prior to the fall 2003 Dover race, they used to do what was known as "racing back to the line". That meant that a driver was deemed to "take the caution" at the start/finish line and could still race for position prior to coming to the start/finish line. Look up the finish for the 1998 Daytona 500 or 1998 Brickyard 400 if you want an example.
Something I didn't know until recently was that the older exhaust systems is what gave the engines this high pitched roar at the plate races during this era.
The new NASCAR will NEVER top the Winston Cup Series. I loved it back when the drivers could fight it out on the track and they were allowed to race back to the caution flag. Dale Earnhardt Sr. said it best when he was asked what he thought about restrictor plate racing and stated "Take the restrictor plates off and let us fight it out"
I'd love to see all the seasons from when the "Chase" started, calculated under the old points system and see who the real champions were, if that's possible. I think it would be, might be a long and tedious nightmare, but doable.....!
***** Take the restrictor plates off and the cars would go 230-240mph. Then the cars would go into the grandstands every time they turn backwards. Just no. 200mph is fast enough.
Robert Anderson Old Points System Champions: 2004: Jeff Gordon 2005: Tony Stewart 2006: Jimmie Johnson 2007: Jeff Gordon 2008: Carl Edwards 2009: Jimmie Johnson 2010: Kevin Harvick 2011: Carl Edwards 2012: Brad Keselowski 2013: Matt Kenseth 2014: Jeff Gordon
I watched this live when I was 8 years old, and I can re-watch it 100 times over and it will give me goosebumps every time. NASCAR just doesn't do that anymore.
NASCAR is dying...kinda like Wrestling. It needs to go back to the good old days! The next thing ya know, the cars will be those electric-powered cars. No real guts-Just flash. If Dale Earnhardt, Sr., could come back from the dead, he'd crawl right outta his grave, walk into the NASCAR Office, and he'd start puttin' his boots right upside their backsides! He gave his life for this Sport! So did many others, that drove for NASCAR! Fireball Roberts, Don McTavish, Neil Bonnet, Tiny Lund, Russell Phillips, Tony Roper, and so many more NASCAR Drivers, that died doing what they loved to do, would be rollin' over in their graves, if they knew just how tame that NASCAR is nowadays!!!
@@ronaldshank7589 It’s not necessarily about the safety aspect, more so about the transition away from combustion engines. I think that’ll be the death of nascar at the end of the day. That, plus stage racing and the “playoffs”/chase both suck in my opinion
My dad & I were at this race. We were both HUGE Earnhardt fans...his death was a HUGE impact to us in 2001. After Earnhardt's death my dad became a HUGE Michael Waltrip fan & I became a HUGE Earnhardt Jr fan. Watching Jr win this race was so special to my dad & l...we talked about how much fun we had & what a Talledega race & experience meant to me & him all the way back to Mobile Alabama. IT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEMORIES & TIMES I EVER HAD WITH MY DAD!!! I sure do miss my dad now...I still think about this race & I have to just cry & smile...THERE AIN'T NOTHING LIKE A FATHER/SON RELATIONSHIP & MEMORIES!!! Much love from Mobile Alabama.
Because the sport was fine in the late 90s when it started going mainstream. NASCAR caved to the vocal minority, gave them what they "wanted", the vocal minority disappeared shortly after and the long time loyal fans became apathetic. Doesn't help either that it's hard to tell who's car is who's these days.
Well, when you watch this and you watch the 2017 Spring race at Talladega... is there really that big of a difference in the racing? Fans are stuck in the past, they think this race was great (which it was), but so was the 2017 Spring race.
I still blame the fact Jimmy Johnson winning all those championships in a row for part of the loss of popularity. It stopped being fun to cheer for your favorite driver all year only to see one guy win it all year after year after year. That’s sort of when I stopped tuning in. Same thing happened to the NFL especially for fans in the AFc East, why bother cheering for a team when you know the Pats are gonna win.
Lancaster Responding it’s cause the chase was added it and it was perfect for his style. I still don’t think he deserved them. Everyone had to win under the Winston but him.
His dad taught him more about drafting before anyone else caught on to what he was doing, including the announcers. Today you hear the commentators mention that phrase a thousand times during a plate race, but you don’t hear it mentioned one time during those early years of Jr.’s career when he dominating plate races. He didn’t learn that on his own. That’s why his dad dominated there as well. He taught him the art of side drafting and taught him well as proven by his at plate race stats at that time.
Even though there was a big wreck at the end, this race reminded me of the golden age that NASCAR was in at this time. A great blend of raw, young talent and old, savvy veterans who all shared one common, important thread - RESPECT.
lol i remember watching this race live. i was so nervous about jr and when i saw lebonte get turned over i thought he died. great vid and great finish :]
I think i recorded this race, and many of the Talladega ones 1997 & later. The 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona was amazing, along with Dale's final career win at the 2000 Winston 500.
Was at this race. Jam packed with fans for sure...I thought the grandstands were going to collapse when JR won. It was great back then. When Earnhardt died, so did NASCAR
Different exhaust systems. The headers/exhaust systems have changed since then, not to mention they only run pipes out the right side now, they ran them out both sides back in these days. If you go and find some qualifying sessions at the plate tracks in recent years (prior to 2013) you'll notice the penske dodges sounded just like these old cars, something i found neat and always enjoyed during cot plate quals :)
Man Allen Bestwick was incredible calling these races. “look at this move by junior at the white flag” “Burton and Stewart are side by side! That’s all Dale Jr needs to see!”
bring the wicker bill back to plate racing, you can actually pass. today if your the leader you cant be passed not enough drag on the cars. nascar is safer today then it was back then, im sure they can come up with a package similar to this..
+So Cal JEW I don't why they haven't went back to that package. Not sure it would work with the new cars but it can't be any worse. They definitely need the roof bar back.
2019: Your wish was granted. The Wicker Bill came back and it was glorious. It wasn’t on the roof, but rather the spoiler, but the effect was the same.
Hi from France ! I remember this race, I was 10 at the time and I was a Formula 1 fan but a friend got me interested into NASCAR and told me about Daytona, Talladega, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Labonte etc ... This NASCAR race was the first I watched, and it was amazing. I remember the French commentator telling us about Tony Stewart who said that he would win by slowly making his way back to the front at the end of the race, about the skills of Dale Earnhardt Jr on this speedway inherited from this father who recently had died ... And then this huge crash. Great memories !
A huge crash on the final lap and two or three guys racing back to finish line to win it. THIS is what NASCAR should be, none of that green white checkers crap
Junior manufactured that last pass for the lead beautifully. Went high and kept the RPM's up and caught the push to duck back in line and suck in to Labonte and get under him in the trioval.
That plate package was the best restrictor plate package with the wicker bills on the roofs. It debuted in Dales incredible last win at Talladega in fall 2000 Winston 500 and they kept it for all the plate races in 2001. Its a damn shame they got rid of it in 2002 that was another overreaction to Dales death by Nascar and didn't contribute to the accident. It actually allowed great passes which the fans and drivers loved
dalejr183 then that asswipe Brian France took over and just knocked a wrecking ball to NASCAR. Now with NASCAR it’s like putting crap on the wall and hope it will stick.
he has always seemed to win the big significant races since..just like the last time he drove the 3 in NNS..he knew a win was the only way that race should end and he did it..just wish he could race like that all the time lol but 2001 was full of significant and emotional moments.
I agree with you 100% there. Another thing, that I forgot, was that the track was recently paved, which brings the speeds way up, so that does have an effect
Excellent commentary and excellent racing. From mid-2000 on, this aero package, with the rear-window and roof side-strips and the rear-spoiler wicker was the best for this kind of racing. Superior drivng skills shown by many in this race, including Dale Jr, who hasn't forgotten how to drive a race car. Awesome determination by Ricky Rudd. Peace:-)
one reason dale jr won all those races: ty norris if you ever listened to his radio back then, norris pretty much told him what line to get in; now he has a dif spotter and hasta make his own choices, and he hasn't won a plate race in 5 years
When Stewart forced Jr up to the high side coming to 3 to go.....I think that ticked Jr off judging by his aggressiveness the last two laps Also the crowd noise at 7:48 EPIC
I was at this race. I was only in 2nd grade, but as a huge Tony Stewart fan from the start, this was one of the most exciting experiences I had ever had. NASCAR and Tony Stewart fan till I die.
Would be awesome if they could make a safer version of these old cars that is comparable to the standards of the modern ones and run this type of package at the plate tracks. This was some incredible racing.
Bring back the famous and sounds so awesome, "the winston cup" racing. Man, I miss the old school car engine noise. Buggie Buggie Buggiedieeeeeeeeeee!!!!
He was a badass since 1996 or so, but after this wreck, he was never the same. Trust me, I remember watching him in the late 90s battle with Dale Jarrett & Mark Martin for the win every week
THIS IS WHAT WE NEED! Add the Wickerbill to the tops of the Gen6 car, or raise the spoiler. We need more downforce on the car. This will make them easier to handle, and more comfortable for drivers to race in these packs.
For Dale Earnhardt Jr to win at the exact same track that his dad won his final race last year and got 4 straight wins at Talladega on top of it was amazing.
what a race. D jr really shows his instinct. He got sucked up behind the leaders with 4 or 5 to go, yet he didn't panic, and won. The line he took to get back to the front, he went down, then up, then an incredable move down low.... holy sh*t..... he's in the front! beautiful.
best plate package in NASCAR history
Hunter Nixon even the engine sounds better..
they could easily bring this back with the package they have now. just add the 2 inch wicker bill across the top of the car. i miss this type of racing at the plate tracks. now its so incredibly hard to pass they all just run in a single file.
2 car tandem was a bit more exciting how much 2 cars could pull away.
@@TheMW2informer i disagree. Just my personal opinion but i really hated the 2 car tandem stuff
Casey Metzger this is definitely one of the top 3 plate packages but it did have that annoying single file line sometimes.
RIP Benny Parsons, one of the best NASCAR announcers ever!
AliveWithPassion ,,, And Benny was a great Stock Car Racer to
AliveWithPassion hell yeah
Miss hearing BP.
Yeah And RIP Bobby Hamliton As Well
I really wish that the cars today could always sound like that. This is what I grew up with, and I miss it dearly.
thank the rule change to electronic fuel injection (EFI)
Jared Thompson No the cars at the plate tracks had the exhaust comin out both sides
I couldn't agree more. I miss these type of cars and packages.
Same here
The next thing ya know, NASCAR will be running those electric cars out on the ole racetrack! NASCAR is so far removed from what it used to be, that I don't much watch it anymore.
The moves jr made at Daytona and Talladega when the cars were like this were amazing. God I miss this type of racing!
Kevin Wolfenden yes but in 04 his reign ended and the Jeff was the dominant driver at Dega. won 05. Should have won 06. And swept Dega in 07. Since JR and Jeff have been strong but not like it used to be. Too bad Jeff is retired. At least Jr is still racing.
@@smc4600 this aged well
I wish they still sounded like this
+Scott Schwenz, Jr. a big crash with no caution? that's rare.
+Alex98 Well these were the rules before the 2004 Nextel season , race back to the line. The field did not freeze at the moment of caution.
CookieCrumbler D the 2001 ea sports 500 finished under green, despite labonte flip and the big one.
There was a caution but back then they would race back to the line and not finish wherever they were at the moment of caution.
Look carefully at the 7:42 minute mark. They did bring out the caution. However, prior to the fall 2003 Dover race, they used to do what was known as "racing back to the line". That meant that a driver was deemed to "take the caution" at the start/finish line and could still race for position prior to coming to the start/finish line. Look up the finish for the 1998 Daytona 500 or 1998 Brickyard 400 if you want an example.
Man the sound of those engine back then...incredible
Something I didn't know until recently was that the older exhaust systems is what gave the engines this high pitched roar at the plate races during this era.
Oooooohhh I miss it!!!! Epic!
80s and 90s they had a much deeper roar. Sound louder and closer to a harley.
Michael Langley 1998 was the first time they were high pitch.
I tell you any real nascar fans want this plate package back and the cars and the exhaust system
The new NASCAR will NEVER top the Winston Cup Series. I loved it back when the drivers could fight it out on the track and they were allowed to race back to the caution flag. Dale Earnhardt Sr. said it best when he was asked what he thought about restrictor plate racing and stated "Take the restrictor plates off and let us fight it out"
I'd love to see all the seasons from when the "Chase" started, calculated under the old points system and see who the real champions were, if that's possible. I think it would be, might be a long and tedious nightmare, but doable.....!
Robert Anderson all those calculations are on jayski :)
***** Take the restrictor plates off and the cars would go 230-240mph. Then the cars would go into the grandstands every time they turn backwards. Just no. 200mph is fast enough.
Robert Anderson Old Points System Champions:
2004: Jeff Gordon
2005: Tony Stewart
2006: Jimmie Johnson
2007: Jeff Gordon
2008: Carl Edwards
2009: Jimmie Johnson
2010: Kevin Harvick
2011: Carl Edwards
2012: Brad Keselowski
2013: Matt Kenseth
2014: Jeff Gordon
fcknfckers Heh, Jimmie Johnson still would have won in '06 and '09.... Gordon would have 7 Championships, wow.
The sounds of those engines are just lovely.
I watched this live when I was 8 years old, and I can re-watch it 100 times over and it will give me goosebumps every time. NASCAR just doesn't do that anymore.
It still has it's moments
NASCAR is dying...kinda like Wrestling. It needs to go back to the good old days!
The next thing ya know, the cars will be those electric-powered cars. No real guts-Just flash.
If Dale Earnhardt, Sr., could come back from the dead, he'd crawl right outta his grave, walk into the NASCAR Office, and he'd start puttin' his boots right upside their backsides! He gave his life for this Sport! So did many others, that drove for NASCAR! Fireball Roberts, Don McTavish, Neil Bonnet, Tiny Lund, Russell Phillips, Tony Roper, and so many more NASCAR Drivers, that died doing what they loved to do, would be rollin' over in their graves, if they knew just how tame that NASCAR is nowadays!!!
@@ronaldshank7589 It’s not necessarily about the safety aspect, more so about the transition away from combustion engines. I think that’ll be the death of nascar at the end of the day. That, plus stage racing and the “playoffs”/chase both suck in my opinion
@@MrBigShot110 Nowadays, NASCAR wouldn't know a good thing, if it came runnin' up to 'em, and screamed "Here I am"!!!
My dad & I were at this race.
We were both HUGE Earnhardt fans...his death was a HUGE impact to us in 2001.
After Earnhardt's death my dad became a HUGE Michael Waltrip fan & I became a HUGE Earnhardt Jr fan.
Watching Jr win this race was so special to my dad & l...we talked about how much fun we had & what a Talledega race & experience meant to me & him all the way back to Mobile Alabama.
IT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEMORIES & TIMES I EVER HAD WITH MY DAD!!!
I sure do miss my dad now...I still think about this race & I have to just cry & smile...THERE AIN'T NOTHING LIKE A FATHER/SON RELATIONSHIP & MEMORIES!!!
Much love from Mobile Alabama.
Goosebumps at 7:47. That roar of the crowd is just electrifying. Man, I miss these cars.
Notice how the stands are packed to capacity. You rarely see that these days with alot of grandstands being tarped off or taken down entirely.
Because the sport was fine in the late 90s when it started going mainstream. NASCAR caved to the vocal minority, gave them what they "wanted", the vocal minority disappeared shortly after and the long time loyal fans became apathetic. Doesn't help either that it's hard to tell who's car is who's these days.
Well, when you watch this and you watch the 2017 Spring race at Talladega... is there really that big of a difference in the racing? Fans are stuck in the past, they think this race was great (which it was), but so was the 2017 Spring race.
I still blame the fact Jimmy Johnson winning all those championships in a row for part of the loss of popularity. It stopped being fun to cheer for your favorite driver all year only to see one guy win it all year after year after year. That’s sort of when I stopped tuning in. Same thing happened to the NFL especially for fans in the AFc East, why bother cheering for a team when you know the Pats are gonna win.
@@canuckster24 very well said and understood
Lancaster Responding it’s cause the chase was added it and it was perfect for his style. I still don’t think he deserved them. Everyone had to win under the Winston but him.
Its a shame i have to come on youtube to watch good racing...
Its a shame that you idiotic Classic NASCAR fans have to ruin every video...
Bruh...calm yourself
I'm being serious. Every time I watch an old NASCAR video, the comments all say "This was amazing the new NASCAR sucks".
Noonecanknow Miner
Maybe because there's some truth to what the classic Nascar fans say??
No, there's no truth. The racing today is far better than before.
Can't believe that this was 20 years ago today.
Jr honestly really drove like his dad right here
nastyasszeus When it comes too Dega & Daytona he’s right up with his Dad
Dega and Daytona is where them Earnhardt boys shines brightest
i hate that ge dale didn't win a championship
Jr had a few good years on plate tracks but he really gave up after 05 season he never was the same if anyone up with Dale its Jeff Gordon
False Its Junior who's up there with The Intimidator
back when they actually raced til the end rather than ride single file until the final corner
Without a doubt, this was my favorite race of the 2001 season. No tragedy, exciting finish, great racing, everything you could ask for in a race.
I lost my mind when he won..... Junior Nation!!
TaeLi McTaw go Jr. it will suck when he retires
One of my all time favorite finishes!
This aero package was amazing.
Best drive Jr. ever had, looked like Sr. those last 3 laps.
I miss Benny Parsons
Poor Ricky Rudd there at the end, thought he could make it til his engine gave out :P
yep
😂
So much better than talladega racing nowadays
2cool 4u Last year's 499 was one of the most exciting in years...
S.M.C
Truuuee
2019 was best in decade
The only truly bad talladega race I've ever seen was last year's fall race.
Man that was 10 exciting laps. I use to love going to Dega. Good times for sure.
lovin those engines at full song!! incredible
Unreal how good of cars DEI had at plate races back then
"This is unbelievable." I watched it live and agreed with you BP. R.I.P. buddy.
This was some of the best racing I have ever seen. Best package they have ever had. Sucks they don't race it anymore.
IMO Jr could have won a title with DEI until Theresa screwed it up............
that was some good fuckin racing
2001 was my favourite Nascar Season despite Dales Death!
His dad taught him more about drafting before anyone else caught on to what he was doing, including the announcers. Today you hear the commentators mention that phrase a thousand times during a plate race, but you don’t hear it mentioned one time during those early years of Jr.’s career when he dominating plate races. He didn’t learn that on his own. That’s why his dad dominated there as well. He taught him the art of side drafting and taught him well as proven by his at plate race stats at that time.
M Dog And that’s why Junior’s among the best at Plate Racing
Hell yeah! This was a bad ass finish and thanks for the upload and the memory.
Probably the best piece of driving I have ever seen from Dale Jr.
Even though there was a big wreck at the end, this race reminded me of the golden age that NASCAR was in at this time. A great blend of raw, young talent and old, savvy veterans who all shared one common, important thread - RESPECT.
the 2 greatest finishes at talladega, fall '00 and '01 by the earnhardts.
Peak NASCAR era and them going all out for a million bucks.
From a racing and TV production stand point, this is the second greatest race in history. Only behind the 2001 Pepsi 400.
This is the package that should be used in 2021. Change my mind
2001, greatest year of racing in nascar history
Wally's sentence was cut off, but I think I know what he was implying.
"I cannot BELIEVE Tony Stew-ert left Labonte out to dry.."
I wish every Talladega race could be this amazing. And those engines sound awesome as well.
"this is...unbelievable" R.I.P. BP and this was the best racing nascar ever produced...when they would actually let them race
This is the era when NASCAR was still amazing to watch.
lol i remember watching this race live. i was so nervous about jr and when i saw lebonte get turned over i thought he died. great vid and great finish :]
Apparently Mark Martin was Mr. Where Did He Come From back in 2001.
Wow I could only imagine what it was seeing it live right there and the crowds first reaction.
Watching finishes like this make the wait for Daytona even harder... I LOVE NASCAR
I was only 8 years old at the time but I remember I started crying when Junior fell back with 4 laps to go.
I was 8 also and cried at Labonte flipping! Lol
Dale looked so much like his dad right here. He would be so proud.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 5th Career NASCAR Winston Cup Victory
I think i recorded this race, and many of the Talladega ones 1997 & later. The 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona was amazing, along with Dale's final career win at the 2000 Winston 500.
To this day I still can't believe Stewart didn't go with Labonte on the last lap
I miss Nascar being like this
Labonte's flip looked similar to Johnny Sauter's flip in the spring Busch race at Talladega the following year
Was at this race. Jam packed with fans for sure...I thought the grandstands were going to collapse when JR won. It was great back then.
When Earnhardt died, so did NASCAR
Different exhaust systems. The headers/exhaust systems have changed since then, not to mention they only run pipes out the right side now, they ran them out both sides back in these days. If you go and find some qualifying sessions at the plate tracks in recent years (prior to 2013) you'll notice the penske dodges sounded just like these old cars, something i found neat and always enjoyed during cot plate quals :)
Man Allen Bestwick was incredible calling these races. “look at this move by junior at the white flag” “Burton and Stewart are side by side! That’s all Dale Jr needs to see!”
Dale Sr taught Jr how to dominate restrictor plate races
bring the wicker bill back to plate racing, you can actually pass. today if your the leader you cant be passed not enough drag on the cars. nascar is safer today then it was back then, im sure they can come up with a package similar to this..
+So Cal JEW I don't why they haven't went back to that package. Not sure it would work with the new cars but it can't be any worse. They definitely need the roof bar back.
You forgot the lip on the rear spoiler
2019: Your wish was granted. The Wicker Bill came back and it was glorious. It wasn’t on the roof, but rather the spoiler, but the effect was the same.
Hi from France ! I remember this race, I was 10 at the time and I was a Formula 1 fan but a friend got me interested into NASCAR and told me about Daytona, Talladega, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Labonte etc ... This NASCAR race was the first I watched, and it was amazing. I remember the French commentator telling us about Tony Stewart who said that he would win by slowly making his way back to the front at the end of the race, about the skills of Dale Earnhardt Jr on this speedway inherited from this father who recently had died ... And then this huge crash. Great memories !
A huge crash on the final lap and two or three guys racing back to finish line to win it.
THIS is what NASCAR should be, none of that green white checkers crap
Junior manufactured that last pass for the lead beautifully. Went high and kept the RPM's up and caught the push to duck back in line and suck in to Labonte and get under him in the trioval.
I really, really do miss those days.😢
That plate package was the best restrictor plate package with the wicker bills on the roofs. It debuted in Dales incredible last win at Talladega in fall 2000 Winston 500 and they kept it for all the plate races in 2001. Its a damn shame they got rid of it in 2002 that was another overreaction to Dales death by Nascar and didn't contribute to the accident. It actually allowed great passes which the fans and drivers loved
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dalejr183 then that asswipe Brian France took over and just knocked a wrecking ball to NASCAR. Now with NASCAR it’s like putting crap on the wall and hope it will stick.
I agree with you,the races at Dega we always get up for
he has always seemed to win the big significant races since..just like the last time he drove the 3 in NNS..he knew a win was the only way that race should end and he did it..just wish he could race like that all the time lol but 2001 was full of significant and emotional moments.
Thats the good old day when a wreck happened on the last lap and they hauled ass back to the checkered.
before the repave it was epic
I absolutely love this kind of racing!
I agree with you 100% there. Another thing, that I forgot, was that the track was recently paved, which brings the speeds way up, so that does have an effect
That's so cool how Dale Jr.'s roof No. 8 and rear spoiler are the same red color as Dale Sr.'s car that he ran at Talladega the year before.
All Access Gaming thats just because of the No Bull 5 deal. all the No Bull contenders ran an orange roof number and spoiler
Brandon Howe I know that's why.
Excellent commentary and excellent racing. From mid-2000 on, this aero package, with the rear-window and roof side-strips and the rear-spoiler wicker was the best for this kind of racing. Superior drivng skills shown by many in this race, including Dale Jr, who hasn't forgotten how to drive a race car. Awesome determination by Ricky Rudd. Peace:-)
one reason dale jr won all those races: ty norris
if you ever listened to his radio back then, norris pretty much told him what line to get in; now he has a dif spotter and hasta make his own choices, and he hasn't won a plate race in 5 years
When Stewart forced Jr up to the high side coming to 3 to go.....I think that ticked Jr off judging by his aggressiveness the last two laps
Also the crowd noise at 7:48 EPIC
dang this is 10 years old and i still get nervous watching this
My favorite part: 5:55-6:11 Jr. making the moves that nobody else had the balls to make
That year in racing for the plate tracks was probably one of the most exciting ever.
Sunday was the best day of the week, because we knew the Race was starting soon.
I was at this race. I was only in 2nd grade, but as a huge Tony Stewart fan from the start, this was one of the most exciting experiences I had ever had. NASCAR and Tony Stewart fan till I die.
Great vid dude 👍👍
I miss Allen, bp and wally doing nascar for nbc
Would be awesome if they could make a safer version of these old cars that is comparable to the standards of the modern ones and run this type of package at the plate tracks. This was some incredible racing.
They need to go back to this body style. Low noses, high back ends. Then they need to actually work the draft as opposed to pushing each other
Those RAD cars just dominated the plate racing in 99 and early 2000's
In nascar thunder 2003 this race is in the lightning challenge
Up until the wreck it was beatiful racing 3 wide throughout the whole pack and the way Gordon made it through is amazin
Bring back the famous and sounds so awesome, "the winston cup" racing. Man, I miss the old school car engine noise. Buggie Buggie Buggiedieeeeeeeeeee!!!!
He was a badass since 1996 or so, but after this wreck, he was never the same. Trust me, I remember watching him in the late 90s battle with Dale Jarrett & Mark Martin for the win every week
what a race. i dont think nascar will ever see this kind of racing again.
I really hope the Gen6 cars brings back this kind of plate racing.
THIS IS WHAT WE NEED! Add the Wickerbill to the tops of the Gen6 car, or raise the spoiler. We need more downforce on the car. This will make them easier to handle, and more comfortable for drivers to race in these packs.
Maybe the greatest plate race, in terms of just the racing, of all time.
He works from Mikey's team as General Manager.
I would argue that Norris' departure is a key part of DEI's decline, along with Jr. leaving.
Here during 2020 covid19 and after 2020 Season Finale 500.
That was truly NASCAR's most exciting aero package for the plate tracks.
Man those sounds and that racing. Incredible. Nascar at its Peak really.
For Dale Earnhardt Jr to win at the exact same track that his dad won his final race last year and got 4 straight wins at Talladega on top of it was amazing.
what a race. D jr really shows his instinct. He got sucked up behind the leaders with 4 or 5 to go, yet he didn't panic, and won. The line he took to get back to the front, he went down, then up, then an incredable move down low.... holy sh*t..... he's in the front! beautiful.
Ah yes, the good ole days when a crash on the last lap doesn't end a race prematurely, and racing back to the checkered
That was some AWESOME racing!