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.
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.
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.
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.
*"Contact! Bobby Labonte's over! It's the big wreck on the final lap!!!! They're racing back for the win"* -Allen Bestwick. 2001 I miss Allen, I wish he came back on NBC's coverage.
If it wasn't for Dale Sr.'s death, and 9/11, the 2001 Winston Cup Series season would've been one of the best seasons of all time. There were some pretty spectacular moments over the course of 2001. Kevin Harvick's photo-finish first win, one of the greatest caution-free races, Dale Jr.'s first win at Daytona, Steve Park's only oval-track win, and the debut of both Chicagoland and Kansas all came in 2001. This finish, as well, was also from 2001. (Obviously)
+nascarfanatic2425 Sadly a lot of that wouldn't have happened if it hadn't have been for Earnhardt's death. Mainly Harvick's first win, but had Earnhardt have participated in the other 35 races, then he effects all of those races and they could have all had different outcomes. Sadly, even with a great season like 2001 that showed that NASCAR could still grow and be great without one of it's greatest drivers, just 5 or so years later they started changing everything up. What could have been...
+timr387 True. The fall of NASCAR has been blamed on Dale Earnhardt's death. People said the sport died w/ him. Newsflash to those people: It didn't. 2001-2003 had very competitive, hard racing. It was just proving that it could get better and better until Brian France took over as CEO.
@@jesuschristislord6790 I completely agree. However, even though Dale's death wasn't the death of NASCAR, it did overshadow all of the exciting moments of the 2001 season.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 :]
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:-)
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.
A thrilling race and a breathtaking (albeit scary!) conclusion. Seems like just yesterday, but I remember this finish vividly. I was a HUGE Labonte fan and given that Bobby usually didn't fare too well at plate tracks, I couldn't believe that he was in the lead so late in the race! I kept watching until the pack came through the tri-oval for the white flag which, being 9-years-old, I was so nervous that I had to leave the room. A few minutes later, I returned to the sight of the 18 car wrecked and upside down at 8:12 Terribly disappointing, but looking back at this race today -- and at Nascar during this period -- I realize what a remarkable combination we as fans were treated to at that time: A great on-track combination of young, up-and-coming drivers mixed with seasoned veterans, superb announcers and pit reporters (we all miss you, BP!), the old aerodynamics package, the roar of the cars as they passed by...This was when Nascar was really Nascar and I miss it dearly. It's sad that this era is now ancient history and is gone forever, but I am so, *SO* glad that I lived to see Nascar during some of its brightest days.
I love this race. One of my favorite finishes in NASCAR since I started watching. And this cars and the wicker were awesome combination. Best plate car ever and I miss this racing dearly.
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 !
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 :)
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.
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
I do think that improving the fences, just in case, would be good-but I'm just mad at people like Johnson wanting to tear down the banking, and make it more like Calfiornia (which is my least favourite track)
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.
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 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
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.
Junior entering the trioval: "Did I win?" Me shouting at the tv back then: "Cross the damn finish line, ya goober!" XD I love junior. Always will. Haha Btw, that 55 car was faaaaaaast. Damn. Wanna see that number make a comeback.
Bring back the famous and sounds so awesome, "the winston cup" racing. Man, I miss the old school car engine noise. Buggie Buggie Buggiedieeeeeeeeeee!!!!
To me this was the perfect restrictor plate package. They could get huge runs with that wicker on top and the one they put on the spoiler and made the racing soooo good
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.
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 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
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.
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.
*"Contact! Bobby Labonte's over! It's the big wreck on the final lap!!!! They're racing back for the win"*
-Allen Bestwick. 2001
I miss Allen, I wish he came back on NBC's coverage.
me too
him and Benny made NBC/TNT coverage compete and made FOX have to work even harder. Now FOX I'd the best, NBC sucks now, especially Kyle Petty
FOX and NBC, I'd say, are about equal these days.
Racing back for the win. They way it should be at large tracks with plenty of time for the leaders to slow down after crossing the finish line.
me too. I had loved TNT & ESPN coverage.I miss them
If it wasn't for Dale Sr.'s death, and 9/11, the 2001 Winston Cup Series season would've been one of the best seasons of all time. There were some pretty spectacular moments over the course of 2001. Kevin Harvick's photo-finish first win, one of the greatest caution-free races, Dale Jr.'s first win at Daytona, Steve Park's only oval-track win, and the debut of both Chicagoland and Kansas all came in 2001. This finish, as well, was also from 2001. (Obviously)
+nascarfanatic2425 Sadly a lot of that wouldn't have happened if it hadn't have been for Earnhardt's death. Mainly Harvick's first win, but had Earnhardt have participated in the other 35 races, then he effects all of those races and they could have all had different outcomes. Sadly, even with a great season like 2001 that showed that NASCAR could still grow and be great without one of it's greatest drivers, just 5 or so years later they started changing everything up. What could have been...
+timr387 True. The fall of NASCAR has been blamed on Dale Earnhardt's death. People said the sport died w/ him. Newsflash to those people: It didn't. 2001-2003 had very competitive, hard racing. It was just proving that it could get better and better until Brian France took over as CEO.
I honestly believe 2001 was one of the best years NASCAR had. Look at the dramatic finishes it had.
@@nascarfanatic2425 the fall of nascar wasnt earnhardts death, the sport was bigger than one man. The fall of nascar was the playoffs.
@@jesuschristislord6790 I completely agree. However, even though Dale's death wasn't the death of NASCAR, it did overshadow all of the exciting moments of the 2001 season.
Gotta give Jr some credit here, looked like his old man during the end of this race.
He's nearly just as good as his dad was at these tracks.
The sounds of those engines are just lovely.
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.
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.
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"!!!
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.
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.
Best drive Jr. ever had, looked like Sr. those last 3 laps.
I miss Benny Parsons
I miss the days of hearing packed crowds roar over the engines at Dega and Daytona when Junior would take the lead
Taped this myself. One of Jr's greatest wins I say. Gives me goosebumps everytime
lovin those engines at full song!! incredible
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.
back when they actually raced til the end rather than ride single file until the final corner
Can't believe that this was 20 years ago today.
Man that was 10 exciting laps. I use to love going to Dega. Good times for sure.
This was some of the best racing I have ever seen. Best package they have ever had. Sucks they don't race it anymore.
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!
Poor Ricky Rudd there at the end, thought he could make it til his engine gave out :P
yep
😂
This aero package was amazing.
Hell yeah! This was a bad ass finish and thanks for the upload and the memory.
Benny Parsons- And Tony Stewart goes with JR!
I still can't believe Tony went with JR and really can't believe Bobby L. tried to block B. Hamilton.
That's what got Labonte in trouble, he made that block and tried to come back down but that line already had a run on him
2001- car flips on last lap huge wreck race to the line
2017- car spins outs half mile from the pack caution out
"...half mile away from the pack..."
-_-
@@alphazuluosprey1708 He's right.
SinikkaL no he’s not lmao
that was some good fuckin racing
Wow I could only imagine what it was seeing it live right there and the crowds first reaction.
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.
Unreal how good of cars DEI had at plate races back then
Wow! When Junior and Tony Stewart teamed up at Talladega or Daytona, it was game over.
i love the way the old cars sounded! I wish they would bring it back
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 :]
"This is unbelievable." I watched it live and agreed with you BP. R.I.P. buddy.
IMO Jr could have won a title with DEI until Theresa screwed it up............
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:-)
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.
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
Labonte's flip looked similar to Johnny Sauter's flip in the spring Busch race at Talladega the following year
Every word said gave me goosebumps.
This finish was awesome.
I loved watching wrecked cars drag themselves across the finish line back in the day. The pride of finishing used to be huge.
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.
From a racing and TV production stand point, this is the second greatest race in history. Only behind the 2001 Pepsi 400.
I wish every Talladega race could be this amazing. And those engines sound awesome as well.
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.
A thrilling race and a breathtaking (albeit scary!) conclusion. Seems like just yesterday, but I remember this finish vividly. I was a HUGE Labonte fan and given that Bobby usually didn't fare too well at plate tracks, I couldn't believe that he was in the lead so late in the race! I kept watching until the pack came through the tri-oval for the white flag which, being 9-years-old, I was so nervous that I had to leave the room. A few minutes later, I returned to the sight of the 18 car wrecked and upside down at 8:12
Terribly disappointing, but looking back at this race today -- and at Nascar during this period -- I realize what a remarkable combination we as fans were treated to at that time: A great on-track combination of young, up-and-coming drivers mixed with seasoned veterans, superb announcers and pit reporters (we all miss you, BP!), the old aerodynamics package, the roar of the cars as they passed by...This was when Nascar was really Nascar and I miss it dearly.
It's sad that this era is now ancient history and is gone forever, but I am so, *SO* glad that I lived to see Nascar during some of its brightest days.
I love this race. One of my favorite finishes in NASCAR since I started watching. And this cars and the wicker were awesome combination. Best plate car ever and I miss this racing dearly.
Peak NASCAR era and them going all out for a million bucks.
2001 was my favourite Nascar Season despite Dales Death!
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 !
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 :)
what an awesome final set of laps - 3 by 3 by 3 by 3 by 3 aall the way back lol
looked like rush hour traffic!
Watching finishes like this make the wait for Daytona even harder... I LOVE NASCAR
Miss Benny. NASCAR broadcasts have not been the same without him. Broadcasting with real humility and humor in NASCAR died with Benny.
One of the best races ever!
Probably the best piece of driving I have ever seen from Dale Jr.
Love this sound
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.."
Dale looked so much like his dad right here. He would be so proud.
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.
This is the era when NASCAR was still amazing to watch.
"this is...unbelievable" R.I.P. BP and this was the best racing nascar ever produced...when they would actually let them race
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
man that's just awesome and I was there to see this in person im fist pumping like it just happened. i really miss NASCAR then!!
In nascar thunder 2003 this race is in the lightning challenge
This is the package that should be used in 2021. Change my mind
I do think that improving the fences, just in case, would be good-but I'm just mad at people like Johnson wanting to tear down the banking, and make it more like Calfiornia (which is my least favourite track)
the 2 greatest finishes at talladega, fall '00 and '01 by the earnhardts.
I miss Nascar being like this
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.
Here during 2020 covid19 and after 2020 Season Finale 500.
My first ever talladega race watching live as a fan . It was great
before the repave it was epic
Man those sounds and that racing. Incredible. Nascar at its Peak really.
2001, greatest year of racing in nascar history
Good job Bobby... Drift up to the wall blocking and when the lane he was in, fills in, pushes he way back into it...
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 miss Allen, bp and wally doing nascar for nbc
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 5th Career NASCAR Winston Cup Victory
dang this is 10 years old and i still get nervous watching this
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
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.
loved the need to pass the start finish line back then...
Junior entering the trioval: "Did I win?"
Me shouting at the tv back then: "Cross the damn finish line, ya goober!" XD
I love junior. Always will. Haha
Btw, that 55 car was faaaaaaast. Damn. Wanna see that number make a comeback.
Bring back the famous and sounds so awesome, "the winston cup" racing. Man, I miss the old school car engine noise. Buggie Buggie Buggiedieeeeeeeeeee!!!!
To me this was the perfect restrictor plate package. They could get huge runs with that wicker on top and the one they put on the spoiler and made the racing soooo good
That year in racing for the plate tracks was probably one of the most exciting ever.
23 years later, still hold my breath waiting for the "Big One."
In the broadcast of that race, that was a theme song. The played that a few times in the pre-race show.
All of the drivers involved in that big crash disliked this.
Up until the wreck it was beatiful racing 3 wide throughout the whole pack and the way Gordon made it through is amazin
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.
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.
Great vid dude 👍👍
Apparently Mark Martin was Mr. Where Did He Come From back in 2001.
I bet B Labonte cussed T Stewart for leaving him hanging out and forcing him into that position! Coach probably did too!