10 Most Defining Moments In NASCAR History

As we prepare for the famed Firecracker 400, now the Pepsi 400, at Daytona, I thought I’d take a chance to look at what I feel are the ten most defining moments in NASCAR history. I’m sure you may have your own set of moments, but as I think of where NASCAR has come from, moonshiners bragging rights, to where it is today, major sport in the US, these moments shine as those that made the sport what it is today. This list is chronologically, not in order of importance. So, don’t think I’m placing your favorite moment down on the list for wrong reasons.

February 22, 1959 – The first Daytona 500. This has to be the first defining moment in the history of the series. Even though you might think the founding of it in 1949 should be, the first Daytona 500 set the stage for a race that would endure and be a spectacle larger than life. In fact, Daytona is not defined as a weekend, but as “Speedweeks.” Daytona has different rules for qualifying. There are special paint schemes. More cars try to qualify for this race than any other all season long. So, the first one has to be a defining moment in the sport.

May 24, 1964 – “Fireball” Roberts crash at World 600 in Charlotte. How can the crash of one man be a defining moment? Cale Yarborough and Ned Jarrett got together and collected Fireball, sending his car off into a firey crash of its own. Fireball suffered severe burns over 80% of his body and died a little over a month later on July 2. It was this crash that resulted in fire suits being mandatory, fireproof fuel cells and other safety innovations making their way into NASCAR history. It is a shame that NASCAR had to loose such a great, rising star. There is no telling how great a driver he would have been. But, his loss has brought about rules that have saved countless drivers the world over. NASCAR is as safe today as it is because of this defining moment.

1966 – Goodyear’s Lifeguard Inner Liner. In 1966, Goodyear introduced its safety racing tire. This tire had a tube inside of the tire, thus referred to as the “tire within a tire.” Should the outer tire fail, the inner tire would keep the car from experiencing catastrophic failure, thus saving the driver from a severe crash. Prior to the introduction of this tire, NASCAR, along with other racing series’ had lost many a good driver to horrific crashes. This tire has saved many drivers from career ending, not to mention possible life ending, accidents. Goodyear, after its introduction and in the interest of safety, shared the technology, despite being in the middle of a tire war.

1971 – Winston Sponsorship. In 1971, R.J. Reynolds brought its Winston brand to NASCAR. They offered up large sums of money in prized and a year-end award for the series champion. Thus was the beginning of the Winston Cup. This sponsorship brought big money and big exposure to the sport. I firmly believe that without this sponsorship, NASCAR might still be a footnote on most sports pages.

1975 – Uniform Points System. Developed on a napkin in a restaurant, the points system has remained basically unchanged. Yes, they have changed the final ten races, but they still use that system in getting there and getting done. Until 1975, several points systems were used to determine the champion using such uneven standards as race length and money won. To become a major sport, NASCAR needed a standard way of awarding points and deciding a champion. NASCAR would not have grown to its current popularity without it.

February 18, 1979 – Daytona 500. Daytona is again the site of a defining moment in NASCAR history. The 1979 Daytona 500 is noteworthy for two reasons. The first is that it was the first NASCAR race to receive flag to flag coverage. Prior to this race, any NASCAR race covered by television was done at intervals during other sportscasts. This one was televised on CBS in its entirety, live. The second was the finish. Racing down the backstretch, for the win, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison got together and crashed at the entrance to turn three. As the cars came to rest, both drivers exited their cars and a fight broke out. They exchanged punches as millions of Americans watched. It is listed as one of the most memorable Daytona 500s of all time. It brought the sport notoriety and definition.

1981 – ESPN begins televising NASCAR. Until 1981, only a few NASCAR races made television. As ESPN began growing, looking for sports to cover, they began to cover more and more NASCAR races. I believe it was ESPN’s attention to the sport that brought it into the limelight of American sports. Without ESPN, like Winston, NASCAR may have faded into obscurity and remained relegated to being just a “good ole boy’s” sport.

July 4, 1984 – Richard Petty’s 200th win. Richard Petty accomplished on that day what may never be done again. To win 200 races in his career elevated him to unique status, bringing the sport he helped raise along with him. Would Petty and NASCAR have been just as well off if he had never gotten that 200th win? Most likely, but 200 seems like such a magical number.

February 14, 2001 – Death of Dale Earnhardt. One does not have to be an Earnhardt fan to recognize and acknowledge the impact he had on the sport. He was larger than life and became the embodiment of NASCAR. His face and number were everywhere, and still are for that matter. Coming out of turn 4 on the final lap, Dale was racing for third with Ken Schrader and others when he and Ken got together, sending Dale into the outside wall hard. As Dale’s drivers, Michael Waltrip and Dale, Jr. raced for the win, no one expected what was happening behind them. Dale’s impact into the outside wall had caused severe damage to his spinal cord and brain, leaving him dead at the scene. As the world watched on, we all echoed Darrell Waltrip’s words, “I hope Dale’s alright.” There can be no doubt that his passing left its impact on the sport, not the least was the institution of safer walls and head-and-neck restraints. Thinking of NASCAR means thinking of this incident.

2004 – The Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship. Winston’s sponsorship ended with the crowning of the 2003 Winston Cup Champion, Matt Kenseth . 2004 began the Nextel era. With that, NASCAR changed the way they determine their champion. Rather than race the whole season, gathering points, and crowing the one who has the most at the end, they decided to use the first 26 races to set a field of 10. Those 10 would be separated from the rest of the field and allowed to compete the final 10 races among themselves for the championship. This was going to eliminate runaway winners and bring an importance to each of the final 10 races. It has been tweaked since then, namely this year, by expanding the final field to 12. The finishes since the Chase was instituted have been close and the lead changes literally by the lap during the final 10 races. It was designed to bring excitement back to NASCAR and has accomplished just that.

I hope you have enjoyed these defining moments. I hope you’ll share your moments in comments. I’m sure there are moments that could have been included, I could have even taken it out to 25 or 50. I thought, though, that these 10 have made NASCAR the great sport it is today.

Cinch up those belts and let’s go racing.
JR