The History Of NASCAR - 2004 Documentary

In The Beginning gentlemen start your engines if you're a racing fan nothing brings more excitement and anticipation than these four simple words hello my name is John Kowalski and welcome to the greatest moments in the history of NASCAR brought to you by biography software the leader in biographical multimedia entertainment software for the next 90 minutes or so will share some of the greatest moments in NASCAR's history you'll see racing at its best through our collection of rarely seen photos and videos you'll hear actual interviews from the historic Jean Granger show as Jean talks with some of the sports greatest legends and you'll be able to test your NASCAR Knowledge from within our Hall of Fame we'll start this event with a brief history of NASCAR's Beginnings in the late 40s and into the 50s then we'll move into the 60s and 70s paved tracks and of course the Richard Petty era after that it's on to the 80s with the legendary Dale Earnhardt and DW Daryl Waltrip from there it's NASCAR in the 9s America's fastest growing sport we'll also show you some of the greatest tracks and Motorsports and profile a few of NASCAR's greatest drivers and don't forget the families of NASCAR names like Allison and Jared and nhart then we'll go behind the scenes for a look at some of NASCAR's top racing teams and finally we'll take a peek into the future with a look at some of the top new drivers so for now strap yourself in for a fast ride as we show you some of the greatest moments in the history of NASCAR in the beginning racing in the 40s and 50s you can't talk about the history of NASCAR without devoting a generous portion of your discussion to the France family NASCAR's entire existence in fact is doing large part to the determination and effort of one family member in particular who founded the organization Big Bill France William Henry Getty France was born on September the 26th 1909 in Washington DC at a young age he became fascinated with the idea of racing automobiles he married a nurse named Anne bledo in 1931 and three years later the young couple moved to Florida with their new baby boy William Jr where Big Bill opened a gap station in Daytona Beach racing seemed to be pretty popular in the South and Big Bill even entered a few races himself and then he tried something he had never done before in 1938 he promoted a race it was a very special kind of race with half the track on the Highway A1A and the other half on Daytona Beach itself there were a few glitches but overall the results were encouraging Big Bill began to see a real potential in racing from France promoted several more races but then World War II broke out and everything took a backseat to the war effort when the war was over France continued with his Daytona Beach races he saw that this form of racing in which anybody with an American street car could enter had enormous appeal to the average fan he wanted to organize this stock car racing as a separate class of racing complete with rules a race schedule and everything that went with it but the reaction of the American Automobile Association the sanctioning body for special forms of Motorsports was lukewarm at best France would have to do it on his own with his vision in mind France organized a meeting of all those in the racing world who were interested in his idea in December of 1947 35 men gathered at the Streamline hotel in Daytona Beach to begin hammering out a plan they created a Board of Governors and France was chosen as president red Voit was the one who suggested the name of the new organization NASCAR the National Association for stock car auto racing the first NASCAR race was held on February the 15th 1948 at the Daytona Beach and road course red Byron who was one of the men who participated in the organizational meetings 2 months earlier won the race just one week after the event NASCAR was officially Incorporated now although NASCAR was now an official body it would be more than a year before the first strictly stock race was held the strictly stock division included American Passenger cars with parts limited to only those listed in the manufacturer's catalog in other words these were street cars that anyone could buy at a dealership when NASCAR was first formed there was only the modified class which was popular among serious racing enthusiasts but not with the general public President Bill France Senor wanted a new kind of race one that would appeal to anybody and every body after all he reasoned the average man on the street didn't own a modified car however people were always buying cars from dealerships and consumers were always interested in buying the best product available so why not stage races that allowed the public to see how the cars they bought stacked up against the competition so in the spring of 1949 it was announced that a strictly stock event would be held on June the 19th of that year at a 3/4 mile dirt track in Charlotte North Carolina the rules for the cars were simple it had to be an American-made car with no modifications except an allowable metal plate to protect the right front wheel now little did anyone know that this race would lay down the groundwork for the Grand National division which of course ultimately would evolve into the NASCAR Winston Cup series of today the event quickly Drew 33 drivers with cars from Buick Cadillac Chrysler Ford Hudson Kaiser Lincoln Mercury and Oldsmobile even more promising was the attendance in the stands on race day over 13,000 France had been right when the race began Atlanta's flock brothers were the ones to beat with a qualifying time of a little under 68 mph Bob flock had the pole with Brothers Tim in the front row and fonty at the inside of the third row but nobody was faster in the race that day than Glenn Dunaway who drove his 1947 Ford to take the checkered flag with a three-lap lead over Jim rooper and his 1949 Lincoln now it wasn't until after the race that the technical inspector made an interesting Discovery the rear springs on dunaway's car had been altered for better stability dway was promptly disqualified and rer was the new winner now knowing he was on a roll France went ahead and planned nine more strictly stock races that year beginning with the sixth race at Martinsville the new class was named the Grand National division the top division in NASCAR's lineup red Byron finished this inaugural season with the most points to become NASCAR's first strictly stocked Champion the next year 1950 France increased the number of races to 21 and Bill Rexford took NASCAR's second Championship it was during this second full season that Harold brazington completed the first paved super speedway near Darlington South Carolina the first race at Darlington was held on Labor Day in 1950 won by Johnny Manz in a 1950 Plymouth the southern 500 was born with the flinging NASCAR organization off and running France turned his attention to promoting the sport and helping it Grow from a regional Pastime in the southern states to a national presence he proved to be very creative in his marketing efforts one such event took place at the Detroit fairgrounds in 1951 when France proposed to unique way to Mark the celebration of the city's 250th anniversary a 250 M race with each lap representing one year of the city's history the event which captured the essence of Detroit's Rich Automotive Heritage was a resounding success the Motor City 250 was one of the best things that ever happened in NASCAR auto manufacturers were able to grasp the enormous marketing potential of stock car racing car companies began touting the success of their vehicles in various NASCAR races and even began supplying high performance NASCAR compliant parts to teams in the hopes of boosting performance this was factory backing in its early stages now toward the mid1 1950s NASCAR's future and the future of auto racing in general became Bleak when a couple of high-profile accidents resulted in hysterical legislators calling for laws to ban all forms of motor racing in this country and in other nations now the triaa the major auto racing governing body in the US throughout the history of the sport abandoned it its contest board reorganized as the United States Auto Club USAC and its leaders along with big Bill France helped save the sport with their efforts before the US Congress two things greatly improved NASCAR's image from that point on one of these was Edward Glenn Fireball Roberts Roberts had been a NASCAR driver since the Grand National division's second season in fact he almost won the championship that year his second place finished was the closest he would ever come to winning it Roberts had already earned 14 of his 32 career victories by the start of the 1958 season and in a time when auto racing needed a true role model Roberts filled that order he brought a youthful Charisma to the sport and his background was that of a talented baseball pitcher and University of Florida engineering student rather than the Savory pedigree of a bootlegger in 1958 Roberts put his foot to the floor and wowed fans with one Amazing Race after another he led almost half of the laps he ran that year and in his effort did not go unnoticed by the rest of the world here was something to watch somebody to root for now while Roberts had somewhat redeemed NASCAR and recaptured the interest of its fans it was 1959 that really reunited America with Motorsports Bill France had realized that in racing as in many other things bigger is better he had devoted a lot of time and energy to building bigger and better tracks this served two purposes bigger tracks meant faster and more exciting races and they also meant bigger seating areas for more fans and more revenues for several years Big Bill had been working on a new track for Daytona the southern 500 was the original 500 Mile stop car race in Darlington Raceway was the original southern Super Speedway but the Daytona 500 quickly became NASCAR's signature race and Daytona International Speedway its Flagship Speedway the 1959 Daytona 500 represented the inaugural run of the future classic race at the new track the race itself while exciting to the record crowd that attended that day was nothing compared to what happened at the checkered flight flag and the events that ensued over the next 3 days it was the finish of Lee Petty and Johnny bamp who crossed the line together with Joe weatherly's lapped car that created such turmoil when NASCAR President Bill France Senor looked down at the passing cars He announced that bamp had won the race peny however insisted that he had won the race and he was supported by his crew and members of the media plus a group of fans who were able to witness the close finish from their seats meanwhile bamp took the trip trip to Victory Lane where after a brief moment of uncertainty he contended that he had indeed won the race by about a foot Petty however was fuming he knew he had won and he lobbied long and hard to anyone and everyone who would listen to him things started to get a little heated up the debate raged for several hours finally France made a decision declare the race unofficial until a winner could be determined using the photos and movies of the event over the next couple of days NASCAR acquired every photo and piece of film it could in an effort to settle the matter as officials began to view the footage one thing was clear Petty not bamp had won the race Petty of course remained in Daytona pending the outcome he felt confident that he would be Vindicated in the final decision and he was almost 3 days after the finish of the race France announced that Lee Petty had won the Daytona 500 he also announced that from that point on a camera would be installed at the finish line and used to determine the 1960s and 70s winner racing in the 60s and 70s in the 1960s paved tracks began popping up all around the country with first of these being Charlotte Motor Speedway March Bank Speedway in California and the Atlanta International Raceway this was also a decade for some of the best drivers ever several names dominated the Grand National circuit including Ned Jarrett Joe Weatherly Richard Petty and David Pearson but while Pearson's three titles in just four years during the 60s set a new Championship record nothing compares to what Petty did in 1967 in 49 starts Petty won 27 races with a string of 10 straight victories near the end of the year on the way to his second Championship their miraculous season crowned Petty is King Richard in the world of NASCAR in February of 1963 Dwayne Lewis Lund nicknamed tiny Lund went to the Daytona 500 in the hopes of finding an owner who is willing to give him a chance behind the wheel now while standing around the track with some friends after lunch a Maserati being tested by Marvin panch flipped over and burst into flames lond along with drivers Ernie gayan and Bill wimble Steve petrack of Firestone and homman Moody team mechanic Jerry Rayborn raced over to the burning car and helped free panch from the Twisted Metal panch was rushed to the hospital with severe burns during his recovery the injured driver requested that lond take his place in the Daytona 500 the Wood Brothers agreed and remarkably lond took the checkered flag in his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race the 1970s saw some of the biggest changes in NASCAR's history in 1970s something happened that that would catapult NASCAR into homes Across America ABC which had been showing selected segments of NASCAR races since the early 60s announced that it would broadcast nine races on December 10th 1970 the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company announced an agreement with NASCAR in which it would sponsor the Grand National division Hereafter the top NASCAR division would be named the NASCAR Winston Cup Series the first race under his new arrangement was the Motor Trend 500 on January the 10th 1971 the following year in 1972 NASCAR reduced the number of races from 60 or more to around 30 and instituted a new point system to establish its winners the point system was revised again in 1975 and for the most part it is still in use today in 1979 the first major Nascar event to be fully broadcast on television the Daytona 500 promised to be an exciting event and there were plenty of TV viewers for the race thanks to an East Coast snowstorm that kept most folks indoors that Sunday but while everyone figured the race would be thrilling to watch no one could have predicted the incident afterward the race had pretty much run smoothly until the final 30 miles that's when Donnie Allison and kale yarro began an electrifying duel for the lead the feud continued up to the last lap at which point Allison was in front with yro right behind him on the backstretch yarro prepared to slingshot past Allison running side by side the two cars bumped each other pushing yarro onto the infield grass yarro then drove back onto the track and the two cars hit again then once more at turn three sending each of them up the track hitting the wall now holding Daryl wrip and AJ fo at Bay Richard Petty passed the wck cars of yarro and Allison in the third turn on his way to taking the checkered flag what happened happened next was right out of a TV movie after his car stopped yarro jumped out and went to confront Donnie Allison needless to say a scuffle broke out and it turned into a free-for-all with yarro on one end and the Allison Brothers on the other eventually some employees at the track broke up the fight but not until NASCAR had given TV viewers a truly Unforgettable glimpse into the world of racing it was during this decade with NASCAR's future assured Big Bill France stepped down from his position as president his successor was none other than his son William Clifton France the transfer of power was indicative of the general Evolution that was occurring in NASCAR two drivers sat on top of the NASCAR World Richard Petty and kale yarell together they accounted for eight of the Decades 10 championships by the end of the 70s Petty had won his seventh title and yarro had become the first NASCAR driver ever to win three straight titles it was also time for the Pioneer drivers the ones who had been with NASCAR since its Beginnings to depart David Pearson and kale yarro were winding down their stored careers while a new generation of names would soon be heard Dale Earnhart Bill Elliott and DW Daryl wal trip among Racing in the 80s others racing in the80s [Music] the 1980s marked the beginning of a new era of drivers led by Dale Earnhart and darl Waltrip who each won three titles during this time the list of Champions in the 80s also included Bobby Allison Terry Lebon Bill Elliot and Rusty Wallace along with NASCAR's latest personalities came the Advent of cable television and ESPN was leading the way on that front stock car racing became a real media production as Sports coverage in general experienced an influx of technology and viewership for those without cable television CVS was there with its live coverage of events such as the Daytona 500 one of the most memorable races in the80s was the 1980 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway featuring one of the greatest finishes in NASCAR Winston Cup history the tracks new pavement and some bad weather conditions combined to defeat several drivers during the race here G Gant was forced out after his fourth blown tire Dale Earnhardt's blown tire contributed to a fourcc car pileup with kale yarro David Pearson and Bobby Allison so it was Benny Parsons and Daryl Waltrip who ended up battling it out staying side by side and stopping for fuel only once with just 40 laps left in the race exiting the pit Waltrip took the lead and managed to keep it until lap 375 that's when Parsons jumed up to take the lead but it didn't last long and the pair swapped the front position five more times before the end of the race in the final lap Parsons grabbed the lead for the last time and won the race by just a half a car length as if the Allison Family hadn't made their presence known in NASCAR already they definitely did at the 1988 Daytona 500 darl Waltrip initially held the lead for 69 laps but was forced to give it up when his engine gave out with only 15 laps remaining this left Bobby Allison and Davey Allison to battle it out for the checkered flag Davey rode Bobby's bumper and made an attempt to take the lead in the third turn but Bobby held strong Bobby captured the win his third at the Daytona 500 and set a record as the oldest driver to win a NASCAR series race this win topped off his victories earlier in the week in the 125m qualifying race and goodies 300 for the bush series making this the most incredible speed weeks of his career late in the decade marked Daryl Waltrip's 17th attempt to win the prestigious Daytona 500 coming down to the last 20 laps Dale Earnhart and Ken shraer led the pack on lap 190 they both pitted while Alan kwiki and darl Waltrip took over it was a tight race until lap 197 when kwiki blew a tire wal trip was now in front and all alone wal trip faced a dilemma he was due for refueling but if he took the time to do so he risked losing his best chance ever of winning the race he'd never won ignoring the waves of his crew chief wal trip pushed on with just 22 gallons of fuel Waltrip ran the last 53 laps when his fuel pressure plummeted to zero he started weaving the car back and forth across the track to push the last few drops of precious liquid into the fuel line he knew that if his car sputtered he was through through determination in sheer luck somehow walri held on to take the checkered flag on barely enough fumes to keep his car Racing in the 90s running racing in the [Music] 9s the 1990s transformed NASCAR from a loose collection of drivers and fast cars into a national Pastime suddenly the NASCAR Winston Cup Series was Finding fans in every segment of society with more joining the ranks every day NASCAR related merchandise was flooding the market and people were snatching it up on the media front the competition between two of the major broadcast networks CBS and ABC and cable Outlets ESPN TNN and TBS intensifi bringing heightened exposure and revenue to the sport within a few short years of Bill France senior's death in 1992 the NASCAR Winston Cup Series was drawing nearly 6 million fans to its 31 races under the careful guidance of Bill JR this was also the decade for racing Brothers Ward and Jeff Burton and names like Tony Stewart Sterling Marlon Bobby Labonte Dale Jarrett Jimmy Spencer and one driver who began his Ascent to the NASCAR elite Jeff Gordon but the rest of the attention belonged to Dale Earnhart who in 1994 claimed his seventh NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship to tie Richard Petty for most championships ever won one of the most memorable races in the 90s was the 1993 Daytona 500 where Dale Jarrett managed to fend off a challenging Dale Earnhart for the win Dale's father Ned was the announcer that day and his broadcast of his own son winning the race ranks as one of the most emotional races ever run in NASCAR history up until 1994 the only race ever held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the Indianapolis 500 but with the Advent of the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Winston Cup racing finally came to the story track and oh what a race it was won by a who your favorite California born Jeff Gordon who grew up in nearby Pittsboro Indiana in May Gordon had won his first NASCAR Winston Cup victory in the cocacola world 600 at Charlotte at first the car to beat was that of Jeffrey Bodine who had the lead through the first 100 laps unfortunately brother Brett Bodine tapped jeffy's car ending his hopes for a win young Jeff Gordon who just managed to get around bodine's whirling vehicle suddenly found himself in the lead at that point Gordon thought that he'd have no trouble winning the race he figured that all he had to do was keep calm and not make any mistakes and after he began to pull away from Bine it looked like everything was going to go as smoothly as planned but then another driver came up fast veteran Ernie Irvin accompanied by a cluster of other drivers the crowd of 300,000 watched as Irvin battled Gordon for almost two dozen laps swapping the lead several times each time one pulled ahead the other would creep up beneath the leader rear spoiler to loosen up the forward car then with just four laps to go Irvin blew a tire which put him out of the running Gordon charged on and never looked back he took the checkered flag with Brett Bodine a close second it was only Gordon's second Winston Cup victory and it came at the first ever Winston Cup race held at Indianapolis Gordon filled with emotion following the historic event took an extra Victory lap he needed it he had also just won a single race record purse of $613,000 when you ask people about the biggest race of the 9s many if not most will point to the 1998 Daytona 500 ever since his 1979 rookie season Dale Earnhart had wanted to win the Daytona 500 having seven NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championships under his belt and wins at just about every track in the country the prestigious Daytona 500 still eluded his list of accomplishments nhart had come so close to winning the big race several times but each time fate would step in and deny him the one trophy he so desperately wanted 1998 would be NH Hart's year for the Daytona 500 after so many years of disappointment in watching other drivers take that Victorious trip down Victory Lane nhart would find finally claim his Greatest Prize when nart took the checkered flag at the end of the race everyone absolutely everyone wanted to be a part of the celebration even the normally reserved media got wrapped up in the event cheering for the Victor and all the other Crews lined up to slap hands with erard as he made his way to Victory Lane and when he took a moment to make a few Donuts in the infield grass nobody complained although he waited so long to win the 500 nhart was the winning this driver in Daytona history with 34 triumphs in 125 M qualifying races Bush class specials NASCAR Bush series events irck events and July NASCAR Winston Cup races as well as that 1998 Daytona 500 it would be just 3 years later that nhart would be lost on the final lap of the Fateful 2001 Daytona 500 NASCAR's greatest tracks Greatest Tracks Darlington [Music] [Applause] Raceway in 1950 most thought Harold brazington was more than a little crazy when he announced his plans to build a big paved track in a rural South Carolina tobacco field but Harold remained undaunted and he worked on the mile and a quarter Speedway diligently however he did run into one road block that is evident in the tracks design during construction brazington wanted to have sweeping turns all around but a stubborn farmer didn't want to sell his fish pond that sat right in the way of the proposed track so Harold had to pinch that end of the track to fit in the allocated spot creating the egg-shaped oval we know today to this day the fish pond remains and so does the tracks unique design the 1 and a/4 mile ashphalt oval was ready for opening on schedule on l Labor Day Monday September the 4th in the inaugural event brazington with the help of Bill France assembled a 75c car field to compete for a $25,000 purse in the inaugural running of the Southern 500 qualifying went on for two weeks ironically Johnny Manz the slowest qualifier for the event drove his Plymouth to Victory with a nine laap margin Fireball Roberts came in second with red Byron close third the banking on the tracks turns was steepest at the top Edge in the early days many drivers stayed on the nearly flat inside of the track but the more daring ones found the going faster at the top near the steel guard rail often the right rear fenders of the faster cars would scrape against the barrier creating what came to be known as the Darlington stripe on Labor Day weekend in 1951 the track earned its own spot in NASCAR history more than 82 cars representing 16 different makes arrived for the event setting a record for the largest and most diverse field in the division's history Marshall Teague started the race in 47th position and had taken the lead by the 13th lap in one of the most amazing Chargers ever witnessed in racing unfortunately Teague was later Taken Out by an accident but he was proud to watch herb Thomas Drive his other Hudson to Victory Lane Daytona inter ational [Applause] [Music] Speedway Daytona International Speedway is said to be the most famous track in NASCAR hosting the granddaddy of stock car racing the Daytona 500 Daytona Beach is where NASCAR was transformed from a dream to a reality Bill France had an idea to move the story track from the Sands of Daytona Beach to a fast High banked ashphalt track it was only natural that Daytona Beach be chosen for NASCAR's Flagship track this was after all the site of NASCAR's first race which was run on the old beach in road course February the 15th in 1948 the flat hardpacked sand along the Ocean's Edge was also the former home of the land speed trials and many records had been made and Fallen here after spending nearly 5 years to obtain financing and local support Bill France broke ground for the construction of Daytona International Speedway on November the 25th 1957 initial cost of the project was put at about $3 million 16 days earlier France announced that the Daytona International Speedway Corporation was being organized and construction on the track would start within 30 days he said the first race would be 500 mil and sanctioned by NASCAR and that the race would be held 475 days from today on February the 22nd 1959 you know what it was the track included 31° turns a d-shaped front straight and a 3,000 ft back straightaway it was wide and fast and it was made for those looking for competition and speed cot Owens was the top qualifier for the inaugural running of the Daytona 500 in 1959 with a speed of 143 mph proving that the speedway was not for the faint of heart 59 cars started the race but only three were a part of the dramatic finish Lee Petty Johnny bamp and Joe Weatherly it took officials 3 days of studying a still photography and video footage before Petty was determined the winner race fans know that Daytona Beach has more to offer than just the Daytona 500 Daytona International Speedway also hosts several other high-profile events such as the Pepsi 400 and speed weeks speed weeks has gained much attention as a two-e racing event held each February the annual series of events kicks off with the Rolex 24 a 24-hour sports car race of endurance followed by Bud pull qualifying the bud shout the automobile Racing Club of America race and twin 125 mile qualifying races the two-e event wraps up with the NASCAR Craftsman truck and NASCAR Bush series then finally the granddaddy of them all the Daytona 500 it's a great two weeks of racing Motor [Applause] [Music] Speedway Lowe's Motor Speedway originally the Charlotte Motor Speedway began a Troublesome Construction in July of 1959 while under construction co-founders Curtis Turner and brutin Smith ran into trouble not only financially but also with the weather conditions and timing issues Smith and Turner ran into cost overruns because of huge Boulders construction Crews encountered while trying to do grade and drain work at the site some 20 mi Northeast of Charlotte in neighboring Cabas County as Turner and Smith worked Fast and Furious to complete the track they were struck with an idea wanting to offer the fans more and a good test for the race teams what if they made the race 600 mil instead of the traditional 500 the first race was held June 19th 1960 it was named the world 600 construction had continued right through time trials and caused the teams to make last minut modifications to their cars deflectors were added to the hoods of the cars to keep the flying ashphalt away from the windshield while wire grates were installed to protect the radiators despite the rough track conditions five dozen cars took the starting flag after 5 and 1 half hours of racing Joe Lee Johnson was declared the winner things have definitely improved at the speedway since that Inaugural Day drivers have become more accustomed to the track conditions with pole speeds exceeding 180 mph over 100,000 fans now pack the seats that once held only 35,000 while Sky boxes Condominiums and office suites have been added around the track in fact many Nascar drivers own condos overlooking the track and enjoy being home for a couple race weekends a year Talladega Super [Applause] [Music] Speedway Bill France headed the construction of this large version of his Daytona International Speedway on the site of an army airbase and opened the track in 1969 calling at Alabama International Motor Speedway at the inaugural Super Speedway event Charlie gback set a record with the fastest lap in stock car history when he ran 199 milph during the time trials Richard Brickhouse who then drove glb's car for the inaugural race won the event even though it was brick houses one and only Victory it put him in the ranks with other legendary drivers that had been inaugural winners at Speedways such as Darlington Atlanta and Mis one of the greatest drivers of all time Dale Earnhardt accomplished a feat that only four drivers have achieved he swept both races during a single season at Talladega two of Earhart's wins were captured in 1990 with two more in the 1999 season the three other drivers to earn this Mark were Pete Hamilton in 1970 Buddy Baker in 1975 and DW Daryl Waltrip in 1982 one of the more recent changes at the track came in 1987 with the announcement that all competitive engines would require carburetor restrictor plates for safety NASCAR's greatest [Music] Greatest Drivers drivers Bobby Allison [Music] as the 1988 Daytona 500 thundered toward its conclusion Bobby Allison led the way in his Miller beer sponsor Buick on his heels was the white and black Texico havlin Ford Thunderbird driven by his son Davy father and son took the checkered flag in that order Bobby just a fraction of a second ahead Not only was it the first Father's son W two finish in NASCAR Winston Cup racing in 28 years it was the first Victory ever scored by a driver in his 50s Allison a two-time winner of the 500 turned 50 a little more than two months before he got his third win in the Daytona classic just four months later though one of NASCAR's greatest careers would be finished Allison was injured in a crash on June 19th 1988 at Pocono Raceway and it took years before he recovered and returned to the scene as a team owner even tougher blows for Allison were in store Davey Allison was destined to die from injuries suffered in a helicopter crash in July 1993 not quite a year after his younger brother Clifford was lost in a crash during practice at Michigan International Speedway those tragedies were much more trying than any of the tribulations Allison had endured but if any driver had a Starcrossed career it was him Allison finished second in driver point standings five times before finally claiming a title of his own in 1983 the Miami born driver called his own shots and stood on his own principles several times severing relationships with well funded teams to drive his own equipment and never hesitating to speak his mind or back down in any other way in confrontation along the way he rolled up 84 victories tying him third all time with darl Waltrip and won a legion of fans Allison is honored in numerous shrines including the National Motorsports press associ ation and international Motorsports Halls of Fame Dale [Applause] [Music] nhart NASCAR racing has had many stars over the more than 50 years of its history but it can be stated with certainty that none compares to Dale Earnhart the loss of erard in an accident on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 had worldwide wide repercussions the famous Intimidator and his black number three goodw wrench Chevrolet transcended mere Regional or national recognition he was more than his seven championships and 76 race victories more than his Brickyard 400 long awaited Daytona 500 and other major race triumphs he was a polarizing figure about whom few were ambivalent many worshiped him some didn't but all respected him fans and detractors alike were motivated by the attributes Earnhart displayed a fierce competitiveness of Vis that was sometimes menacing sometimes playfully Charming a talent for driving race cars that was beyond any in all debate he was the personification of NASCAR racing and a significantly symbolic singular representative of his sport 2 years after NH Hart's loss NASCAR racing goes on bigger than ever whatever NASCAR racing will be in the new century it will be built on the lofty level to which nhart helped lift it in his years of racing Bill [Applause] [Music] Elliot to those who thought Bill Elliott was over the hill who believed the 2001 season ending victory at Homestead Miami Speedway was a fluke who thought Ray everham was nuts to name Elliott the centerpiece of his new Dodge racing team guess again awesome bill is awesome still it should be pointed out that even among those who had such negative thoughts about the status of his career a good many remained fans of Elliott through the depths of a seven-year winless streak through times when even Elliott questioned his desire if not his abilities the redhead from Dawsonville Georgia remained the consistent pick as Nascar's most popular driver and he proved in 2002 that he hasn't forgotten how to win Elliot scored back-to-back victory pushing his career total to 43 more significant was the decisive manner in which he won the races and most not worthy of all was that he added his name to the list of winners of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Gordon nhart Jarrett Rudd Labonte and now Elliot the emotional post-race reaction by Elliot underscored how important a Brickyard Victory is to NASCAR's Elite Elliott already had a resume filled with victories in races such as the Daytona 500 Winston 500 the southern 500 and others but he was overjoyed to take the checkered flag at Indie young drivers are rising to the Forefront and Elliott is not the only veteran driver looking over his shoulder but he takes it in stride in recent years Elliot who holds the NASCAR all-time qualifying speed record with a little over 212 mph laps at Talladega in 1987 has rediscovered his short track route Roots enjoys racing a dirt late model stock car when time permits that along with the Comfort level he has reached in working with everham make this the best of times for the fastest man in NASCAR history Tim flock Tim flock opened the 1952 season by Leading every lap of a 100 milei race January the 20th at the half mile dirt Palm Beach Speedway in Florida 10 months later he flipped his Ted Chester own Hudson out of the ballpark in the season finale at the same track despite the spectacular crash flock finished 12th and clinched the championship title in what is now the NASCAR Winston Cup Series now things were never dull around flock who competed in 1953 in several races with a passenger a reesus monkey named Joo Flo outfitted in a racing suit with goggles and strapped into a special seat in fl's race car through it all though flock was one of the most successful competitors in the first decade of NASCAR history he was the second two-time Champion romping to the 1955 Crown by winning a record 18 races 18 polls in 33,700 bucks and 39 starts he also won 11 races from the poll LED every lap in 10 races and led the most laps in 19 races flock would miss 11 races during the 1953 season but not because of Any Monkey Business it was while he recuperated from head injuries suffered in a freak accident on July 4th when a car backed over fl's head while he napped in the infield of the pedmont interstate Fairground dir track in Spartanburg South Carolina there were other periods when flock was missing from Nascar action he missed 7 months of the 1954 season after he quit in Anger over a disqualification that took Victory away from him in February at Daytona and he quit his job with one of the most successful teams in NASCAR history the Kik for Chrysler operation in the midst of the 1956 season fl's career ended in 1961 just as the sport was beginning its Ascent to mainstream popularity in America Jeff Gordon he had an uncharacteristic slump and extended streak without a victory early in 2002 and as the season progressed towards its conclusion he failed to defend his 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup championship title but Jeff Gordon is still King of the mountain as NASCAR racing Roars on into the new century not many drivers would consider a season with three victories and a top five points finish a Bad season but for someone with a resume like Gordon's a performance like 2002 was a bit of a let down the year before when Gordon claimed his fourth championship he joined an elite group of drivers who have won more than three titles the group includes only seven time Champs Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt and Gordon the fourth title represented a comeback of sorts for Gordon who had won only 10 races the past two seasons and finished a mere Sixth and Ninth in driver points in 1999 and 2000 those performances excellent by most standards happened to come on the heels of a 4-year romp in which Gordon won 40 of 127 races and three of four championships Gordon earned his first championship the hard way in 1995 edging nhart who was trying to win a record eighth title and fifth in six years the eth championship would elude nhart while Gordon after finishing second in 1996 Rose to the Undisputed top of the Heap in the second half of the decade he forever Left Behind the nickname nhart bestowed upon Him Wonder Boy when Gordon arrived in NASCAR as a fresh-faced youngster with tremendous expectations the nickname was intended to aggravate Gordon and it did get under his skin until Gordon celebrated his first championship by toasting nhart with a champagne glass full of milk from that moment on they were peers with different personalities and from different Generations but classic Sports Rivals with a mutual respect for each each other Dale Jared after coming close four years in a row third in 1995 96 and '98 and second in 1997 Dale Jarrett captured the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship in 1999 it put Jarrett in the company of 23 drivers who had won Nascar's big title the list in included Jared's father Ned who won in 1961 and again in' 65 the Jared's joined Lee and Richard Petty in a very exclusive Club his father's son Champions it was a long awaited first title for Jared's car owner Robert Gates who had fielded some of the best cars on the circuit for more than a decade in route to his title Jarrett won four races and failed to finish Only One race that level of performance proved hard to maintain for Jarett and the Yates team in 20 2 driving the UPS sponsored number 884 Jarrett slipped to nth out of the top five in points for the first time since 1994 but he did win two races pushing his career total to 30 and turning in one of the best performances by a 40 something driver in a year dominated by Young Rising Stars Jarrett never enjoyed such status as an aspiring driver he worked his way through the ranks and got his big break in 1990 when he was picked to replace the injured Neil Bonnet in the Wood Brothers Ford he won his first race at Michigan in 1991 in a door-to-door battle with Davey Allison that win set the tone for Jarrett who went on to prove himself one of NASCAR's top clutch performers in race deciding showdowns with top competitors he also proved capable in the more illustrious races on the schedule he has won three Daytona 500s and two Brickyard 400s all of which suggests that the best is not necessarily in the past for Jarrett he returned for his ninth season with Yates in 2003 Richard [Music] [Applause] pedy it can be argued that no driver played a more important role in laying down the foundation for modern NASCAR racing than Richard Petty Petty often compared to golfer Arnold Palmer Rose to start him as stock car race began to move into National prominence in the 1960s and' 7s just as Palmer had Jack Nicholas for arrival Petty had David Pearson the two battled each other for Supremacy and helped build each other's Legend Petty is the elder son of three-time champion Lee Petty winner of the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959 he emerged from a considerable Shadow Richard Petty was more than a prodigious winner he was also an affable Ambassador a fast driving version version of sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry he helped change the image of race car drivers from greasy hoodlums to good citizens with great potential as corporate spokesman in 1964 Petty won the first of seven Daytona 500 victories he went on that year to win the first of seven NASCAR Winston Cup championship titles launching his career in a time when the schedule included as many as 60 races a year Petty competed in nearly all the events and a phenomenal 200 times in 1967 he won a series record 27 of 48 races including a streak of 10 in a row Petty scored his 200th and final career victory at Daytona on July 4th 1984 winning a stirring Duel By inches over kale yarboro in a side by-side finish President Ronald Reagan was watching from the Press Box and met Petty after the race Petty retired eight seasons later tragedy struck the petty family in 2000 patriarch Lee passed away at age 86 and the family's fourth generation driver 19-year-old Adam Petty was lost in a racing accident just a month after his great-grandfather's death Kyle Petty Richard's son and winner of eight races in his own driving career keeps the petty Enterprises operation going more than a half century after it was established darl walp [Applause] [Music] when Daryl Waltrip broke into NASCAR Winston Cup racing in 1972 he didn't sneak in unnoticed in fact his demeanor was similar to that of another kuckian who made quite a splash in the Sports World Muhammad Ali wal trip may have never proclaimed I'm the greatest but he definitely shook up the world the NASCAR World anyway with his outspoken Manner and his considerable driving Talent about the talent there could be little debate walri quickly showed the ability that would carry him to three championship titles and 84 victories major victories include five Coca-Cola 600s and long awaited daytone of 500 and Southern 500 triumphs Waltrip was the first winner of the Winston NASCAR's All-Star Race in 1985 about the sharp tongue there was considerable discussion veteran kale yarro nicknamed wal Jaws in a reference to the popular movie about a man eating great white shark and wal Trip's propensity to bite chunks out of competitors egos with his verbal outbursts it was mostly all bark and well no bite Waltrip was a clean Fair competitor who was more than willing to mix it up in Spirited competition but never developed a reputation as a dirty driver and in May 1989 when a bump from Rusty Wallace sent wal trip spinning out of the lead in The Winston fans who had previously booed old DW suddenly saw him as the good guy and his popularity soared Waltrip helped establish the theard team as a contender winning 26 races in Gatorade sponsored cars and drove for some of Nascar's most successful car owners including Rick Hendrick but he had his greatest success in a six-year stint with the legendary Junior Johnson winning all three championship titles in Johnson's cars Waltrip got the last of his career Victory September 6th 1992 in the southern 500 he closed out his career in 2000 and moved into the television Booth as an analyst for Fox Joe Weatherly fun-loving practical joking hyp superstitious Joe Weatherly was the life of the party but he was something to admire not a joke when he climbed into the cockpit of a race car Weatherly as his 24 victories in two championships ATT test was a plenty serious racer he just never let it get in the way of a good time Weatherly won three National motorcycle racing titles before switching to stock cars in 1951 and he won Nascar's National modified championship in 1953 he competed in 111 races in the convertible division winning 13 and he began dabbling in the Premier series now known as NASCAR Winston Cup in 1952 he didn't get his first win on the senior circuit until 1960 at Hickory North Carolina driving a homman moody forward in his 61st start then he won a second straight race the next night at Wilson North Carolina and made it three out of four with a victory in the rebel 300 at Darlington Weatherly won nine races in each of the next two seasons and captured the Series championship in 1962 he became the third driver to win back-to-back titles when he repeated in 1963 even though he had won only three races in his second championship year the sidekick of Curtis pops Turner Little Joe was a master dirt track racer but he also showed Excellence on larger faster paved Speedways he had three top five finishes in the five Daytona 500s in which he competed including a second in 1961 and also won qualifying races at Daytona in 1961 and 62 he had big track victories at Darlington and Charlotte going after an unprecedented third straight title Weatherly suffered fatal injuries when his budmore Mercury crashed into the turn six wall on the 87th lap of the Motor Trend 500 January 19th 1964 at Riverside International Raceway kale yarbor [Applause] [Music] as a youngster he would sneak in and watch in awe as stock cards roared around Darlington Raceway not far from his Sardis South Carolina home not too many years later as an 18-year-old kale yarro would compete in his first race the eighth annual Southern 500 at the Darlington track on Labor Day 1957 yarro would go on to win the famous race five times he would also win the Daytona 500 four times in 83 races in all fifth best overall and he would become the first and so far only driver to win the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship three years in a row now impressive as they are numbers are not always enough to tell the story of yarro one of the sports all-time best and toughest competitors sufficiently talented to compete well into modern times but with the mindset of the hard charging drivers of the sports early days he was a seat of the pants racer whose OB Ives were simple and straightforward win the pole lead every lap win the race his philosophy was the same on a half mile dirt bull ring or on a super speedway at 200 M an hour before he could reach the peak of his career as a NASCAR driver yarro ventured into indie car racing he competed in the famous Indianapolis 500 four times finishing 10th in his fourth start in 1972 the next year yell returned to NASCAR to drive for the legendary Junior Johnson in eight seasons yarro won 55 victories and scored the trio of championships in 1976 77 and 78 he logged two 10- win seasons and won nine races in two other years yarro set up his own race team in 1987 after retiring as a driver in 1988 he hired Rising Star Dale Jared and in 1997 John andred gave yarro a victory as a team owner in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona NASCAR's greatest [Music] Greatest Families families the [Applause] [Music] Allison perhaps no family in Nascar has ever seen more tragedy amid their triumphs than the Allison whose Elder members helped create that notorious band of Highly Successful d drivers known as the Alabama gang Bobby and Donnie Allison loved to race Bobby who had wanted to be a driver ever since witnessing his first stock car event as a kid started while still in high school at tracks in the Miami area Bobby raced under an assumed name to keep his avocation secret he won his first race in the amateur division at H Alia Speedway earning a whopping $12 although the purse wasn't much Bobby knew he had found his calling after convincing his parents to let him continue racing no small feet Bobby set out to make his name in racing taking every opportunity to compete at the local tracks before long Donnie joined in then one day Bobby and Donnie traveled to Alabama to try out the tracks there and came home with more money than they'd ever seen from the Florida tracks excited about the endless possibilities they convinced a longtime friend red farmer to go back with them and the success that follow followed is legendary Huey town west of Birmingham became the family's adopted home and Racing's Alabama gang was born during that time there were many races where the Allison and farmer would end up taking first second and third place local competitors around the Midsouth would see the three cars being hauled in the gate and start grumbling there comes that Alabama Gang again and a nickname was born the late 60s and early 70s were very good to Donnie Allison in 1967 during Donny's First full year of racing he took four of top five and seven top 10 to capture a NASCAR Rookie of the Year honor during a 5-year stretch Donnie started 71 races and came away with six wins and 34 top five finishes and being the competitive driver that he was Donnie drove in both Open Wheel and stock car events in May 1970 he finished fourth in the Indianapolis 500 and a few days later won the world World 600 at Charlotte Bobby also tried his hand at Indie but he concentrated mainly on stock cars he is tied for third on the all-time list with 84 Winston Cup victories and he holds one record that may never be broken he held the lead at least once in 39 consecutive races his battles on the track with Richard peny provided some of the most captivating racing the sport has ever seen in the early 1980s another classic Feud developed in NASCAR history this time between Bobby and Daryl Waltrip up to this point Bobby had never won the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship and in 1981 he was determined to do so Bobby seemed to be on his way that year but a late season charge by Waltrip spoiled his hopes then in 1982 the same thing happened and walri again won with a late season rally for the second year in a row and the fourth time since 1972 Allison was second in 19 83 Allison finally captured the prize he'd always wanted a Winston Cup Championship prior to Bobby's Championship another Allison was beginning to make his presence known Davey Allison Bobby's son had always wanted to follow the path of his father his career really started when he began working in his father's shop learning the ins and outs of cars and driving in various local races Davy's break came shortly after he began driving in limited Sportsman events frustrated with his nephew's uphill battle to field a quality car Donnie supplied Davey with a Chevy NOA frame that he could really build upon the results were immediate Davey assembled his new car and then won the first two races he entered now there was a new gang in town the peach fuzz gang comprised of Davey and his Boyhood friends with a good ride and a crew of his own and under the direction of his grandfather Edmund pop Allison Davey started to tear up the ARA circuit and make his own splash in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series winning four ARCA races in 1983 and taking home the ARA Rookie of the Year honors in 1984 Davey substituted in three NASCAR Winston Cup series events in 1985 and grabbed a top 10 finish on his way to the show in 1987 Davey Allison qualified on the front row the atona 500 the first rookie to accomplish that feat two months later Davey won his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at Talladega by the end of his rookie season Davey had won two races earned five polls taken nine top fives and earned the ray bestest Rookie of the Year award the 1988 Daytona 500 is memorable for several reasons including a spectacular crash that the legendary Petty survived with only minor injuries it was special for the Allison family as father and son took the checkered flag first and second just a few years later tragedy hit the Allison family only 4 months after the Father's son won to finish at Daytona Bobby was seriously injured in an accident at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania his driving career was ended and it was years before he was able to do anything resembling a normal life almost before the family could begin to recover from that blow Clifford Allison the younger son of Bobby and Judy was lost when his Nascar Bush series stock car crashed at Michigan International Speedway a August 1992 the next year the Allison family would again be rocked by tragedy the day after he finished third at New Hampshire in what would be his final race Dave Allison lost control of the helicopter he was flying as he attempted to land in the infield at Alabama's Talladega Super Speedway Allison 32 suffered fatal injuries in the crash passenger red farmer was less seriously injured Not only was it in the end of Allison's brilliant but brief career it ended the long presence of the Allison family name in NASCAR racing the [Music] [Applause] [Music] nhart perhaps no name in NASCAR today evokes such strong sentiment as nhart and the nhart name starts with Ralph nhart arguably the most intimidating driver of his generation winner of the 1956 Sportsman championship Ralph once racked up 17 wins in a row at North Carolina's Hickory Motor Speedway his five track championships at Hickory were the stuff Legends are made of you could say that Hickory was Ralph Earhart's track competing in his first grand national race at Hickory Ralph won the poll and posted a second place finish in the 50s and 60s there were few drivers with a better record on the Sportsman circuit nhart seemed able to win just about any race he decided to enter and and during one stretch he owned the championship at seven different tracks Ralph's pre-race routine at the track coupled with his intimidating Style on the track made him a formidable opponent on race day he always showed up ready to race there was no working on the car no last minute adjustments and not a lot of talk with the other Racers he was just there ready to race when the race started Ralph would jump right up behind the leaders of the pack and wait for someone to make a mistake which often happened especially if being bumped by Ralph sometimes just the thought of Ralph Earnhart behind you was enough to make a driver do something desperate and ultimately costly Ralph started in only 51 Grand National races earning six top five finishes and no wins he spent most of his career in the Sportsman circuit most experts agree that had Ralph focused instead on the big races he would have been one of the dominant drivers there too when NASCAR began to move from the smaller dirt tracks to the larger ashalt super Speedways Ralph focused his attention fully on the Sportsman tracks that was where his heart was and where he felt most comfortable Ralph nhart died of a heart attack in September 1973 doing something he loved working on a race car he left an impressive Legacy in the racing world but his greatest contribution to the sport was his son Dale Dale Earnhart Rose to Heights of achievement and popularity unparalled in American Motor Sports while his father had built reputation as an intimidating driver Dale Earnhart was known as The Intimidator taught by his father early on to establish your territory Dale adopted that strategy to the extreme and it became his trademark style Dale never gave anyone an inch until his father's death Dale had been a little unsure about his future as a driver and occasionally explored other career avenu but the Spectre of having a normal job combined with losing the greatest influence in his life seemed to harden Dale's resolve in becoming the best he could be in the world of racing in 1978 nhart scored his first top five finish fourth in the Dixie 400 at Atlanta that led to a full-time ride the next season his first solid opportunity with a new team fielded by Californian Rod aerin the 27-year-old ear har won his first race race in the seventh race of the Season at Bristol despite missing some races because of injuries sustained in a crash at Pocono late year he rolled to Rookie of the Year honors the next year 1980 Dale achieved what had previously been unachievable continuing on his tour Pace he became the first driver ever to win the rookie award and NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship in consecutive Seasons he finished the year with five wins 19 t top fives and 24 top 10s it would be the first of a record tying seven championships for Dale whose black number three Chevrolet Monte Carlo would become one of the most recognized symbols of NASCAR one of the greatest tragedies in NASCAR history occurred in February 2001 in the last lap of the Daytona 500 NH Hart was lost in an accident finishing first and second were two cars from the Dale Earnhardt Incorporated race team the driver were Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhart Jr the 49-year-old Earnhart seemed to have rebounded from a slump that left him winless in 1997 he had finished second in driver points to Bobby Lebon the year before and was set on winning a record eighth Championship few doubted he still had the ability to achieve the eighth title but it was not to be the torch has been passed to little Le Ralph Dale Earnhart Jr who has shown great promise Junior started racing at age 16 working in the service department of his dad's Chevrolet dealership in Newton North Carolina and maintaining his own race cars with his brother Carrie and sister Kelly from 1994 to 1996 Junior started in 113 races in the NASCAR Dodge weekly series late model division and came away with three wins and an astonishing 90 top 10 finishes in 1997 ly moved up to the NASCAR Bush Series and won consecutive championships in 1998 and 99 the next year is a rookie in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series he got two victories plus a win in the Winston NASCAR's All-Star Race he was the first rookie to win the special non-points event meanwhile brother Carry has landed a full-time NASCAR Bush series ride with a team co-owned by former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw the ear har name lives on in its third generation the [Music] Jared contemporary race fans know Ned Jarrett as a prominent television and radio commentator most know that Jarrett now retired from his broadcasting career won two NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship titles and that his son Dale is one of the top stars of the sport the Jarrett family's roots in the sport are deep Ned showing an early knack for making money from various business ventures took his business-like approach to the fledgling sport of stock car racing in the 1950s he became one of the top drivers in the sport before retiring at the peak of his career in 1966 Ned had a style that was markedly different from many other drivers of his era he preferred to think his way through a race instead of relying on sheer muscle over the years he was tagged with the nickname gentleman Ned for his non confrontational way of winning races it seemed to work for Ned by the end of the ' 50s he had won two Sportsman championships like most every move he made Jarrett's decision to try the Grand National ranks was a logical business-based decision Jarrett was making good money racing in the Sportsman division but felt there was a bigger prize to be had in the long run in Grand National in 1961 Ned won the championship title that led to a relationship with Ford and a secure place among the factory back drivers who dominated the sport in the 1960s Jared driving for brothers Bondi Walter and Nikki long of Camden South Carolina had his best season in 1965 winning 13 races including the southern 500 by a whopping 14 laps over second place Buck Baker in capturing his second Championship the next year Ned began to look Beyond racing and toward the security of his family at the young age of 34 Ned Jer retired from competitive racing after October's race at Rockingham he is the only driver ever to retire as the defending NASCAR Grand National Champion growing up in the Jarrett household meant spending many afternoons at the track such was the norm for Glenn and Dale Jarett and their sister Patty both sons would follow in their Father's Footsteps Glenn gave racing a try and then turned to broadcasting while Dale a star athlete in high school turned to local short track racing like his father Dale ran his first race at Hickory in 1977 he won The Limited Sportsman division Rookie of the Year at that track Dale's career had begun in 1982 Dale was a regular in the NASCAR Bush series it was soon obvious that Dale had a lot of the characteristics of his father the same intelligent reasoned approach to racing that had made Ned Jarett a legend joining the Wood Brothers Dale won his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at the Michigan International Speedway in 1991 then in 1992 his big break came when he was asked to race for former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs the arrangement proved to be a good one that next year Dale qualified second for the Daytona 500 this set the stage for one of the most poignant moments in NASCAR history and a truly memorable one for the Jarrett family with Ned Jared in the booth announcing the race his son held off the challenge of NASCAR's famous Intimidator Dale Earnhart and narrowly won this most prestigious of races it was a tearful joyous moment as Ned watched his son cross the finish line in the coming years the scene would be repeated as Dale Jarrett picked up second and third wins in the Daytona classic in 1999 Dale had his best year ever and won the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship together with his dad they became only the second fatherson Duo to win the championship joining Lee and Richard Petty in 1991 carrying on the Jarrett Legacy Jason Dale's son entered racing like his father and his grandfather Jason found himself racing at Hickory also and in 1994 Jason won hickory's limited Sportsman division Rookie of the Year award just like his father the petties [Music] Lee Petty started racing at a time when you drove to the track in the car you were going to race and then drove home in the same car afterward if it was still in one piece and that wasn't always the case in the first NASCAR race ever an event held at a 3/4 mile dirt track in Charlotte North Carolina Petty borrowed a Buick from a friend drove it to the track and entered it in the race everything went well until the sway bar came off and the car rolled several times Petty was relatively unhe hurt but the car had to be taken away on a flatbed truck although the outcome of this race was unfortunate for Lee Petty it also marked the beginning of a long and successful career that would help shape NASCAR as we know it today and eventually call his son's grandson and even great-grandson after the race in Charlotte realizing that he had needed something more substantial than an old borrowed car to win races Lee Petty bought a 1949 Plymouth and entered the business of racing Petty Enterprises was of and running during the first 11 years of NASCAR's existence Lee Petty never finished a season lower than fourth in points in 1959 he became the first three time Grand National Champion that same year Lee won the inaugural Daytona 500 in a finish that was so close it required 3 days to confirm him as the winner in his first NASCAR Grand National race in 1958 Richard Petty Lee's son was introduced to a side of his father he had never seen that of a competitor as Lee Petty and cotton Owens were battling for position They Came Upon young Richard whom they were in the process of lapping apparently Richard didn't move out of the way fast enough he was unceremoniously knocked into the wall by his father who went on to win his second grand national title that year a lesson learned at Charlotte in 1960 Richard Petty was desperately Clinging On to a narrow lead over Challenger Rex White suddenly a skirmish developed between white and Lee Petty and Richard was able to use the distraction to his Advantage by lengthening his lead and eventually winning the race that year Richard finished second in the Run for the Grand National Title in February 1961 Lee and Richard peny were both involved in spectacular crashes during the 100 mile qualifying races prior to the Daytona 500 Lee was seriously injured and his driving career was all but ended Richard and his brother Maurice took on the mantle of responsibility for the family business for a while Maurice tried his hand at driving but quickly decided that his skills were behind the scenes Building engines not driving Richard was the driver and so in 1962 Richard and Maurice began one of the most phenomenal runs in NASCAR history in the next 3 years Richard finished second in the NASCAR grand national champ championship for two consecutive years before winning his first title in 1964 during that time he won 31 races with 121 top 10 including the 1964 Daytona 500 and collected over $100,000 for the first time in his career in 1967 when there were as many as 60 or more races each year Richard Petty accomplished a feat that likely will never be equal in NASCAR he won 27 of 48 starts including a victory streak of 10 races in a row Petty won his second Championship that year and began to be known as King Richard things continued well for petty through 1979 when he won his seventh Championship that was the year that a new Petty emerged on the scene Richard's son Kyle a more easygoing and liberal personality than his father Kyle Petty began his career by winning an ARCA race just days before the Daytona 500 which his father won by holding off darl Waltrip on the last lap it was the sixth of seven Daytona 500s Petty would claing Richard Petty's last year of racing was 1992 at age 55 he had accumulated 200 NASCAR Winston Cup victories he was also the first driver to earn over a million dollars in racing having reached that plateau in 1971 in 1989 Kyle had signed on with millionaire in racing of fish andado Felix sabatus and the number of wins began to increase his success with sabatus included two fifth place NASCAR Winston Cup series points finishes then in 1991 at a race in Talladega Kyle sustained a broken leg which signed line him for half the season perhaps this was an indication of things to come after he recovered Kyle spent a few more seasons with sabatus and then things started downhill after several mediocre seasons and only only one win Kyle left sabatus in 1997 Kyle Petty rejoined the family business it would be soon after this long awaited reunion that another Petty would begin his brief but colorful career Kyle's son Adam and become the first fourth generation sports figure Adam raced short track late model stock cars before moving up to a regional series and he won his first race in June 1998 a few months later Adam entered his first race on a major Speedway an ARCA stock car event at Charlotte Motor Speedway like his dad had done in 1979 Adam won his ARCA debut and thus became that series youngest winner Adam made his NASCAR Winston Cup Series debut at Texas Motor Speedway in April 2000 it looked as if the newest member of the Petty racing Clan was in the earliest stages of a long and successful racing career Adam was to be the centerpiece of the petty Enterprises team as it returned turned to Dodge in 2001 but it was not to be in May of 2000 Adam Petty was lost while taking a practice run at New Hampshire International Speedway the accident closed prematurely another chapter in the remarkable history of the petty Behind the Scenes Family behind the [Music] scenes Dale nhart Incorporated [Music] in 1982 NASCAR officials reorganized the NASCAR Sportsman division into what is now the NASCAR Bush series maturing League one step below the premier Series Dale Earnhart was a regular competitor in the series and formed his own team to field cars in the junior series that team grew into Dale Earnhart Incorporated nhart won the first race in the new series at Daytona in February 1982 in the 12 years that followed Earhart's team won 21 races including six Daytona 300s the overwhelming success of his team convinced the owner to Branch out into the other major divisions of NASCAR Craftsman truck and Winston Cup although nhart was committed to finishing his own career driving for Richard childrenis racing it was time for the Dale nhart Incorporated team to move up to the NASCAR Winston Cup series after a few trials events in 1996 and 97 the team became a full-time participant in 1998 with Park as the driver nhart son Dale Jr took over the driving responsibilities in the NASCAR Bush series Park's rookie season was derailed when he was hurt in an accident at Atlanta Dale Jr and Hornady day however did quite well winning the title in their respective division needing a replacement driver for his NASCAR Winston Cup car Earnhart signed Daryl Waltrip who responded by giving the new team their first top five and top 10 finishes in 1999 things just got better and Dale Jr won his second NASCAR Bush Series championship his success LED Dale senior to agree to a five race NASCAR Winston Cup introduction for the younger Earnhart driving a Budweiser sponsored car the year 2000 marked the first victories for the NASCAR Winston Cup team with nhart JR claiming victories at Texas and Richmond and park also getting a win at Watkins Glenn a third team was to be added in 2011 with Michael Waltrip as the driver in the first race of the year that Daytona 500 Waltrip won his first Victory but nhart lost his life in an accident on the final lap Dale Jr devastated by the death of his father somehow went on to win three races that year including the July race at Daytona and finished in the top 10 in Final point standing the team continues under the direction of Earhart's Widow Teresa and has established itself as one of the top operations in racing Hendrick [Applause] [Music] Motorsports when car dealer and former boat racer Rick hendrik formed his own stock car team in 1984 he hired the best people he could to make his dream a reality legendary crew chief Harry Hyde was picked to build up the team and Jeff Bodine a former standout in modified racing in the Northeast was chosen as the driver with all the other great teams out there under names like Johnson meling childis and Moore the new Hendrick team faced a Monumental task but they faced it well and in just their eighth start Bodine drove to Victory Lane this was the beginning of the great team known as hendrik Motorsports hendrik beefed up his facility ities in crew for the 1986 season and added Tim Richmond as a second driver that year the duo won nine out of 29 races hendrik not one to rest on his Laurels continued adding to his organization and by 1987 was Fielding as many as five cars in a single race darl Waltrip and Benny Parsons were added to the stable of drivers Hendrick Motorsports became a very formidable opponent in the early 1990s hendrik made one of his best Acquisitions Jeff Gordon Gordon had been phenomenal in usack Open Wheel racing and moved to NASCAR in 1990 he drove Fords for Bill Davis racing in 1991 and 92 but moved into a Hendrick Chevrolet for his debut race in the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Gordon won Rookie of the Year honors in 1993 and picked up his first two victories the next year in 1995 he won the team's first championship title the following year Terry leonti added another Winston Cup title to the team this was only the second time in NASCAR history that an owner had won back-to-back titles with different drivers Gordon would capture two more championships in 1997 and 98 except for Dale Earnhardt's stretch of four titles in five years from 1990 through 94 it was the best performance since David pieron did it back in 1966 68 and' 69 winning three titles in those four 4 years in 1995 and 96 hendrik Motorsports won 22 out of 62 races including four events during 1996 in which their teams finished first and second Henrik faced a personal setback in 1996 when it was discovered that he had leukemia during his battle with the disease he witnessed one of the best races ever for his team the 1997 Daytona 500 when his cars took first second and third place after his recovery hendrik again took it all when Gordon won the 2001 Winston Cup Series championship in seven years Hendrix teams won the championship an astounding five times going into 2003 hendrik Motorsports claimed 109 Winston Cup victories third on the alltime list Junior Johnson racing [Music] [Applause] [Music] Junior Johnson was one of NASCAR's early star drivers but it was after his driving career when he decided to move to the other side of pit wall after his last race in 1966 that the former Moonshiner really dominated the world of Motorsports Johnson hailing from Ronda North Carolina won 50 races as a driver including the second Daytona 500 in 196 he thrilled crowds with his wide open style but as a team owner Johnson enjoyed even better success winning 39 races and six championships drivers such as darl deeringer Leroy yarro Charlie glack and Bobby Allison helped establish Johnson's team as one of the best in NASCAR but kale yarro and Daryl Waltrip secured the team's lofty status yarro won 55 of his 83 career victories in Johnson cars and became the only driver to win three straight NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championships in 1976 77 and 78 wal trip won 43 of his 84 career victories and took Championship honors in 1981 82 and 85 driving for Johnson as well with Ford and Chrysler out of racing Johnson and Charlotte Motor Speedway promoter Richard Howard joined forces to help lure Chevrolet into the sport Johnson is also credited with getting officials of RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company makers of Winston cigarettes together with NASCAR officials setting up one of the most successful Partnerships in all of American Sports in 1996 Johnson sold his operation to Brett Bodine and disappeared from the NASCAR scene Richard childr racing [Music] Richard Chris went from track Peanut Vendor to one of the top independent team owners in NASCAR Chris used to sell peanuts and watch races at Bowman Grey Stadium in Winston Salem North Carolina he started his Nascar career working on cars and driving them on the quarter mile paved track that surrounded a football field in 1972 with longtime friend Tim Brewer childr started racing NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock cars in the seven years that followed they became one of NASCAR car's Premier independent teams but chis although highly skilled as an organizer and manager was not the driver he needed to be in the competitive ranks of NASCAR's Elite realizing this children stepped back from driving to focus on running the team but now they needed a driver chus recruited a Bright Young Star to finish the last 11 races of the 1981 season Dale nhart whose 1980 Championship ride with Rod osterland had come unraveled after season's end chis encouraged Earnhart to accept an opportunity to drive for the more established budmore team which benefited from a significant Factory contribution stuck without a driver again children hired up and coming Ricky Rudd together for two seasons children and rud saw success their first win came at the Riverside track in June of 1983 and another Victory followed in the fall at Martinsville finally things were starting to work for children in 1984 nhart and Childress were reunited and things really took off nhart wasted no time in grabbing victories at Talladega and Atlanta but that was just a warm-up with nhart as his driver chra saw six NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championships in that time first with sponsorship from Wrangler jeans and later from General Motors GM Goodwrench brand RCR grew and evolved into one of the best in the business a second car was added with Mike Skinner being promoted from CH NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship winning team even though he had formed his own race team Dale Earnhardt Incorporated nhart intended to finish his career driving children's cars the end came tragically and prematurely when nhart was lost at Daytona in February 2001 rookie Kevin Harvick driving for the NASCAR Bush series entry in the children stable and scheduled to drive a third RCR cup entry in 2002 was pick to drive the cars that had been prepared for nhart he turned in a stellar performance winning two races and finishing in the top 10 final point standings he also ran full-time in the NASCAR Bush series car winning that Series championship and thus giving children's championship titles in all three of NASCAR's top divisions the third team came online as scheduled in 2002 with Jeff Green the driver Robbie Gordon replaced Skinner in the number 31 RCR Chevrolet Harvick continues to drive the GM goodren entry which has carried the number 29 instead of Earnhardt's famous number three the chis Earnhart tandem remains one of the most lucrative owner driver relationships with earnings of over 54 The New Millennium million racing in the New [Music] Millennium Kurt bush [Music] [Applause] [Music] in September of 2000 Kirt Bush made his first Winston Cup Series start driving a Rous Ford at Dober he performed well enough in that race to convince Rous that the Winston Cup series is where he belong so while most drivers had to First pay their dues by moving up through the bush series ranks Bush jumped full-time into the Winston Cup series with minimal experience Bush responded by finishing second in the Rookie of the Year competition now Bush knew that he needed to gain as much experience as possible to have a successful second year in NASCAR's top series his prayers were answered when Rous shuffled his teams up before the 2002 season even started Bush's team went to Mark Martin and Martin's team went to bush along with crew chief Jimmy fennick this gave Martin a successful crew and position sophomore Kurt bus with a more experienced team now halfway through the season it was obvious that the changes produced resounding success Martin was second in the point standings while Bush fared nin with less than two years in the Winston Cup Series Kurt bush has already evolved from a newcomer trying to fit into the NASCAR world to a recognized legitimate threat on the track he credits at least some of his quick rise among the racing world's Elite to a couple of accomplishments in 2001 winning the poll at the southern 500 and a achieving his first Winston Cup victory at the Food City 500 at Bristol now even though Bush lost 2001 Rookie of the Year honors to Kevin Harvick it should also be noted that bush entered Winston Cup series with no experience on many of the series tracks and a little overall racing experience in fact many believe that Kurt bush is the better future Talent given his age and his skill level another thing that sets Kurt apart from his peers is his aggressiveness in one such incident at Bristol Jimmy Spencer was leading the race when Spencer was bumped out of contention by Bush giving Kurt his first victory in another incident Bush was again criticized for some things he said after the Winston at Lowe's Motor Speedway during that race bush had bumped Robbie Gordon spinning him out and forcing a yellow flag now Bush said flat out that while he hated using Gordon that way he wanted to better his odds of winning and a strong finish now any driver would privately admit that this type of thing was as old as racing However the fact that bush publicly admitted doing it astounded many Nascar veterans NASCAR officials weren't too happy either and slapped him with a $10,000 fine for his comments Bush later said he regretted the way in which he described the race it was a very expensive lesson there's no doubt that bush will have a very successful and memorable career in NASCAR racing he is a bright and articulate young man who is now learning the other side of racing how to cope with the fame and fortune that come with being a well-paid celebrity Bush was the hottest driver in the waning weeks of the 2002 season finishing third in driver points Dale nhart [Music] [Applause] [Music] Jr Dale Earnhart Jr has led a life that is both Charmed and tragic on one hand he has benefited from a family rich in racing tradition having a grandfather who was one of the top 50 drivers of all time and a father who was a seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion has certainly helped shape the career of this third generation nhart but the young Earnhart has also had to carry on after the loss of his father Dale Earnhart Jr was born on October 10th 1974 in Canapolis North Carolina as a kid Dale Jr learned about racing and the family business by performing OD jobs in his father's shop his first real race car was a red Chevrolet Monte Carlo that he built at age 17 and began racing at a local track he also enjoyed racing Legends which were scaled down replicas of modified pre-World War Two coups and sedans his first Victory came in 1992 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on the eve of his 18th birthday after completing High School Dale Jr attended a trade school for a couple of years and then took a job at his father's Chevy dealership his first career start in NASCAR's Bush series was at Myrtle Beach on June 22nd 1996 where he finished 14th then in 1997 Dale nhart Inc needed a NASCAR Bush Series driver to fill the vacancy created when Steve Park was moved up to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series the senior nhart decided that it was time to give Dale Junior his shot at the big time Dale Jr made his NASCAR Winston Cup Series debut in in 2000 along with NASCAR Bush series rival Matt kenith and everyone was predicting good things from that Year's rookies Dale Jr given the nickname little e got his first NASCAR Winston Cup victory at Texas in just the 12th start of his career he added another victory at Richmond and became the first rookie to win NASCAR's All-Star Race the Winston but he lost the rookie title to his buddy and rival Kensi 2001 was going to be a banner year for the Earhardt family with both Dales in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series now they were looking forward to some good times but that didn't happen in the first race of the Season that atona 500 Michael Waltrip Edge Dale Earnhart Jr to win The Checkered Flag however as the drivers gathered to celebrate it became apparent that something had gone wrong with the car driven by the senior nhart and in a race in which the Earnhart team had done very well the worst possible news soon was learned Dale Earnhart had been lost when his car was slammed into the outside wall in turn four the loss of his father was devastating to Dale Jr and it no doubt affected his performance for the remainder of the year however he did manage several very emotional wins in 2001 including the July race in Daytona the September race at Dober following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the October race at Talladega Dale Jr finished his second full season at a respectable e in the point standings with a very difficult year behind him Dale Jr began the 2002 season fully focused on the upcoming schedule and it didn't take long for his renewed commitment to bear fruit he won the first NASCAR Bush Series race of the Season at Daytona and then took second at the bud shootout Dale Jr also got his sixth career win at Talladega but what may have impressed fans even more than his resiliency after facing so much adversity Was a Race he could have won but didn't in the Winston All-Star race at Charlotte Dale Jr had an opportunity to bump leader Ryan Newman's car he chose not to even though doing so would have allowed him to win and Newman won the race this single action speaks volumes about Dale Earnhardt Jr and underscores a fundamental difference between him and his father the Intimidator indeed D Jr represents the new breed of NASCAR driver more rockar than cowboy in many ways this has moved the drivers of today into the mainstream of American culture and furthered NASCAR's appeal across a broader spectrum of fans he still surfs the internet and likes to sleep late he still likes to hang out with his buddies often in the basement of the house he built on nhart land not far from the trailer where he lived just a few years ago nhart Jr turned that baseman into his own nightclub complete with with Florida ceiling speakers and nicknamed it Clubby in the past year however he's redone things and turned a place where he and his Pals used to party into a place where they now more often just chill out Ryan [Music] [Applause] [Music] Newman Indiana native Ryan Newman is a force to be reckoned with although a virtual unknown just a few short years ago Newman Rose to the Winston Cup series with nearly perfect performance in fact during the first half of the 2002 Winston Cup season the only thing Newman didn't do was win a points race in spite of that he entered the season's second half sitting in 12 place in the standings with two polls Newman also won the Winston NASCAR's All-Star Race and although the victory didn't earn any points it earned him a nice chunk of money and a great deal of respect Newman was well armed in 2002 backed by owner Roger Pensky and teamed up with 1989 Winston Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace his biggest challenge of the season was another rookie driver Jimmy Johnson now during almost any other season the numbers that Newman was putting up would earn him rookie of the year but Johnson seemed to always be just a little better halfway through the season Johnson had two victories and had beaten Newman 11 out of 18 times Newman also has something else that few other active Winston Cup drivers have a college degree in vehicle structure engineering he earned it from Purdue University while he raced usack open wheeel cars now Newman is a prototype for the new breed of NASCAR driver intelligent softspoken hardworking and technologically savvy his engineering background and fundamental understanding of principles such as aerodynamics should pay big dividends throughout his career now racing has been a passion for Newman since his childhood when he raised quarter midgets as a 4-year-old 199 5 Newman moved up to the usack level and won the Silver Bullet Series championship in 1999 he is now in the quarter [ __ ] Hall of Fame Newman began stock car racing in 2000 driving in a Michigan ARCA race where he finished seventh he seemed to grasp the subtle nuances of stock cars quickly in his second race at Pocono he won after winning at Pocono Newman claimed victories at both Kentucky and Charlotte and set a new qualifying record for stock cars at Charlotte with speeds just under 187 mph now of course having NASCAR Legend Buddy Baker as his driving coach helped get Newman started out right and in fact Baker continued to Mentor Newman when he took his next big step the Winston Cup Series Newman first raced in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 2001 when Pensky put him in a small number of races in addition to his 15 NASCAR Bush series schedule this allowed Newman to maintain his rookie status the next year he shocked NASCAR car by winning the poll in the Coca-Cola World 600 not too bad for his third career start but so far the biggest race and most important Victory to Newman is the Winston in 2002 when he beat Dale Earnhart Jr for the win in fact just after the race it was nhart Jr who was among the first to join Newman in Victory Lane and offer his congratulations in a way it was very fitting that he do so after all nhart Jr is the only other driver to win the Winston as a rookie if you made a list of the people to which Newman owes his success one of those names would also have to include Matt Borland Borland joined the Pensky operation in 1999 as an engineer and in April of 2000 was picked to be Newman's crew chief now under his guidance Newman was able to win three races and two polls in just five ARCA starts thanks to people like Borland Pensky and minority owners Don Miller and Rusty Wallace Newman is prepared to give other NASCAR drivers a run for their money he is definitely someone who will be making other drivers glance nervously in their rearview mirrors during any race but when it comes to Wallace Newman reserves the right to let him pass after all that's what teammates do Tony [Applause] [Music] Stewart some people have the type of Personality for for which there's no middle ground you either like the person or you don't Tony Stewart has that type of Personality it's Stewart's approach to life that makes him such a closely observed figure and the very thing that angers many fans about steuart is what appeals to other fans his brutal honesty and outspokenness it's something that has caused problems for him in the past especially with the media the fact is that when you ask steuart a question you will get an honest answer he doesn't hold anything back on or off the track but regardless of whether you like or dislike Stewart you can't argue with his success winner of the 2002 Winston Cup Championship this driver began collecting victories early in his career and at an amazing Pace Steward of Rushville Indiana first gained success racing Open Wheel cards on dirt and paved ovals he won usac's Triple Crown collecting titles and sprint cars midgets and silver crown machines in 1995 following the career path of his Idol agent J Foy Stewart started on the poll in the 1996 Indie 500 and won the 1997 Indie Racing League Championship but he moved to NASCAR racing in 1998 competing in 22 Bush series events Whiley ran a full IRL schedule the next year team owner Joe Gibbs signed Stewart to drive the Home Depot sponsored Pontiac full-time in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Stuart responded with one of the most amazing rookie years in NASCAR history with three wins Stewart finished fourth in the final standings he was a shoeing for Rookie of the Year and his infectious success on the track carried over to teammate Bobby lebani who won five races in his best year up to that point but this was just the beginning for Stewart in 2000 he further impressed the racing world with six victories and a six Place finish in the final standings as his teammate Lebon won the championship title in 2001 Stewart won three more races and improved on his consistency and Chase Jeff Gordon to the championship the next season he held off a late charge by veteran Mark Martin to capture the title Stewart's hero FY and Mario andred have won both the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 Stuart has yet to get a victory in either classic event but he has done something FY and andreti never achieved championship titles in major indie car and stock car racing there there's no doubt that Stewart will be a major factor in the New Millennium when we began the history of NASCAR DVD project we soon realized that we had undertaken something that would become much bigger than originally planned that is because NASCAR itself encompasses so much the races the drivers and their families the tracks the crews and so much more that any attempt to Chronicle its Origins and sub quent Evolution must by necessity be grand in design what we have created through the insight and talent of renowned Automotive writer David Green offers the very best of NASCAR in the final analysis we have only scratched the surface but we have done so in a way that brings you the greatest drivers the most exciting races and the truly significant events in over a half century of NASCAR's existence we believe that our history of NASCAR are offers something for every level of racing Enthusiast those new to the sport will learn about the people places and events that make up this fast-paced sport true officient AOS will be treated to rare footage and interviews with NASCAR's Elite in this event everyone's a winner look for your history of NASCAR 12 volume DVD collector series at retailers near you [Music] oh you [Music]