NASCAR lore

NASCAR lore has developed since the sport's founding in 1947. It includes NASCAR's colorful history of races along with the drivers and machines that have competed in them. Through the efforts of sportswriters and television, some events have become embedded within the sport and instantly recognizable throughout the years.
Some races are made famous by a dramatic last-lap battle for the win, while others are notable for special achievements, historical significance, or controversy.
Races
1950s
*Photo Finish - Inaugural Daytona 500 The controversy kept the race in the news for several days.
1960s
*10-race win streak - 1967 Wilkes 400 (October 1, 1967)
*:Richard Petty beat Dick Hutcherson by two laps at North Wilkesboro, to win his milestone 75th NASCAR Grand National Series race, and his record 10th consecutive victory. The race was also his record 27th race win of the 1967 season. Petty's consecutive race win streak (10), single-season win total (27), and career victories (200) are all NASCAR records that still stand as of 2020. Petty's ten-race win streak lasted from August 12-October 1, and included the following races: Winston-Salem, Columbia, Savannah, Darlington, Hickory, Richmond, Beltsville, Hillsboro, Martinsville, North Wilkesboro.
1970s
*1974 Firecracker 400 - (July 4, 1974)
*:Coming to take the white flag, leader David Pearson realizes he is a sitting duck with Richard Petty riding second and ready to slingshot into the lead. As he crosses the start-finish line, Pearson suddenly pulls onto the apron as if he has a blown engine. Richard Petty sweeps into the lead, but suddenly realizes that Pearson is back up to speed and running on his back bumper. Off of turn four, Pearson himself slingshots past Petty into the lead for the win.
*Pearson Gets His - 1976 Daytona 500 On the final lap, Richard Petty led Pearson down the backstretch. Pearson attempted a sling-shot pass, and took the lead into turn three. Petty picked up the draft, and returned the favor in turn 4 to take the lead back. Exiting turn four, the two cars touched, and spun out of control. Both cars slammed into the outside wall, and Pearson spun into the tri-oval infield. Petty continued sliding towards the finish line, and appeared as if he would cross the line spinning backwards. The car hit a grassy rut, and slid to a stop 50 yards short of the finish line. Pearson refired his wrecked car, and headed for the finish line. Petty's car was stalled, and Pearson idled by to win the race. It is often regarded as the greatest finish in Daytona 500 history.
*The Fight - 1979 Daytona 500 (February 18, 1979)
*:For the first time in its history, CBS televised the race live flag-to-flag on national television. A major snowstorm, known as the Presidents Day Snowstorm of 1979, bogged down most of the Northeast and parts of the Midwest, increasing the viewership of the event. Donnie Allison was leading the race on the final lap with Cale Yarborough drafting him tightly. Yarborough attempted a slingshot pass at the end of the backstretch, and Allison attempted to block. With both drivers refusing to give, the cars banged together three times until crashing into the outside wall in turn 3. Third place Richard Petty, running half a lap behind, sailed by to take the victory. Just before CBS' cameras picked up Petty, they prematurely followed Buddy Arrington (who was driving a borrowed year-old Petty car) across the line. The cameras then found Petty and Waltrip, who were just coming off of turn 2, and followed them to the checkered flag. Donnie Allison and Yarborough climbed out of their cars and began to argue. Bobby Allison stopped at the scene, and a fight broke out on national television. The story made the front page of The New York Times. It is largely considered the point at which NASCAR arrived as a popular national sport.
* - Bill Elliott wins the Winston Million In May at the Winston 500, Elliott was in contention, but was forced to the pits to repair a broken oil fitting and he lost two laps. Elliott proceeded to make the laps up under green, and took the victory. At Darlington, Elliott capped off the tremendous effort with victory in the Southern 500. It would be the highest single cash prize awarded during the tenure of the Unocal Challenge award program. Car owner Felix Sabates presented Petty with a Rolls Royce as a gift for winning the elusive bonus.
*One Hot Night - 1992 The Winston (November 15, 1992)
*:In what is considered the greatest NASCAR race of all-time, several sidebar stories complemented the closest championship chase in NASCAR history up to that point. The race served as Richard Petty's final career race, and the first start for future champion Jeff Gordon. Six drivers entered the race with a mathematical chance to win the title, the most in history. As the laps dwindled down the race, and the championship, became a two-man battle between Alan Kulwicki and Bill Elliott. Kulwicki, known to be an intelligent and calculating driver, was facing his final fuel stop. He stayed out while leading one lap extra than his pit crew requested, allowing him to lead a total of 103 laps during the race. Elliott led the rest of the way, and won the race, while Kulwicki finished second. Elliott's total laps led, however was only 102, and Kulwicki received the 5 bonus points for leading the most laps, and clinched the championship.
*1998 Daytona 500 Earnhardt had won seven Winston Cup championships, over 70 Cup races, and 32 other races at Daytona International Speedway, but had never won NASCAR's crown jewel. Up front most of the race, Earnhardt dominated the final 60 laps, and clinched victory one lap early when a caution came out on the final lap. Earnhardt was greeted on pit road by nearly the entire NASCAR brethren, then veered into the infield tri-oval grass to do a burnout. The tire marks in the grass eerily resembled his famous #3. Earnhardt secretly glued a "lucky" penny on his dashboard. Wessa Miller, a six-year girl with spina bifida, gave the penny to Earnhardt before the race, and he cherished the gift from the young fan, and she became known as the "Lucky Penny Girl." It allowed Earnhardt to become the fifth driver to clinch NASCAR's distinguished Career Grand Slam.
2000s
*Black Sunday - 2001 Daytona 500 (February 18, 2001)
*:On the final lap of the Daytona 500, DEI teammates Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ran 1st-2nd. Dale Earnhardt was in third place, effectively blocking for his drivers ahead. Going into turn 4, the elder Earnhardt lost control of his car and collected Ken Schrader in a head-on collision with the wall. The seven-time champion was killed instantly by a basilar skull fracture. The death of Earnhardt was the darkest day in NASCAR, and ushered in a new era of safety in the series. Earlier in the day the race was also marred by a 20-car crash (which Earnhardt narrowly avoided) on lap 173 which saw Tony Stewart flip down the backstretch.
*2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 (March 11, 2001)
*:After the shocking death of Dale Earnhardt, Richard Childress Racing had to move quickly, but respectfully, to fill the vacated seat. Childress filled the empty seat with rookie Kevin Harvick, a Busch Series driver he had planned to develop over the next couple of seasons. Dale Earnhardt's famous black #3 car was repainted white, and the number was changed to #29 (a number of little significance, as it was simply the lowest number without a 3 in it which was unused at the time). After strong finishes of 14th at Rockingham and 8th at Las Vegas, Harvick entered his third-career race at Atlanta. With five laps to go, Harvick took the lead, but was being chased down by Jeff Gordon. As the two cars came out of turn four, Gordon pulled alongside, but Harvick held him off by 0.006 seconds, the second-closest finish in NASCAR history at that time. Harvick performed a burnout on the frontstretch, holding up three fingers in remembrance of Earnhardt's famous #3.
*2001 Pepsi 400
*Drag race all the way back to the S/F line - 2007 Daytona 500
Honorable mention
*"They're not changing tires!" - 1981 Daytona 500 A startled Ned Jarrett, working as a pit reporter for CBS, proclaimed "They're not changing tires! A change of pace for the Petty crew!" - (August 2, 1981)
*:On the final lap, Darrell Waltrip leads Terry Labonte coming out of turn 4. As the cars go into the tri-oval, Labonte attempts a slingshot pass around the outside of Waltrip, but Waltrip is just able to hold him off. Suddenly, Ron Bouchard darted below both of them, and edged a shocked Waltrip by inches in a three-wide photo finish. It would be Bouchard's only career victory. After the race, Waltrip, who had thought Bouchard was a lap down, asked, "Where the hell did he come from?"
*143 Lead Changes - 1984 Winston 500 & 1984 Talladega 500
*:The most competitive pair of races in NASCAR history occurred at Talladega Superspeedway in 1984. At the Winston 500 on May 6, the race recorded a NASCAR record 75 official lead changes. That number only includes the leader of each lap at the start/finish line, and not any intermediate lead changes on other parts of the track, which were estimated at many more. Less than three months later, the Talladega 500 on July 29 nearly matched the record when it saw 68 official lead changes, the second-most in history. The record would hold for 26 years until it was broken in 2010 (88 total).
*1990 Daytona 500 - (February 18, 1990)
*:Heavy favorite Dale Earnhardt, still searching for his elusive first Daytona 500 victory, dominated most of the race, leading 155 laps of the 200-lap race. Earnhardt was leading by over 40 seconds when a caution came out on lap 193, bunching the field. After the restart, Earnhardt re-took the lead, and led Derrike Cope and Terry Labonte. Going into the third turn on the final lap, Earnhardt ran over a bell housing from the blown engine of Rick Wilson's car. Earnhardt shredded the right rear tire, and Cope suddenly was handed the lead of the race. Cope held off Labonte in the final turn, and won his first-career NASCAR Winston Cup Series race in shocking fashion. It is largely considered one of the greatest upsets in NASCAR history.
*Mr. September - Harry Gant's win streak
*:In September 1991, Harry Gant tied a modern era record, winning four consecutive Winston Cup races, and also won three consecutive Busch Series events, driving nearly undefeated for the month. As a preview, on August 31, Gant started on the pole for the Gatorade 200 at Darlington. A day later on September 1, Gant started out the month with a win in the Southern 500. The following week, Gant won both the Autolite 200 and Miller 400 at Richmond. A week later, Gant won both the SplitFire 200 and Peak 500 at Dover. Yet another week later, Gant continued the streak with, winning the at Martinsville. On September 29, Gant started on the pole for the Tyson Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro, looking for a 5th consecutive Winston Cup Series win, and 7th consecutive NASCAR-sanctioned event. Winning from the pole position would also make him eligible for a $144,400 bonus from the Unocal 76 Challenge. Gant dominated the race, but an O-ring failure saw Gant fall out of the lead with 12 laps to go, and he finished second. As an "encore," Gant won the All Pro 300 at Charlotte, his third consecutive Busch Series win, finished 4th in the Winston Cup race at Charlotte a day later, then nearly won the AC Delco 500 at Rockingham - leading 260 of 492 laps - and coming home second.
*Inaugural Brickyard 400
*The Iron Man Streak - 1996 First Union 400 (April 15, 1996)
*:Terry Labonte tied NASCAR's all-time consecutive starts record at the final spring race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Driving an "iron grey" painted Kellogg's Monte Carlo, Labonte drove in his 513th straight race, tying the record set by Richard Petty. The streak was a culmination of seventeen years of racing, continued until 2000, and his record would stand until 2002 (see The Iron Man Streak II below). Two days after the race, Labonte was invited to Camden Yards to throw out the first pitch of an Orioles game, and meet baseball's ironman, Cal Ripken. Not only did Labonte take over the record, he won the race, and went on to win the 1996 Winston Cup Championship.
*The Iron Man Streak II - 2002 Coca-Cola Racing Family 600 (May 26, 2002)
*:Ricky Rudd bested Terry Labonte's streak of 656 consecutive starts in the 2002 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. He drove a special grey "Iron" colored Texaco Havoline Ford Taurus that night. He would go on to start 788 consecutive races before his first retirement in 2005.
*2000 Winston 500 What followed was beyond anybody's imagination. Earnhardt took a center groove in the field and fought his way back up front with such hustle, that after only 3 laps had concluded, he was perched atop the scoreboard, averaging 6 positions gained during his 3-lap comeback. He edged out Kenny Wallace for the victory, and won the Winston No Bull 5 Million as a result. Shortly after his stunning come-from-behind triumph, startled onlookers began to claim that Earnhardt had a God-granted ability to see the aerodynamic wind and decipher the best route through.
*"Oh, he can't do that!" - 2002 Daytona 500 (February 17, 2002)
*:With five laps to go in the first Daytona 500 since the death of Dale Earnhardt, Sterling Marlin nearly had the race in his bag when he edged Ward Burton just before the race was red-flagged to allow officials to clean up the damage from a chain reaction collision earlier that lap. During the stoppage, Marlin, concerned about damage from the collision, left his car and attempted to illegally pull his car's right front fender away from his right front tire, sending him to the rear when officials caught him in the act. Fellow Dodge driver Burton instead scored the marque's first Daytona 500 win in their thirteen-year return to the Cup Series, while Marlin finished eighth following the restart. This race also features two rookies (Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick) starting on the front row, the first time in the history of the race.
*The Spin and Almost Win - 2008 Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 (May 3, 2008)
*:In a race that would establish Kyle Busch as a NASCAR villain among fans, on lap 398, Kyle Busch spun Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the wall, triggering intense boos from the crowd, as Earnhardt was extremely popular due to his family relations with his famous father Dale Sr.. Although many fans felt that Busch intentionally caused the accident, Earnhardt would later address the incident and state that Busch did not intentionally cause the wreck. However, Clint Bowyer surged in front of Busch before the caution flag was thrown. Bowyer was able to hold off Busch and Mark Martin to score his second career Cup win, despite leading only two laps. His win was the last one when numbered 07, and his win brought Chevrolet to having the most NASCAR wins in history.
Controversial races
*Jacksonville Raceway Park race With only three competitive cars (additional cars were invited from other competitions that previously raced that weekend) on the grid, additional controversy flared over the disputed finish; Richard Brickhouse had officially been declared as the winner in the debut race for the then-new Dodge Charger Daytona, with official runner-up Jim Vandiver (who drove the older Charger 500) and Ray Fox claiming that they had lapped Brickhouse.
*1973 National 500 - (October 7, 1973)
*:The first three cars to cross the finish line were Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, and Bobby Allison, respectively. Allison protested that the engines in Yarborough car and Petty's car were oversized. NASCAR inspected all three of the top finishers, and Allison's engine passed inspection. The following day, NASCAR released a statement saying that, because the inspection facilities at Charlotte were inadequate, the pre-race inspection numbers would be used-when all three cars were legal. The results remained unchanged, potentially denying Allison of an 85th Cup Series victory, which would years later, break a tie (84 wins) with Darrell Waltrip for fourth place on the all-time list.
*Bumpergate - 1982 Daytona 500 (February 14, 1982)
*:On lap 3, Bobby Allison was tapped slightly by Cale Yarborough, and his rear bumper fell off. The debris caused a crash, and took out three cars. Prior to the race, Allison's DiGard crew, led by Gary Nelson, had apparently discovered that the Buick Regal drove faster and handled better without the bumper assembly. On Saturday, Allison missed the final practice, as the team was supposedly repairing the rear of the car. It was claimed that the crew attached the bumper loosely, hoping it would fall off if he was touched by another car. Allison led 147 laps, and won by over 22 seconds. NASCAR issued no penalty. Allison and the crew deny the allegations.
*1983 Miller High Life 500 (October 9, 1983)
*:Richard Petty won his 198th career Winston Cup race, but failed post-race inspection. The car was found to have illegal tires, and an oversized engine. Petty was fined $35,000 (the win was worth $40,400) and 104 championship points (out of 180 earned). However, the victory was upheld. The incident created friction at the family's team, and Petty left Petty Enterprises at year's end. He took his STP sponsorship and his famous #43 with him, and drove for Mike Curb for the next two seasons.
*The Tide Slide - 1989 The Winston (May 21, 1989)
*:During the final ten-lap sprint of The Winston all-star event, Darrell Waltrip led with young Rusty Wallace all over his rear bumper. Waltrip had the faster car, and held off numerous pass attempts by Wallace. As the two drivers came out of turn four to see the white flag, Wallace tagged Waltrip in the left rear quarter panel, sending Waltrip spinning out and into the grass. Wallace took the lead and ultimately took the $200,000 victory. Fans booed, gestured, and pelted the track with beer cans. At season's end, Martin lost the championship by a mere 26 points to Dale Earnhardt, but actually fell within a "gray area" of the rulebook. NASCAR competition director Dick Beaty even stated that "We don't know if is an advantage or not."
*1990 First Union 400 (April 22, 1990)
*:During a caution on lap 321, the pace car mistakenly picked up Dale Earnhardt instead of Darrell Waltrip as the race leader, which placed Brett Bodine almost a full lap in front of the entire field, causing a confusion during the 17-lap caution period, as NASCAR did not have electronic scoring until 1993. After a pitstop and restart with Bodine (who had a fresh tires) as the leader, he led the final 83 laps of the race (a race-high 146 laps overall) to take the victory. (August 28, 1999)
*:In the closing laps of the popular Saturday night race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Terry Labonte led Dale Earnhardt, but a crash by Jeremy Mayfield brought out a caution with 11 laps to go. Just as the caution came out, Darrell Waltrip accidentally tagged Labonte in the rear bumper, sending him spinning and to the tail end of the lead lap. Dale Earnhardt slipped by to take the lead. Under the yellow, several cars pitted for tires, including Labonte. Afraid to give up the track position, Earnhardt and few other stayed out. The green flag came back out with 5 laps to go. Earnhardt led, but Labonte on four fresh tires, charged dramatically to the front. On old tires, Earnhardt was a sitting duck, and with two laps to go, Labonte had caught him. Labonte pulled alongside Earnhardt in turn four, and the two cars touched as they took the white flag for one lap to go. Going into turn 1, Labonte took the lead. In turn 2, Earnhardt tagged Labonte in the rear bumper, sending Labonte spinning down the backstretch. Earnhardt went on to win, and Jimmy Spencer slipped by for second. Terry Labonte, however, collected six other cars and wrecked. When Earnhardt climbed out of the car in victory lane, many of the 170,000 fans booed and waved the finger. Defending his action, Earnhardt said in his victory lane interview, "(I) didn't mean really to turn him around, I meant to rattle his cage." Earnhardt was widely criticized for the move, and others criticized NASCAR officials for not penalizing him.
*2002 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 - (November 3, 2002)
*:With three races left in the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, Tony Stewart led Mark Martin by 146 points. The series arrived at North Carolina Speedway, and Johnny Benson won his first and only Cup series race. Mark Martin finished second, while points leader Tony Stewart finished a distant 14th. Martin was poised to gain significant ground in the points standings, but his car failed post-race inspection due to an illegal left front spring. Martin was docked 25 championship points, and crew chief Ben Leslie was fined $5,000. Two weeks later, Stewart clinched the championship two weeks later at Homestead by a 38-point margin (more than the penalty difference). Martin's team appealed the penalty, and considered filing a lawsuit against the spring's manufacturer, claiming the spring was defective from the factory. According to NASCAR rules, springs were to have 4-1/2 coils, while Martin's had 4-3/8 coils. Prior to the 2014 rule change, the points leader with a comfortable lead would take a considerably conservative route, preferring survival over going for the win, taking fewer risks, and finishing just above what was necessary to keep the points lead, and win the championship. The appeal was denied, and for the second time in his career, Martin's chances at a title were derailed by a rules violation.
*Racing back to the caution - 2003 Dodge/Save Mart 350 (June 22, 2003)
*:On the 71st lap, Kevin Harvick was leading Robby Gordon when a caution came out for a crash at a different part of the track. Gordon kept charging (racing back to the caution), and passed Harvick in Turn 7, taking the position before they crossed the start/finish line. Harvick called it a "chicken move"
*: In one of the most controversial championship races in NASCAR Truck Series history (if not the entirety of NASCAR as a whole), Brendan Gaughan, Travis Kvapil, Ted Musgrave, and Dennis Setzer found themselves in a four-way-battle for the championship. In an attempt to ensure victory, all of the championship contender teams (except for Setzer's) entered extra trucks, with Musgrave's team Ultra Motorsports entering a total of five fully-sponsored trucks, two of them specifically just for the finale. In response, Kvapil's Xpress Motorsports and Gaughan's Orleans Racing also entered one secondary trucks each. On lap 100, Marty Houston, one of two drivers Ultra Motorsports entered specifically as a blocker for Musgrave's championship hopes, spun exiting turn four, coming down the track and spinning out Gaughan (who was critical of Ultra's decision to field too many trucks for the championship race), who was T-boned in the driver's side on the frontstretch by a third truck, costing him the championship dearly (he finished fourth in the standings). A black flag for an illegal pass by Musgrave with two laps to go (which was upheld following the end of the race) handed the title to Kvapil with a nine-point margin to Setzer.
*Levigation - 2005 Coca-Cola 600 & 2005 UAW-GM Quality 500
*: Prior to the Coca-Cola 600 at , track president Humpy Wheeler spent $250,000 to grind out bumps that were well known at the track in a process known as levigation. The intent was to smooth out the surface and create more side-by-side racing. The results were dismal, as the smooth surface put excessive stress the tires, leading to premature failures. The race saw a then NASCAR-record 22 caution periods (16 were for spins or crashes, stemming from the tire issues). When the series returned in the fall for the UAW-GM Quality 500, additional levigation to the track was done in an effort to correct the problems, but it only made the issues worse. A total of 15 cautions flew during the race, 13 of which were blamed on the tires and the surface. It was believed that 42 of the 43 teams faced tire issues on the night. Eventual champion Tony Stewart said after the race that he'd "have to renew my life insurance because I was afraid for my life out there" and Kevin Harvick said that the race "was the biggest embarrassment for this sport". Jimmie Johnson won both races with a close 0.027 second finish over Bobby Labonte and a medium margin over Kurt Busch.
*2005 Sylvania 300 (September 18, 2005)
*:The 2005 Chase begins at Loudon, and tempers flared. The tone of the afternoon was set early, as Scott Riggs tangled with playoff driver Kurt Busch on lap 3. Busch was sent to the garage for repairs and fell 66 laps down. Busch stormed Riggs' pit box, and had words with crew chief, Rodney Childers.
*2008 Brickyard 400 (July 27, 2008)
*:The Car of Tomorrow is used for the first time at Indianapolis. The Goodyear tires suffered bad wear patterns, causing blowouts in some cases after only 8-10 laps of green-flag racing. After several blowouts and crashes early in the race, NASCAR mandated lengthy competition cautions at roughly 10-lap intervals for teams to change tires. The longest stretch of green flag racing all day was a mere 12 laps, effectively making the race, according to Dale Earnhardt, Jr., a series of heat races with a ten-lap feature at the end. which was rendered largely uncompetitive. Jimmie Johnson survived the tire problems to win, after only a mild challenge at the end by Carl Edwards.
*Spingate - 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 (September 7, 2013)
*:In the final race before the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup, five spots were left to be filled in the 12-driver Chase field. Mathematically ten drivers entered the race still alive, but the attention eventually focused on Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, and Martin Truex, Jr. In the closing laps, Newman led the race and appeared on his way to victory, and a certain berth in the Chase. With seven laps to go, Truex's Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Clint Bowyer spun out lazily near the start/finish line bringing out a caution, erupting a controversial sequence of events. In the shuffle, Newman dropped to 3rd at the checkered flag, and missed the Chase. The biggest beneficiary of the caution was Truex, who snagged the final Chase spot. The ESPN broadcast alleged that Bowyer spun out on purpose to bunch up the field and help Truex gain positions. Furthermore, MWR cars were allegedly called into the pits in order to intentionally lose positions, which had the effect of putting Penske Racing's Logano into the Chase ahead of Gordon. Two days later, NASCAR penalized all three MWR entries 50 championship points, for attempting to manipulate the results. The move effectively dropped Truex out of the Chase, and he was replaced by Newman. MWR was fined $300,000 and several members of the team were suspended or put on probation for remainder of the season, and effectively running the team out of business two years later. A couple days later, following a further investigation into Ford teams Team Penske and Front Row Motorsports uncovered the ensuing caution led to further manipulation by the Ford teams to leapfrog Logano ahead of Gordon, who drives for rival manufacturer Chevrolet's team Hendrick Motorsports, for the tenth and final spot in the Chase on points, NASCAR made an unprecedented ruling, deciding to add Gordon as a 13th Chase eligible driver.
*2015 CampingWorld.com 500 at Talladega (October 25, 2015)
*:After the followup from the Austin Dillon accident in the 2015 Coke Zero 400, NASCAR implemented a rule in which only one GWC finish would be used in this race to prevent any potential chaos from occurring in this race. After a relatively clean race in which the first 135 laps ran under green, Jamie McMurray blew an engine with 4 laps to go, setting up an attempt at a GWC finish. The race restarted with two laps to go at a scheduled Green-white-checker finish though a first attempt at a restart failed when Jimmie Johnson spun out after being tagged from behind by Kyle Larson. Despite this, NASCAR did not call this restart attempt official. On the second attempt (still technically the first), Kevin Harvick's car was unable to accelerate when the green flag was waived and collided with Trevor Bayne before the start line. A total of eleven cars were involved in the melee: Harvick (of whom many believe intentionally wrecked Bayne to preserve his spot in the next round of the NASCAR playoffs) Bayne, other chasers Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, and Matt Kenseth who saw their hopes for a title end (the previous season, Newman and Hamlin were in the Championship 4), Michael McDowell, Tony Stewart, David Gilliland, Danica Patrick, Sam Hornish Jr., Alex Bowman and Austin Dillon. Logano was ahead of Earnhardt when the caution came out upon further examining of the scoring loops and scored his sixth race of the season and first at Talladega, giving him a clean sweep of the Round of 12. During the burnout celebration, fans hurled debris including beer cans at Logano in a similar reaction to the 2004 Aaron's 499 in which Jeff Gordon barely squeezed out Earnhardt for the victory after Brian Vickers crashed with 5 to go, ending that race under caution. For 2016 and beyond, NASCAR implemented the "overtime" system in which a line halfway down the backstretch would indicate where an official restart would occur.
*2019 Ford EcoBoost 400 (November 17, 2019)
*:As Kyle Busch won his second Cup Series title in what would be the last season-ending race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, NASCAR found a race manipulation scheme involving backmarker teams, where Spire Motorsports No. 77, Rick Ware Racing's No. 52, and Premium Motorsports No. 15 and No. 27 teams deliberately manipulated the finish of the race to allow the No. 27 team (an open team without an Race Team Alliance charter, a system introduced in 2016) to score more points than the Gaunt Brothers Racing No. 96 team to claim the Open teams championship, which granted them financial bonuses. The No. 15, 77, and 52 teams each deliberately parked their cars within a 15-lap span near the end of the race in order to ensure the No. 27 team would score more points than the No. 96 team by one point in the end of season results. Spire Motorsports driver Reed Sorenson was heard ignoring multiple calls to pit on the radio before finally obliging and the team subsequently retired the car for supposed "mechanical issues". NASCAR fined Scott Egglestone (Premium Motorsports) and Kenneth Evans (Rick Ware Racing) $25,000 each and suspended both indefinitely. All three team owners were fined $50,000, and all four cars were assessed a fifty-point penalty, which handed the bonuses to Gaunt Brothers Racing's No. 96.
*2020 YellaWood 500 (October 4, 2020)
*:The yellow line rule used at races on Talladega and Daytona drew controversy at this event following the finish. Initially, second-place finisher Matt DiBenedetto and sixth-place finisher Chase Elliott were penalized and moved to 21st and 22nd positions, respectively. NASCAR penalized DiBenedetto for forcing William Byron beyond track limits, marked with a double yellow line at the bottom of the track, and the sanctioning body penalized Elliott for voluntarily moving under the line. NASCAR later redistributed its penalty originally given to Elliott, assessing it to Chris Buescher for forcing Elliott beyond track limits. Race winner Denny Hamlin also maneuvered under the track limits boundaries on the final corner, but race officials ruled that he was avoiding a potential accident from DiBenedetto and Byron. Despite myriad negative reactions to the decision at Talladega and online, a NASCAR official later said that the rulings were "clear-cut". NBC commentators Dale Earnhardt Jr. (who had been involved in a yellow line controversy at the 2003 Aaron's 499) and Dale Jarrett called for NASCAR to remove track limits, but the sanctioning body, citing safety concerns, said the rule would stay in place.
*Traffic Jams - 1997 Interstate Batteries 500 and 2011 Quaker State 400 (April 6, 1997 and July 9, 2011)
*:On two occasions, a new race on the circuit has experienced problems with traffic jams and/or weather, creating angry fans and media, and significant controversy off the track. The 1997 Interstate Batteries 500 at Texas and the 2011 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky both suffered from first year logistical problems.<ref name="Five embarrassing"/>
Famous cars
*Fabulous Hudson Hornet
*:In the early 1950, Marshall Teague dominated stock car racing in NASCAR and USAC winning 27 of 34 events driving the lightweight, monocoque machine. Herb Thomas switched to the car in 1951, and went on to win the championship. He then dominated the 1953 Grand National season in the car.
*Aero Warriors
*:In 1969, Ford introduced the Ford Torino Talladega to Grand National competition. The car featured a slick, aerodynamic fastback design. A year later, the Plymouth Superbird was Mopar's answer to the Torino. The Superbird featured a protruding nosecone, a massive rear wing, and was introduced also to lure Richard Petty back to Plymouth.
*Bill Elliott's Melling Racing Ford Thunderbird
*:For several seasons in the mid to late 1980s, Melling Racing led by Bill Elliott produced a stable of Ford Thunderbird machines that saw much domination at superspeedways. In 1985, Elliott piloted the car to 11 poles and 11 wins. Among the victories included a dominating win at the Daytona 500, the fastest-race to date at the Winston 500 at 186.288 mph, and the Southern 500, which clinched the Winston Million. Elliott set the all-time pole qualifying record at the Daytona 500 in 1987 at 210.364 mph, and the all-time NASCAR qualifying record later that year at Talladega at 212.809 mph. Elliott also set the summer race pole record at Talladega at 209.005 mph in 1986. From 1985 to 1988, Elliot's dominating Ford won 25 races, 29 poles, and the 1988 Winston Cup Championship.
*Richard Petty's STP #43
*:From 1972 to 1992 (driver) and 1993 to 2000 (owner) the famous car #43 entered by Richard Petty donned the easily recognizable "Petty blue" and red colors of longtime sponsor STP. During the 1993 season, the car #44 was utilized, Petty's first season after retirement. After parting ways with STP in 2001, the familiar blue and red paint scheme, or variations of it, continued to be used on a regular basis, even with different sponsors.
*Dale Earnhardt's #3 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet
*:After carrying the yellow and blue colors of primary sponsor Wrangler during most of the 1980s, Dale Earnhardt and RCR switched to the full-time sponsorship of GM Goodwrench for the 1988 Winston Cup season. Earnhardt had been sponsored by GM Goodwrench for two part-time years in the Busch Series, and as an associate sponsor in Cup for several seasons. Earnhardt's trademark black #3 became a fixture on the circuit, and contributed to his "Intimidator" nickname. Following Earnhardt's death in 2001, Kevin Harvick took over the ride, but the number was changed to #29. In addition, for the first couple seasons, Harvick's version of the livery was had the colors reversed (white or silver with black lettering). In 2014, after Harvick left Childress, Austin Dillon (Childress' grandson) revived the #3.
*Jeff Gordon's #24 DuPont Chevrolet
*:Jeff Gordon's first career Winston Cup race was the season finale at Atlanta, and he the series full-time in 1993. From 1992 to 2010, Gordon's #24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet entry sported the colorful, popular, and widely recognizable DuPont paint scheme. From 1992 to 2000, the car was painted in the classic "Rainbow Warriors" scheme, and from 2001 to 2010, the paint jobs were updated to include a trendier design including flames, and various special paint jobs. Starting in 2011, DuPont's involvement was scaled back with the team, but still remained as a part-time/associate sponsor until DuPont sold the Performance Coatings to The Carlyle Group at the end of 2012, becoming Axalta Coating Systems; Gordon's last race with DuPont was at the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which he won; it had been the only track with ten or more Cup starts that Gordon had not won.
*The Tide Ride
*:The Tide Ride is a nickname given to entries that have carried the sponsorship of the detergent brand Tide, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble over the years. It is known for its three-tone orange, yellow and white paint scheme. Introduced in 1987 by Hendrick Motorsports, the most famous and most successful team was that of Darrell Waltrip, who won nine races including the 1989 Daytona 500 in the famous livery. Ricky Rudd also sported the livery during his tenure as the owner/driver of the #10 Ford in the then NASCAR Winston Cup Series, winning the 1997 Brickyard 400 among other races. Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth have in recent years carried the colors in Camping World Truck, Xfinity and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, with Harvick winning at Martinsville (#2 Chevrolet Silverado) and Richmond (#5 Chevrolet Camaro).
Nicknames
Active drivers
*Rowdy, Candy Man, Wild Thing, KFB - Kyle Busch
*Happy, The Closer, Mr. “Where Did He Come From?”, The Bakersfield Basher - Kevin Harvick
*MTJ, Stage Winner MTJ - Martin Truex Jr
*Bad Brad - Brad Keselowski
*Sliced Bread - Joey Logano
*Rocketman, No Neck Newman - Ryan Newman
*The Outlaw, KuBu - Kurt Busch
*Chase From The Same Place (as Awesome Bill From Dawsonville), NASCAR's Golden Boy - Chase Elliott
*Dinger, Wallmendinger - A. J. Allmendinger
*Jamie Mac, MacFlurry, Big Mac - Jamie McMurray
*Young Ryan Blaney, Y.R.B., 007 - Ryan Blaney
* McDriver, The Texas Twister - Michael McDowell
*DiBurrito, Guido, The People's Driver (Given to him by Michael Waltrip during Fox races), Matty D, The Italian Stallion, Deebo- Matt DiBenedetto
*The New Mr. Restrictor Plate, The New Mr. Excitement (given to him by Fox Commentators), Wrecky Spinhouse Jr.- Ricky Stenhouse Jr, due to being known to cause crashes, especially at superspeedways
*Bayne Train - Trevor Bayne
*Double-A, The Cuban Missile - Aric Almirola
*Silver Spooners - Austin and Ty Dillon, due to being the grandsons of team owner Richard Childress
*Bowman the Showman, Bowman the Snowman - Alex Bowman
*Bubba - Darrell Wallace Jr.
*Willy B, Weeyum, Slick Bill Byron - William Byron
*That Jones Boy - Erik Jones
*The Watermelon Man - Ross Chastain
*Supershoe - Corey LaJoie
*The InTimmydator - Timmy Hill
*Yung Money, The California Kid - Kyle Larson
Former drivers
*The King of Stock Car Racing, The King, King Richard - Richard Petty
*The Intimidator, Big E, Ironhead, Mr. Restrictor Plate, Sr., The Man in Black, Dale Sr. - Dale Earnhardt
*Wonder Boy, The Rainbow Warrior, Big Daddy, Four-Time - Jeff Gordon
*Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, Million Dollar Bill - Bill Elliott
*Rooster - Ricky Rudd
*Mr. Consistency, The Kid, The Bridesmaid - Mark Martin
*Iceman, Texas Terry - Terry Labonte
*The Silver Fox - David Pearson
*Gentleman - Ned Jarrett
*The Gentle Giant - Buddy Baker
*King of the Beach - Marshall Teague
*Swervin' Irvan - Ernie Irvan, a derogatory nickname from causing crashes early in his career
*The Alabama Gang
**Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Davey Allison, Red Farmer, Jimmy Means, Neil Bonnett, Hut Stricklin
*Jaws - Darrell Waltrip, due to his aggressive driving and "trash talking" in the early years of his career
**D.W. (pronounced Dee-Dubya), during his tenure as an owner/driver, Waltrip would often create an alter ego for comedic effect, speaking cordially as Darrell Waltrip the driver, then pulling hat down over his face, changing his voice, and playing the part of the cantankerous car owner D.W.
*Mr. Excitement - Jimmy Spencer
*Smut - Jimmy Means
*Handsome, Mr. September, The Bandit, High Groove Harry - Harry Gant
*Hal Bricklin - Hut Stricklin
*Fireball - Glenn Roberts
*Blue Deuce, Rubberhead - Rusty Wallace, after surviving a terrible flip at Bristol in 1988; Rusty would roll twice more, both in 1993
*Special K, The Polish Prince - Alan Kulwicki
*The Other Dale - Dale Jarrett, in reference to Dale Earnhardt being a more recognizable driver named "Dale"
*Tiny - DeWayne Lund
*Chargin' - Charlie Glotzbach
*The Soap Master - Dave Marcis, drove Lifebouy soap sponsored car in the 1980s
*Air Horton - Jimmy Horton, after his departure from the track in his spectacular wreck during the 1993 DieHard 500 a parody of "Air Jordan"
*The Butcher - Butch Gilliland, For his domination of the K&N Pro Series West in the late 90s.
*Red - Robert Byron, the first Cup champion and Red Farmer
*Hollywood - Tim Richmond
*The Marksman - Buckshot Jones, after his failed attempt to retaliate on Randy Lajoie in a Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
*Restart Ron Hornaday Jr., noted for his relatively quick restarts
*The Three Crasheteers, The Bash'em Brothers; in reference to the three Bodine brothers, Todd Bodine, Geoff Bodine and Brett Bodine, for the numerous incidents they have caused in their NASCAR careers.
*Herman the German - Kenny Wallace
*The Onion - Todd Bodine, due to his bald head (even placing this nickname over the window of his Camping World Series Truck)
*Front Row Joe, Last Row Joe - Joe Nemechek, noted for his numerous front row qualifying efforts, and holding the record for the most last-place finishes in Cup Series
*Lefturn - Jason Leffler
*The Mayor - Jeff Burton
*Smoke, The Rushville Rocket - Tony Stewart
*Cousin Carl, Concrete Carl - Carl Edwards
*The Biff - Greg Biffle
*DogeDriver - Josh Wise
*Junior, Junebug, Little E, The Pied Piper, Water Cooler Dale, Dale Jr. - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
*The Professor - Bill Shirey
*The Warria from Emporia - Clint Bowyer
*Superman, Seven-Time - Jimmie Johnson
*The Inch - Brendan Gaughan
*Matt The Brat - Matt Kenseth
*The Destroya' - Juan Pablo Montoya
*The Master of Disguise - Elliott Sadler
*The Amazin' - David Ragan
*The Principal - Mike Skinner
*The Threat From Joliet - Patrick Carpentier
*Full Throttle - Travis Kvapil
*The Tazmanian Devil Marcos Ambrose
*Who Da Man? - David Reutimann
*Hammerin' Hamlin, The Deliverminator - Denny Hamlin
*The Bright Yellow Fella - Paul Mendard
*Citizen Khane - Kasey Khane
*The Fury from Danbury - Jerry Nadeau
*The New Jersey Fury - Martin Truex Jr
Owners
*Bossman - Dale Earnhardt Jr.
*Coach - Joe Gibbs
*Mr. H - Rick Hendrick
*The Captain - Roger Penske
*The Cat in the Hat - Jack Roush
*Sofa Man - Barney Visser
*Smokey - Henry Yunick
Pit crews
*Rainbow Warriors - The Hendrick Motorsports #24 team pit crew. This was a reference to the 1993-2000 livery on the car.
*Killer Bees - Matt Kenseth's pit crew for their black and gold uniforms
*Flying Aces - The Richard Childress Racing #3 (and later #29) pit crew, from 1987 to 2001.
*Suitcase Jake - Jake Elder - a famous championship crew chief best known for switching teams very frequently and brief stays at each team.
* “Pit bulls” - Greg Biffle's 3M pit crew around 2011-12. Reason unknown
Tracks
*Hot-lanta" - Atlanta Motor Speedway ("hot" describing the intense nature of the racing)
*Thunder Valley, The World's Fastest Half Mile, The Bullring, The Toilet Bowl, The Last Great Colosseum - Bristol Motor Speedway
*Mosport - Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
*The Mecca of Motorsports, America's Home For Racing, The Beast of the Southeast - Charlotte Motor Speedway
*The Lady in Black and The Track too Tough to Tame - Darlington Raceway
*The Beach and Highway A1A - Daytona Beach and Road Course (now-defunct circuit)
*The World Center of Racing - Daytona International Speedway
*The Monster Mile, The Concrete Monster, Dover Downs, and White Lightning - Dover International Speedway
*Music City - Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville (Off the schedule but still an active race track)
*The Brickyard, The Racing Capitol of the World, Indy - Indianapolis Motor Speedway
*The Big Left Turn, The Track That Ate the Heroes, and Puke Hollow. - Langhorne Speedway (now-defunct circuit)
*The Diamond in the Desert - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
*The Paperclip - Martinsville Speedway
*The Magic Mile - New Hampshire Motor Speedway
*The Big O - Ontario Motor Speedway (now-defunct circuit)
*The Jewel in the Desert - Phoenix International Speedway
*The Tricky Triangle - Pocono Raceway
*The Rock - Rockingham Speedway (Now-defunct)
*Wine Country, Sears Point, Infineon - Sonoma Raceway
*Dega, Home of the Big One, The Wild Card, The Biggest & The Fastest - Talladega Superspeedway
*The Great American Speedway - Texas Motor Speedway
*The Glen, Thunder Road - Watkins Glen International
*The Magnificent Mile and a Half - Chicagoland Speedway
Vehicles
* The Flying Brick - refers to the AMC Matador that was fielded by Roger Penske in the mid-1970s
* T-Rex - Jeff Gordon's car that ran (and won) the 1997 Winston Select, the nickname comes from the Jurassic Park: The Lost World paint scheme it carried.
* Junior's Joke, The Magnafluxed Monster, Yellow Banana - a radically modified shop-built Ford Galaxie fielded by Junior Johnson in the 1966 Atlanta 500, during Ford's factory boycott.
* Thunderbat - Bill Elliott's Batman Forever Ford Thunderbird that he drove in 1995.
* Silverwrench - Dale Earnhardt's 1995 Silver Select GM Goodwrench car he drove in The Winston.
* Amelia - Dale Earnhardt Jr's dominant restrictor plate car that his team named, and ran, from 2014 to 2016. It was retired after being wrecked beyond repair in the 2016 GEICO 500, and now sits on Earnhardt Jr.'s compound in North Carolina alongside other wrecked NASCAR and IndyCar vehicles.
* Underbird - Alan Kulwicki's nickname given to his Ford Thunderbird due to his underdog status going into the final race of the 1992 season (modified to say so with approval from NASCAR and Ford via two Mighty Mouse patches)
* Frankenpala - A term coined by fans that referred to the Chevrolet Impala, which ran in NASCAR's Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) during the 2010-2012 season. A portmanteau of and Impala. The race car's appearance did not favor its namesake, but rather an unidentified model labeled with Impala branding. In 2013, Chevrolet switched its Nationwide Series model to the Camaro.
* Gray Ghost - A black and silver Oldsmobile driven by Buddy Baker. The car was noted as having a paint scheme that matched the racing surface, making it difficult to discern from a competitors' standpoint. It won the 1980 Daytona 500.
* The Blue Deuce - The #2 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Miller Lite sponsored entry fielded by Roger Penske and driven by Rusty Wallace, Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski.
* Zombie Dodge - Following Dodge's departure from the sport in 2012, most teams opted to switch manufacturers. However, several small teams in The Xfinity series continued to run Dodge-bodied cars without any factory support from Dodge itself (except at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve by way of the Canadian arm of Fiat Automobili, S.p.A.). They would continue to do so until the 2018 season finale, as NASCAR required all Xfinity teams to run composite bodied cars starting in 2019.
*The Double Deuce - Kurt Busch's Pennzoil sponsored #22 Car.
*The Red Bull Dozer - Brian Vickers' Red Bull Sponsored car
*It's Black, It Quacks, It's Sponsored by Aflac - Carl Edwards' Aflac sponsored car that was black and had a duck on it.
*The 40 domin8 - Jimmie Johnson's 48 car.
*The Army Tank - The US Army Sponsored car

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