Dale Earnhardt Sr. scored his 76th and final NASCAR victory at the Talladega fall race in 2000—and it was truly one for the ages. See the last five laps of one his most memorable wins here.
One of the more enduring legends about NASCAR hero Dale Earnhardt Sr.—-there are many Earnhardt legends—was his alleged ability to “see” the air while running at 200 mph on the giant high-banked ovals at Daytona and Talladega. We don’t know about that one, but we know this for certain: His ability to exploit the draft on the restrictor-plate tracks was second to none. As his career progressed, this unique skill of his only grew more uncanny, and it was on full display in his 76th and final win at the Winston 500 at Talladega on October 15, 2000.
With just five laps to go and son Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the lead, Earnhardt Sr. decided, as only he knew how to decide, that it was time to go. As the front dozen cars ran in a tight single file, the black no. 3 Monte Carlo was jammed up in 18th place, well back in the pack. As the field suddenly fanned out, Earnhardt made his move—or shall we say, an entire medley of moves, diving to the inside, the outside, and down the middle, picking off one, two, four cars at a time. Courtesy of NASCAR.com, here are Dr. Jerry Punch, Benny Parsons, and Ned Jarrett to call the action in one of Earnhardt’s more memorable victories. Watch this.
My wife’s very obnoxious brother-in-law was responsible for my being an Earnhardt fan. He loved Fords more than anyone I’ve ever known, and he got so bent out of shape every time No. 3 won. I had lost interest in racing during the early 1980s, but when I became part of my wife’s family, this BIL and I started to pick at each other from the start. I ended up putting a black No. 3 license plate on my vehicle and started wearing Earnhardt T-shirts. Many Sunday afternoons were spent at my mother-in-law’s watching NASCAR. It was actually interesting then. I can’t believe that I actually wore a NASCAR T-shirt back then – but, it did strike a real nerve with this guy.
I can’t explain why I still watch it now, since it is nothing like the old days. If any of the drivers are interesting, they aren’t allowed to show it. Nowadays, the real show seems to be the personalities in the booth, and that is a real shame. On Fox, I can’t stand Michael Waltrip’s Gridwalk, and I get really tired of DW’s corny schtick. That’s not to say that NBC’s coverage is any better – I get annoyed listening to Jeff Burton – his voice gets shrill when he gets excited.
It really makes me miss the days of Ned Jarrett and Benny Parsons. Thanks for the post.