DVR Alert - 1992 Hooters 500 - 8 p.m. ET on SPEED

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

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Take some time out from complaining about Busch & Harvick. This is one that you don't want to miss if you're a NASCAR fan. How many of you out there, like me, were in front of your TV watching this race that day? Better than that, were any of you actually there that day?

An excellent but long story on this can be found here.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Take some time out from complaining about Busch & Harvick. This is one that you don't want to miss if you're a NASCAR fan. How many of you out there, like me, were in front of your TV watching this race that day? Better than that, were any of you actually there that day?

An excellent but long story on this can be found here.
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Thanks for the alert! I do remember being glued to the TV on the edge of my seat for that race. What a battle for the championship that was.
 
I have that saved on a VHS tape somewhere. I really ought to put it on a DVD. One of the best races ever. Kulwicki champ by leading one more lap than Elliott. The Kings last race and a young upstart named Jeff Gordon starts his first race.
 
VaDirt said:
What a battle for the championship that was.
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I hear ya. This was one race that surely would have garnered a 10 by everyone on this board had we been rating races way back then. Heck, that could have been the only moment that we all agreed on something.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
I hear ya. This was one race that surely would have garnered a 10 by everyone on this board had we been rating races way back then. Heck, that could have been the only moment that we all agreed on something.
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I wanted Elliot to win. :D ;)
 
FenderBumper said:
I wanted Elliot to win. :D ;)
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So did I as he was my favorite driver back then but I also had no problem with Kulwicki winning the cup.

Hopefully the cup will be returning to Wisconsin again this year and, no, I don't mean Menard.
 
#17D500winner said:
So did I as he was my favorite driver back then but I also had no problem with Kulwicki winning the cup.

Hopefully the cup will be returning to Wisconsin again this year and, no, I don't mean Menard.
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I think Kvapil is out of the running;)
 
I was there, I wish I would have known what would happen 6 months later at the time.
 
I have this race on VHS as well! I recently tossed out a couple hundred old tapes - but I kept that one. On the label it says "Petty's Last Ride".

Thanks for the heads up! I'll be watching!
 
I really enjoyed watching it. I was only one back then so I'm a pretty young guy you all can tell but I wish the championship could come down to a race like that again but I doubt we'll ever get that wish. Going in 6 drivers can win it that's just pretty amazing and then it came down to one lap between two drivers what a season and what a race that was. I wish I was old enough to enjoy it back then when you had no idea how it turns out.
 
The year that Kurt Busch won his Championship in 2004, there were several drivers with a chance to win the title going into the final race. He beat JJ by 8 points and Jeff Gordon by 16 points.

It came down to the final laps of the final race of the season - in the first year that NASCAR initiated the Chase Format.

And it was a VERY exciting and dramatic final race, too. I remember Kurt losing a front wheel under green. He was headed back to Pit Road when it fell away, but the wheel and tire stayed on the track - which brought out a caution. Had the loose wheel gone down Pit Road instead, the race would have stayed green and Kurt would not have claimed the crown. It came down to maybe 2 feet!

Incredible!!!
 
robbybee said:
The year that Kurt Busch won his Championship in 2004, there were several drivers with a chance to win the title going into the final race. He beat JJ by 8 points and Jeff Gordon by 16 points.

It came down to the final laps of the final race of the season - in the first year that NASCAR initiated the Chase Format.

And it was a VERY exciting and dramatic final race, too. I remember Kurt losing a front wheel under green. He was headed back to Pit Road when it fell away, but the wheel and tire stayed on the track - which brought out a caution. Had the loose wheel gone down Pit Road instead, the race would have stayed green and Kurt would not have claimed the crown. It came down to maybe 2 feet!

Incredible!!!
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For some odd reason I don't remember that much of that season. I mean I was 13 then I'm not too good on my memory on some things haha. Oh well
 
FlFlash said:
I was there, I wish I would have known what would happen 6 months later at the time.
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I was there too. The best points battle ever.

I will not lie, I was an Earnhardt fan so I was rooting for Kulwicki the spoiler, the underbird.

Davey's ill fated spinning car stopped just in front were I was seated. Who could have known that this was so close to being his and Allan's last big moment.
And for that matter Bill never got that close again to getting another championship.

Even as Chevy I can see that a lot was lost.
An epic drama could have been written about the the many story lines of that race and aftermath.


Bobby Allison's story was huge too.
He lost Clifford in August 92.
He watched Davey endure a heaven and hell year.
92 had a lot of great Davey moments, Davey had a shot at the Winston Million, only to see the Darlington rain wash it away.

He seemed out of the points when they went to Martinsville in the fall, I went to that one too. Bill had the lead in a Junior Johnson car, yet he was a DNF there.


Allan's comeback is a great story, but Davey battled back in a roller coaster year, and came so close.


Bobby saw his boys die, I think about that sometime. In November 92, he had already lost one, and he had the 88 Pocono scars, but he was only half way through the Hell.


Bobby paid a big price, I am glad he is in the Hall, I would say he earned it.
 
Blaze88 said:
I wonder how close this year championship race will be going into the last race :beerbang:
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Now that the points have been changed, we're pretty much assured that it will always be close under this 'made for television', 10 race, Chase system. The single point differential between finishing positions certainly makes everything look close and that's exactly what they want.

IMO what makes that 92' season stand out so much is that going into that last race @ Atlanta there were three drivers with a legitimate shot at taking home the hardware after a hard fought 29 race season and not a shortened 10 race Chase. Those types of finishes to a season were a rarity and that's what made them so special. We've been forever robbed of the drama of a season that developed into a special moment like that day. Sure, we'll continue to get those close, last lap determining, points finishes under the current system but it's no where near the same.
 
robbybee said:
The year that Kurt Busch won his Championship in 2004, there were several drivers with a chance to win the title going into the final race. He beat JJ by 8 points and Jeff Gordon by 16 points.

It came down to the final laps of the final race of the season - in the first year that NASCAR initiated the Chase Format.

And it was a VERY exciting and dramatic final race, too. I remember Kurt losing a front wheel under green. He was headed back to Pit Road when it fell away, but the wheel and tire stayed on the track - which brought out a caution. Had the loose wheel gone down Pit Road instead, the race would have stayed green and Kurt would not have claimed the crown. It came down to maybe 2 feet!

Incredible!!!
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He beat Johnson by 8 points with 3 wins, 10 top 5's and 21 top 10's.

Johnson had 8 wins, 20 top 5's and 23 top 10's.

A delusional monkey could've figured out then that the chase rewards neither wins or consistancy.
 
If you missed it, additional replays of this on SPEED are.....

09/02 8:00am ET
09/02 4:00pm ET
09/03 2:00am ET
09/11 2:30pm ET
 
Caught it this morning. That was one helluva good program. Couple things that stood out. ESPN had a bunch of announcers who were actually knowledgeable about racing not the Talking Heads of today and secondly, Atlanta was still an oval and not a cookie cutter track. That show show brought back some good and not so good memories. I still find it amazing that the only time Alan lead the points he became the champ. Oh, and I really got a chuckle out of Alan combing his hair. Remember the gold comb Elliott gave him at the awards.
 
be9ak7ts16 said:
ESPN had a bunch of announcers who were actually knowledgeable about racing
Remember the gold comb Elliott gave him at the awards.
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To me, that was the best announce team that has ever worked in NASCAR. Bob Jenkins was the consummate professional (he still is when he does IZOD races for VS), Benny Parsons was everybody's friend and always made a point of being informative in his commentary, Gentleman Ned Jarrett was incredibly insightful and is a deserving member of the HOF.

As for the comb: I had forgotten all about that till you mentioned it!!! Classic!
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Now that the points have been changed, we're pretty much assured that it will always be close under this 'made for television', 10 race, Chase system. The single point differential between finishing positions certainly makes everything look close and that's exactly what they want.

IMO what makes that 92' season stand out so much is that going into that last race @ Atlanta there were three drivers with a legitimate shot at taking home the hardware after a hard fought 29 race season and not a shortened 10 race Chase. Those types of finishes to a season were a rarity and that's what made them so special. We've been forever robbed of the drama of a season that developed into a special moment like that day. Sure, we'll continue to get those close, last lap determining, points finishes under the current system but it's no where near the same.
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It always ammazed me how that season came down with 4 races to go there where actually 5 drivers with a legitimate shot at it Bill Elliot, Davey Allison,Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin and Harry Gant.
In the end Kulwicki finished second at Atlanta to Bill Elliot BUT because he led the most laps during the race he beat Elliot in the Championship points by 10 points. If Elliot had picked up the most laps led bonus they would have tied in points and Elliot would have Won the Championships because he had more Wins.
I was heartbroken for Davey Allison, at Darlington he could have won the Winston Million but it rained, then he was taken out at Atlanta when Ernie Ervin spun in front of him.
Remember the tear that Kyle Petty went on that year! He lead almost every lap at Rockingham.

Great season of racing!
 
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