Stock Car Racing Time Machine

It's the 25th Anniversary of one of most memorable Bristol Night races. Two former Cup Series Champions pulled no punches in the closing lap. The final lap would prove to be one of the most controversial in NASCAR history. I discuss why my opinion of the last lap incident changed after reviewing the race footage 25 years later.

Dale Jarrett was coming off a Brickyard 400 win the previous week and had a commanding points leads as the NASCAR Winston Cup series headed to Watkins Glen for the second road race of the season. Jeff Gordon was looking for a record breaking 5th consecutive road course win. Pole sitter Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, and a few road course ringers like Ron Fellows were hoping to stop the streak. Although no one knew at the time this proved to be a historical moment in NASCAR history.

After a long break break, we're finally back with a new episode. We're taking an in-depth look back at the 1999 Daytona 500 on it's 25th Anniversary. This race had a bit of everything-- a long green flag run to start the race, a huge multi-car crash, a daring late race pass, and two all-time greats slugging it out in the closing laps. Take a listen and find which driver was winner in the 1999 edition of The Great American Race.

We close out season 1 of the podcast with Part 3 of the 1997 Winston Cup Year-in-Review. In this episode, the drivers who placed 5th through 1st in the points standings are discussed. These drivers won 24 of the 32 races run in '97 Cup Season. Jeff Gordon continued an amazing run of success winning his 2nd Cup title in 3 years and winning 10 races. Dale Jarrett picked up a career high 7 wins and narrowly lost out on the championship finishing in the runner-up spot. Mark Martin had a big bounce back season after failing to win a Cup race in the prior season. Jeff Burton was the breakout star-- he had never visited victory lane or finished in the top 10 points in Cup competition before 1997. He won three times and finished an impressive 4th in points for the '97 Cup Season. Earnhardt failed to break his long Cup losing streak in '97, but was much more competitive the 2nd half of the '97 Season. Take a listen as we look back one final time on the '97 season. 

It's time to take a look back at the '97 Winston Cup Season. This episode will review the drivers who finished outside the top 10 in points. We'll discuss the drivers who finished outside the top 10 in points and went to victory lane. Who were the surprises and disappointments in 1997? How do the rookie drivers perform? We'll review the best moments for each driver. 

The Winston Cup Series brings down the curtain on the '97 season with season finale at the re-configured Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon leads Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin by 77 and 87 points respectively. Gordon's task to win the championship became much more difficult after a bizarre pit road accident during practice and a poor qualifying effort. Jarrett and Martin need a strong run and hope that Gordon has a poor finish. Dale Earnhardt is still trying to break that long Cup losing streak. Can Bobby Labonte win the season finale in back-to-back years? There are so many unknowns at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway such as race pace, tire wear, and will the track have only one racing groove. Take a listen and find out who wins the race and championship. 

Two races remain in the '97 Winston Cup season as the series visits Phoenix. Jeff Gordon has a comfortable points lead over Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett, but it is still within the margin that Gordon could lose the points lead with a very poor finish and strong runs by Martin and Jarrett. Bobby Hamilton won the pole and is defending champion of the event and has momentum after a winning last week at Rockingham. Martin is a former winner at Phoenix. Other favorites include Jeff Burton who has two flat track wins this season (Martinsville and Loudon) and Rusty Wallace who is always good on flat tracks. Dale Earnhardt is still winless in '97 and trying to break that lengthy losing streak. He's finished 2nd this season at both Loudon and Martinsville. Find out who goes to victory lane in the Valley of the Sun and if there is shake up in the points standings. 

Just three races remain in the '97 Winston Cup Season. The Cup series makes its fall visit to Rockingham. lJeff Gordon won the spring race at "The Rock" and is hoping to extend his points lead. Mark Martin picked up his first career win at Rockingham and is looking to gain ground on points leader Jeff Gordon. Dale Jarrett has three consecutive 2nd place finishes at "The Rock", but has never won at the track. In spring event, he dominated the race only to have Gordon pass him late and he had to settle for a runner-up finish. Geoff Bodine, Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Hamilton, and Sterling Marlin all won last season and have failed to win in '97.  The race was forced to be run on Monday due to rainy weather postponing event on Sunday. Find out who comes out on top at Rockingham and if there is shake up in the points chase.