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the closest ever final race for nascar champ....

R

redriver6

Guest
i would have to say the last race of the 1992 season....Hooters 500 at Atlanta with 6 drivers mathematically eligible to win the championship....without any fancy shmancy 'chase' scenario.

i watched the race and was pulling for Elliot...but wasn't sorry to see Kulwikci win it...i also got to see the King's last ride when i went to the Petty museum in NC a few years ago. they left it just like it ended the race...a wreck..

Hooters 500

The 1992 Hooters 500 was held November 15 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The #1 of Rick Mast won his first career Winston Cup pole. This race was the last for 7-time champion Richard Petty, and the first for future champion Jeff Gordon. Coming into the race six drivers had a mathematical chance to win the title: Bill Elliott, Alan Kulwicki, Davey Allison, Kyle Petty, Harry Gant, and Mark Martin. Kyle Petty had engine problems that took him out of contention and Allison was involved in a crash with Ernie Irvan on Lap 254, ending his championship hopes. Kulwicki won the championship by leading 1 more lap than Elliott (103 to 102) in the race (receiving the 5 additional bonus points for leading the most laps) and finishing 2nd to Elliott. This gave Kulwicki the championship by only 10 points over Elliott. A Hollywood script writer could not have penned a more exciting season finale. The Richard Petty Fan Appreciation Tour made its final stop and an emotional Saturday night tribute to "The King" signaled the beginning of the end. Not even a third of the way through the event, Petty was collected in a front-stretch accident that ignited flames under the hood of his famed STP Pontiac. Petty said, "I wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, I just forgot the glory part." Meanwhile, the battle for the Winston Cup championship and the accompanying $1 million bonus raged on. Allison needed to finish sixth or better to clinch the title, while Elliott and Kulwicki could only run their cars to the limit, hoping it would be enough. On lap 253, Allison's fate would be sealed. Allison was running sixth — good enough to clinch the title — and moving back to the front when suddenly disaster struck. Ernie Irvan, fighting his Kodak Chevrolet, which had a tire going down, lost control and spun directly in front of Rusty Wallace and Allison. Wallace miraculously dodged the spinning Irvan, but Allison was not so lucky. Allison T-boned Irvan, ending his day, leaving Elliott and Kulwicki to battle for the title. Elliott and Kulwicki ran 1-2 for the entire second half of the race, swapping the lead on several occasions. It became evident that the driver who led the most laps and received the five extra bonus points would win the crown. It would come down to one lap. On lap 310, Kulwicki pitted while leading, knowing he had clinched the bonus by leading 103 of the event's 328 laps. After the fuel-only pit stops, Elliott gained the lead and drove on to his fifth victory of the season. Elliott had led 102 laps. If Elliott had led one lap that Kulwicki did not lead. then Elliott would have received the five bonus points instead of Kulwicki, which would have left the two in a tie. In that instance. Elliott would have won the title by virtue of more wins. As it was, Elliott won the Hooter's 500, but Kulwicki finished second to claim the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup championship by a scant 10 points, the narrowest margin in the sport's history. Meanwhile, the STP crew patched Petty's car back together and "The King" rejoined the field with one lap remaining. After Kulwicki's "Polish Victory Lap," Petty made one final lap all by himself. It was his way of saying goodbye one last time and paying tribute to his millions of fans.
 
Hey All,

I have memories of that race. I was and still am a fan of the "greatest stock car driver we never got to see". Of course I was cheering for him. As recently as the last race at Talledega in the intro stuff the announcers were discussing the best ever on a restrictor plate track - most said Earnhardt but only Larry Mac got it right - the black 28 Texaco Havoline car. If anybody on earth ought to know it's Larry Mac for obvious reasons. Still that 92 race - I was glad to see Kulwicki win the championship - a devoted NASCAR driver who owned his own 1 car team who never married and was never distracted from his studies of NASCAR by anything - he deserved it. I became more of a fan of awesome Bill later in his career.

-Ed-

An edit: Tim - I think the greatest sheer talent to ever sit behind the wheel of a stockcar and the driver of the black texaco Havoline 28.

[youtube]Zig2pbD3dgY&feature=related[/youtube]
 
you may be right about Allison Ed...people tend to forget about the other guy in black.

he proabably would have won the championship that year if not for the swervin Irvin wreck...
 
This will be my best weekend of the year or my worst. Denny didn't help by Q'ing 37th!

My alumni Va. Tech plays Miami this afternoon in a very key football game, so I am pins and needles!

Like I said, by Monday, I'll be on air or on Valium!

Caz
 
This will be my best weekend of the year or my worst. Denny didn't help by Q'ing 37th!

My alumni Va. Tech plays Miami this afternoon in a very key football game, so I am pins and needles!

Like I said, by Monday, I'll be on air or on Valium!

Caz
37th? ACK!:isadizzy: Jimmie qualified 6th. Denny is going to have to pass a whole lot of cars real fast and lead a bunch of laps including the last lap. Honestly, with Denny qualifying so poorly and Jimmie fairly well, I expect Jimmie will be NASCAR's only 5 in a row champion.
 
37th? ACK!:isadizzy: Jimmie qualified 6th. Denny is going to have to pass a whole lot of cars real fast and lead a bunch of laps including the last lap. Honestly, with Denny qualifying so poorly and Jimmie fairly well, I expect Jimmie will be NASCAR's only 5 in a row champion.

well.....except that Hamlin won from 38th last year...

My 10c worth, Tim Richmond.

another 'great' that died early...

the big surprise for this weekend....'Awesome Bill' qualified 4th..
 
Hey All,

Hamlin won this race from 38th last year.

Kahne on the pole - if I were him I would want to stay with Red Bull and team up with Brian Vickers instead of going to Hendrick.

Even bigger surprise - Danica patrick qualified 5th in the Nationwide! :ernae:

-Ed-
 
During final practice Jimmie was the fastest car on the track, Denny was second fastest. It's going to be an interesting day.
 
I expect Harvick to come blowing through the field like a mad bull, he has absolutely nothing to loose and everything to gain. It may well all be settled by a wreck! But the race winner will probably be a Roush car.
 
you can throw a blanket over the top three....

Denny almost took himself out...but he has recovered fairly well...
 
well Jimmy 'Ice' made it 5 in a row...now we don't have to hear 'the drive for five is alive' anymore:icon_lol:

kinda hard to make a bunch of catchy cliche rimes with 'six'....but i'm sure some will surface.
 
Jimmie and Chad were consistent, Denny and Mike were not, consistency wins the day. Things might have been very different if Denny had not over driven his car early in the race, the result being a damaged car, and if Mike Ford had made up his mind soon enough and brought Denny in for tires when everyone else came in during a caution. Maybe next year someone else will win, I hope so, this is getting boring. Harvick could have taken the whole thing had he not been caught speeding while entering the pits.
 
Any of you want to make a comment about the Joe Gibbs Toyota power & Jimmie/Chad being the underdog before EasyEd steps in ? :bump:
 
No, but I has burned da chikin! let mne down, I have a new strategy next year that cannot fail.

You see, I have oulled for also-rans and losers all of my 64 years, that should tell me something. well, it did, a lioght bulb went off in my head. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

I'm gonna order a #48 cap and jacket and pull for JJ next year. DOOMED, I tell you, tyhe best way to kill that streak right in the bud. Why didn't I think of that last year?

So I'm joining EasyEd's camp and pull for the #48 next year, he will not even so much as make the chase.

As far as Kevin Harvick is concerned, well, you saw what he did to Kyle, he gets a special ju-ju, I'm gonna see to it he is a complete failure next year. He is a poop shoot without parallel.

Caz
 
Jimmie and Chad were consistent, Denny and Mike were not, consistency wins the day. Things might have been very different if Denny had not over driven his car early in the race, the result being a damaged car, and if Mike Ford had made up his mind soon enough and brought Denny in for tires when everyone else came in during a caution. Maybe next year someone else will win, I hope so, this is getting boring. Harvick could have taken the whole thing had he not been caught speeding while entering the pits.
please correct me if I am wrong,
didn't Jimmy leave Harvick in the dust
at the restart after the final caution?
I may not know a lot about NASCAR,
but it sure looked like Jimmy worked it nicely until the end.
then he opened her up to take the crown.
this was an excellent display of patience.
the others had their chance,
but were clearly out-classed
when the pressure was on.
this was anything but boring.
I can't imagine the odds against
being the Champion 5 times in a row.
what a fantastic accomplishment.
well done, Hendricks MS Team.

and another thing,
I may not like Kyla,
but, I don't want to see anyone fry.
that fire was extremely scary.
I am glad he made it out safely.

that said, is Jeff Burton the only driver
that can, actually, take responsibility
for his actions when he screws up?
what's boring is listening to these guys
constantly blaming someone else for their mistakes.

well, I've said more than enough,
except, I'm off to watch the MLS Final.
I just don't know how I'm going to handle
watching a sporting event
without commercials for two 45 minute halves.
 
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