You can't be serious...

NASCAR public relations released a compiled list of the greatest races in Daytona 500 history. (The great American race turns 50 this year) They chose the best races of the 50 years breaking them down into decades. It’s obvious how they came up with some of the selections, but for the 90s they chose 1997.

SCRREEEEEEEEEECH.

Are you kidding me? If this was a project for an intern, fire them and hire a new one…like me. I digress.

1997 was a great race. Hendrick Motorsports finished 1-2-3. Jeff Gordon won his first 500 (there were more to come) and owner Rick Hendrick was battling Leukemia. Okay, so it’s a noteworthy nod, but how in the hell can you discount 1998?

1998, I remember that race, Dale Earnhardt won after 20 years of trying. He missed victory again and again by narrow margins and fluke happenings. In fact, some questioned if he’d ever win it. He’d won everything else. The qualifying races, the Busch Clash/Bud Shootout, the summer race, he’d conquered the track. The Harley Earl Trophy eluded him. If not for a blown tire on the final laps in 1990 nobody would even know who Derrick Cope was. (He went on to win the 500 after a blown tire took Earnhardt out of contention catapulting Cope into motorsports notoriety)

In 1998 it was his 20th try and he was starting to think the 500 was unlucky. Earnhardt met with a young girl before the race. She gave the intimidator a penny telling him it was lucky. Big E took that penny and glued it to the dash of his racecar. (The penny is still affixed to the dash, you can see the coin on the dash of the car displayed in the Daytona 500 Experience museum in Daytona Beach) Earnhardt went on to win his first, and only, Daytona 500. What made the result more special? Hundreds of crew members, rivals, teammates, friends and officials lined up on the edge of pit road to congratulate the man in black.

There wasn’t a dry eye in America.

He concluded by spinning donuts on the logo in front of 250,000 fans that witnessed history. It was priceless.

So I have to disagree with NASCAR. 1997 was great, but I don’t remember the NASCAR community congratulating Jeff Gordon on pit road.

***
Victory lane was crazy-
How about that Earnhardt kid on Saturday night? Wow, sure was nice to see him smiling again. The win was well deserved after a year from hell. Can’t wait till next Sunday.

***
My 500 picks-Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears

Keep an eye on Michael Waltrip, Tony Stewart and my sleeper…David Reutimann.

-MO-
Sarah