Earnhardt's win in this race completed the most dominant single season plate track performance to date. Won his Twin 125, the Saturday Daytona 300 miler, the summer Daytona 400, both Talladega races & the damn IROC Talladega race... No one will EVER do it again, that's pretty much guaranteed...
In 1999 per average finish he did better Earnhardt won his 125 mile Qualifying race (his 10th consecutive) finished second in the Daytona 500, won the Die Hard 500 at Talladega finished second in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, and won the Winston 500 at Talladega. An average finish of 1.4 1999 compared to 1.8 in 1990
@@vinewood8295 Well if you include IROC in 1999 since Earnhardt no longer raced in the Busch series by then Earnhardt won 3 of 4 IROC races in 1999 including both Daytona and Talladega that puts his average finish at Talladega and Daytona in that year to an even better 1.2
@@BarryJowers Counting only the Cup races, Dale led 522 out of a possible 776 laps in the four plate tracks starts for 1990. He only led 106 in 1999, but he knew how to wrap up finishing the races in 1999. Odd to note, he didn't lead a single lap in the 1999 Daytona 500. There's only four years Earnhardt never led a lap in the Great American Race: 1985, 1992, 1999, and 2000. That's also quite an accomplishment.
My dad took me to this race and the one the year before. The only 2 NASCAR races I've ever been to. Of the 2, this was my favorite. Dad and I were huge Bill Elliot fans! Terry Labonte won the year before and I never even heard of him before that, so I was kinda dissapointed that someone I never heard of won that race, LoL!
I only knew about it from listening to MRNs classic races which i recommend to anyone who watches these videos and needs something to listen to at work
Seeing that interview with Stanley Smith was sad but nice, he was almost fatally injured at Talladega was a horrific crash, he suffered the same injury as Dale and many others who did not survive (basil skull fracture) was live on TV when they pulled him out of the car his white fire suit totally soaked in blood from head to toe, he survived but with permanent serious injury.
He would race and win again on the short tracks but decided against a NASCAR comeback after having breakfast with Neil Bonnett on the day he died of the same injury at Daytona.
@@MatthewLewisAtlanta yes he raced on dirt again and won, but I think even without what happened with Neil I think it shook him up enough to where he said no more cup. In those days when you went to the track every weekend you truly didn't know if you would come home or not
@@johnbrads5340 He did win 3 of 4 on plate tracks. He also won the 125 qualifier that year also and had he been eligible for the Busch Clash he would’ve won it. If you go back and look in the 90’s very rarely at plate tracks did he not finish in the Top 5 and I can’t remember many plate races where he got in a wreck. I’d like to know how many years they ran that car after 1990.
@@gooseflatwaterfowlers I've often wondered the same question of where else the car was run after 1990, I imagine they used it again in 1991 since nothing changed with the Lumina but they were only able to win at Talladega in the summer, the car just wasn't as fast. That or the competition caught up to it. Still won the Busch Clash & his Twin 125 though. No one else since has won more than 2 pts paying plate races in the same season & Dale Earnhardt Jr in 02 & Jeff Gordon in 07 are the only other drivers since Dale Sr in 1990 & 99 to sweep both Talladega in the same season. Jimmie Johnson in 2013 is the only driver to sweep both Daytona races since Bobby Allison wayyyy back in 1982...
He had car control that no other driver has ever matched. There’s footage of him coming out of turn 4 at Dega sideways at 205mph. Not just once but many times. Love him or hate him ... don’t matter. He was the GOAT. He also openly said NASCAR was going into the shitter as far back as 1996. He was right on that too.
Dale really knew the draft / slipstream for sure. I feel like engine & Fab guys don't get enough credit. I'm not taking nothing away from Dale's success at all. I'm just saying the shop guys sure do work a lot of magic. Especially in those days.
You people are Earnhardt Earnhardt Earnhardt. It would have been a totally different story with no restrictor plates and more like Bill Bill Bill!!! FACT!
Yeah, it's too bad Melling Racing & ole Bill couldn't adapt to the restrictor plate like RCR & Earnhardt did BUT Elliott did win 2 plate races, both at Daytona in the summer 400 miler 1988 & 1991. Furthermore, except for 1992, Bill was never really that great anywhere again after winning the Championship in 1988 soooooo......
Something I never thought of until very recently: Had it not been for that cut tire in the final lap of the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt would have swept all 3 of the races that aired on CBS (as he went on to win the Miller Genuine Draft 400 at Michigan in June and this race).
Yeah I was there too...and that's one thing I definitely remember..is the Heat ...all I could smell was burnt rubber& Marijuana that day Lol...it was so Hot tho..
Restrictor plate rule was the beginning of the end for NASCAR fans. NASCAR thought they could change rules in the middle of a season to benefit certain drivers was another. The "Car of Tomorrow" is what did it for most fans and we left the sport. Watching some of the old races brings back some good memories but I will never watch a current NASCAR race ever again. NASCAR ruined NASCAR
Nascar was way better before Jeff Gordon stunk it up. Moroso was such a good driver. Its such a shame he had too many beers one day and ruined everything.
Sacks was always a decent driver at the plate tracks, his lone Cup Series Victory was at Daytona in 85 before the restrictor plates. They hit the setup just right in the spring & then won the pole probably with the same car at Daytona in the summer but that car was destroyed in that lap 2 crash with Petty & Cope. Maybe they weren't able to duplicate it, it's tough to maintain competitiveness like that on a consistent basis especially at the big tracks...
Bill jr didn't ruin NASCAR,Brian France started the fiasco that is now NASCAR,and in regard to chevy lumina,it was childress that made chicken salad out of chicken $h!+.the car was horrible.
