The Last Race of NASCAR’s Golden Era 

What race do you think marked the end of NASCAR’s most popular era?

the solution is always a massive amount of horsepower

Not gonna lie, I miss the drivers I grew up with on the track. There's only like 5 or 6 of them left

Everything changed when the horsepower got lowered in 2015. That was the beginning of the end. Soon after that came stage racing, more downforce and even less horsepower. All of those factors really hurt NASCAR over the past 5 years.

AND Alan Bestwick was the leading announcer. A truly perfect race

In my opinion the true "Golden Era" was from 1988-2006. Great racing, legendary drivers, huge attendances, with television ratings skyrocketing and peaking. I'm glad I was able to watch the last six years or so of this era live and in person.

For me, 2014 was really the end of the golden era. However, there were still some sheds of light in 2015-16 as big names were yet to retire, and it was just racing.

1988-2003 was the Golden Era of NASCAR in my opinion. The magic really started to go away after 2007 or so. You could just feel it. It wasn't the same.

As a Jeff fan until he retired this one still hurts...

Finally, someone brings up Jeff's final season

3:03 that transition was sweet.

Kurt, Harvick, and Newman are the only guys from the old generation who are still left It really feels like an end of an era with Johnson leaving

1948-1974: Weird point systems with some worse than the playoffs 1975-2003: Winston Cup points Era 2004-2013: Nextel/Sprint Chase Era 2014-20??: Playoff Era

NASCAR's end to the Golden age started with Jeff Gordon's retirement and ended with Jimmie Johnson's retirement And it's the beginning of a new era for NASCAR with 2021 on the horizon

Man I miss that high horsepower package..

The end of the "Golden Era" IMO actually has two ends. The first end was with the death of Dale Earnhardt Senior where the "spirit" of NASCAR died and the other end would be in 2004 when The Chase happened. Foolishly I kept watching up until 2014 when the Playoffs came in. I've moved on to IndyCar, F1, and IMSA and until NASCAR gets rid of the Playoffs and Stage Racing I won't come back.

I see so many people on Twitter and social media talk about these races and cars/driver of the 90’s early 00’s. Back before they watched the sport or might have been alive. I’m so glad I was there and watched it all from 94 onward. Haven’t missed a race since the 1994 Daytona 500. I have such a nostalgic feeling for that era. I still enjoy the sport but nothing will ever top things you enjoyed as a kid. Also I have that Gordon diecast. Kinda want the Jr one to match lol

I'd go with the 2003 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400. It was the final Fall race at Rockingham, Bill Elliott's last win and Matt Kenseth clinching the championship in the final year of Winston's sponsorship and the classic points system. I chose it over the next race at Homestead because it was the first race with the new configuration and Bobby Labonte lucked into the win even though it was his last one too.

Jr, Gordon and Stewart. The big 3 superstars watching on TV growing up. You make a good point. NASCAR is now in a transition period. I wish we'd get more horsepower too again.

Well i don't know if this race was the last of the golden era, but i remember watching this race and those final 5 laps were awesome. Seeing Dale jr and Jeff Gordon battle for the win was amazing. I can't believe 6 years have passed since this race.

Gang it’s always a good time when there’s an upload 😎

for me NASCAR ended at Homestead Miami 2003, I was there at the last winston cup race, the chases ended it for me

The Golden Era may be over but there's no reason to be sad. That was a very special time in late 90s. I am very thankful that late 90s Nascar was essentially my introduction to sports. I stopped watching around 2003 and just came back....and although it's very very different and not as raw, it can still shine. Racing is a phenomenal sport. Those racers back then were my heroes. Seeing those deaths from 99 to 01 was....a lot for a little kid. So i went to basketball where you dont literally risk life.

We need to go back to every rule in this season (minus the playoffs) no restricting speeds, no charter system, no stages just real racing, restricting speeds completely ruins nascar (if u want restricted speeds go watch old IROC) the charter system makes it even harder for small teams to compete and gives awful teams like RWR guaranteed spots every race, the playoffs don't belong in nascar period. and stages are the only idea i wouldn't have a huge problem keeping but I still wouldn't mind seeing them go either

Ram horsepower back in the cars, the domino effect will lead to great things!! Fans love horsepower, the fans (customers) are singlehandedly the most important aspect to Nascar, I would base every single decision on that alone. Share holders/sponsors mean absolutely nothing if the fans don’t buy tickets and tune in on TV 🤠

For me the golden era ends in 2009. 2009-2014 was a good era but the sport had lost alot of fans by then. The current era 2015-present is just meh.

I agree 95% but I'd like to throw in Jeff Gordon's final win the next year as kind of a tagging on to this race. I agree with everything you mentioned in the video.

The Golden era died when Toyota and the COT came into the sport in 07. I started watching in 04 and watched every qualifying session, happy hour and race for about 3-5 years. Quit caring in about 13 or 14. I think that not long after 07, the Busch and craftsman series quit going to short tracks which hurt them too.

NASCAR in the 90s was the best. I'm glad to be old enough to remember it and sad to see the state of the sport today.

Man I wish I was alive in this era

I don’t know why, but today’s guys are just harder to connect with...miss those old days

I feel like the true end was actually 2 Years later at Homestead 2016 when we lost Tony, Carl and others cause with that pretty much killed the last of the true old breed of the 90s and 00s right now the only ones left as of 2021 is Harvick, Kurt, Ryan, Truex Jr and I guess Hamilin other than that I feel like the personalty of the sport which made it as good as it once was is gone cause I get some people are trying to revive it but I feel like with all the new drivers we might never quite have the same chemical reaction like in the 90s and 00s.

2014 was the last golden season before NASCAR went full strict. I miss those Bump 'n Runs.

At least we enjoyed that wonderful moments

Honestly there have been a lot of “ends of golden eras” in NASCAR. Talladega 1987 was the end of the golden era of speed because of something called a restrictor plate which changed racing drastically. Atlanta 1992 was the end of a few golden eras. It was Pettys last race, the last time an owner/driver would have a championship, maybe the last time that 6 TrueType competitive cars would have a mathematical shot at the championship and it signaled a “changing of the guard” with a young hot shot by the name of Jeff Gordon starting his first race. There are several tracks holding there last race like N. Wilkes pro and Rockingham you could consider ends of golden eras. For me personally Junior Johnson’s last race as an owner was the end of a golden era for me because of the impact he had on the sport. Of course Dale Earnhardt’s death was the end of a golden era because of the drastic changes made to the sport because of it. When Winston left the sport was the end of a golden era. And the are a few more that I probably am not thinking of at the moment.

_“Up to 2014 was the end of an era...”_ 2015-2020 be like: *Meh package, OOFed sanctioning body, stages, and illegitimate champions...* 😐

It's a shame that the the true era ends.

2014 started the downfall of the sport with the removal of the ride height rule. As soon as they glued the cars to the track with that very little skill was required from here on and it became a downforce war since everyone was running super hard suspension packages- all aero no mechanical grip. 2013 was the end of the golden era and the end of real talent being required.

I totally remember this. It was a great race! My dad and I were ecstatic seeing Jr win and Gordon come in 2nd! 2014 was a pretty exciting year watching the Cup Series.

The end of the greatest age of Nascar ended on February 18 2001. 1/4 lap from the conclusion of the Daytona 500 with the passing of The Intimidator.

Letarte was the best thing to happen to Dale Jr. since Tony Eury Sr. If letarte didn’t retire, I think they definitely could’ve built upon what they had in the previous years and possibly had another championship contender run. Maybe Dale jr wouldn’t have retired for a couple more years even.

I remember watching this race as a 12-year-old in my upstairs room w/NASCAR RaceView Mobile on my father's phone playing simultaneously. It was a fun one to watch and definitely a reminder of the past, which was when I became a fan. As for my take on NASCAR's "golden age", I say that 2014 was, really, the last year of it. 2015 was technically the last season of that era but it was such a dumbed-down version that it is not treated as such. Growing up with the roster of drivers that made those days what they were, was very, very special. I guess it's fitting the others that competed in the same timeframe that didn't get a fair chance at success, were the ones who that were filling in the gap between '14 and the next generation of the sport. Guys like Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Truex, and even the current Penske duo of Keselowski & Logano, are the names that dominated the days bridging the void between the mid-2010s and early 2020s, while we see the future in other personalities like Blaney, Elliott, Bowman, Wallace, Briscoe, Custer, etc. The era that the "golden age" prepared us for is now upon us. The future has arrived in quite a few ways so far, but not entirely. To my beliefs, it is by the end of 2022 or '23 that that the "next generation" tag will be gone and slapped with the traditional one by the name of "current", solidifying that the younger breed of fans will have a cycle all to their own for the very first time. I can't wait for that to come to fruition, considering the fact that I'm a part of the budding piece of the fanbase that's been eagerly waiting for the torch to be passed on to, or something along those lines. Whatever the case, though, I like the dynamics of the transitions between different eras of NASCAR. It's an interesting element that can be overlooked at times, and I believe needs to be monitored as the next wave of changes get built. Hopefully we get a good slice of the pie, as stock-car racing prepares for a new look and feel.

I think its really awesome how NASCARs rise in popularity occured when Richard Petty retired and a young rookie cup driver Jeff Gordon came into the series, elevated the sport to which its heights of popularity will never be seen again and then wained culminating with the race that ended this "golden era". You were correct to pick Martinsville as the last race, you even had the right season(the fall), even the correct driver(s) to end that era, just the wrong year. A year later at Martinsville Jeff Gordons final season won that race punching his ticket to Homestead. That race.so full of memories of past accomplishments Jeff achieved and seeing the youthful, hungry, excitement burst out of him like it was 1997 again was truly the end of that era, his era, my era of NASCAR Cup racing. GETTING OLD SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a Damn shame that by the time I became interested in NASCAR in 2008, the era was winding down. But there is hope that we someday see NASCAR how it was before

Thanks for sharing! As a huge Dale Jr. fan, I'll always remember his only win at Martinsville. I was a sophomore in college at the time, but I took a break of studying that Sunday to watch the race (as I did every week then, and still do today). NASCAR isn't the same without Junior, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and all the other drivers I grew up watching since I first started watching the races in 2004.

I looked at old articles of the Gen 6 car from 2013, and they've actually been thinking about putting tapered spacers in the engines for quite a while before they actually did it, as much as I hate the spacers, I'm glad they didn't put them in earlier because it could've completely changed the way we see these cars and we would've never seen this god of a great end to an era.

I was so excited watching the beginning part of this because as a diehard Gordon fan 2014 was such a fun year... until I remembered Texas.

I completely agree with you. I hate stage racing, NASCAR definitely isn't the same.

2003 Ford 400 is The Last Race From The Golden Era

I think that you should do a video on David Pearson.

When they stopped racing back to the line, the sport started downhill.

There’s a possibility that NASCAR might be working ahead to a brighter future sure… but you nailed it. 2013 for me was special just because it was another Jimmie Daytona 500 and championship but the JG DJ battle at martinsville was special. And since that moment I’ve had “feelings” about certain races but not the same goosebumps I used to have. The old guard is truly gone and now with the new old guard of Newman, Harvick, Hamlin, the Busch’s, and MTJ… it’s just getting difficult to cheer on the old guard drivers since they’re so horrible exposed right now. Harvick had a fantastic season but man…. 2021 has shown a lot.

It's a shame when NASCAR tribute videos are more interesting to watch than today's live on tv racing.

great video as usual. Thank you for all the content!

Really I started watching in 2015 !

My golden era is 1980s-1990s Aerowars-2005

The era ended for me when Kyle Busch won a championship on half a seasons drive and was cemented over when they added a repair clock. The core of the series was a long grind to survive to the finish with beatin and bangin on the track and in the pits but that whole aspect is gone

Well formulated opinion man. Well researched and spoken. I agree, and miss the days of having a Dayton 500 party at my parents house every year.

I believe once Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarret, and Andy Petree, Dr Jerry punch ,Hollywood Armstrong and the mailbag questions at the beginning of the race and all of that on ESPN is what ended Nascar tho. Once Allen said “we hope to see you at Dayton and the future races,this is Allen Bestwick signing off” that was what ended nascar for real

I think it had to do with the relevance of the sport. The old guard that people had invested their passion and time into during a time when social media wasn't a thing was retiring with legendary shoes to fill. Like what's happening to wrestling, noe that the internet has spoiled the magic of the industries, and the icons are retiring, it no longer means the same. Nascar used to mean something to people. It was your battleground as a fan. My guy would beat your guy, and we were brand loyalists then. It was a poor man's car culture, a magical time indeed.

If Jeff had one more lap, Texas would not even have mattered, and he probably would have been a 5-time champ with how good his homestead car was. It would've been a very unpopular win, probably his least popular win since 2007 at Talladega of Phoenix, but he probably would have at least gotten a bumper to him a couple times

This is hypothetical

The Iceberg is on a roll lately. Love it!

When Jeff Gordon retired my love for nascar went with him and I've been a fan from 3 years old up until then and I'm 29 now🤔

Awesome job! Felt like I was re watching the race. Sure miss the older racing

I've been thinking a lot about this and I would say that 1992-2014 was the Golden Era for Nascar

The Golden Era ended when stages were introduced in 2017. It no longer became 4 hours of gruelling racing, it became 3 1-hour, 20-minute sprints. The reduced horsepower in 2018 and Chevy’s switch from the SS to the Camaro were the nail in the coffin for me. Plus the stage points began to ruin the playoffs, which are already a dumpster fire to begin with.

Definitely marked the beginning of the end. My dad and sister were Dale jr. fans, my uncle was a Stewart fan, and I was a Gordon fan. Racing isn't the same for me without those three, and that's the case for my family as well.

For me, I started watching in 2009. End of an era to me... *sigh* 2015, when Gordon retired. I did watch Stewart retire in 2016 and Junior retire in 2017, but... I feel it's never been the same since those 2 retired, and with Jimmie Johnson retiring, it's gonna feel weird not hearing that name on the track every week.

From a fans perspective i would say the 2001 Gatorade Duels, because after that, with Dale being gone, Nascar was gone, but being objective I think the end of the golden era was the 2007 Ford 400.

Tony, Jeff, Kennseth, Edwards, the Biff..... We still have Harvick, but these young guys just don't seem to have what it takes. The passion and good commentators don't exists anymore. Except Mike Joy.

The Golden Era ended when they introduced the COT.

Damn, Gordon racing at Martinsville with 80% difficulty.

I think that jeff gordons final win to his racing career in 2015 at martinsville for the final 4 is the end of the golden age

Great video!

It is the start of a new era for NASCAR. 2020 was kinda the start of this new era, 2021 would have been the start with the new car, 2022 will be that for sure. NASCAR needs to keep being in younger viewers and I just talked about it in a video I posted about the new NASCAR 2021 video game.

2011 - 2014... The last years of NASCAR relevancy. First year of the playoffs was an experiment. Didn't really work, then it completely failed in 2015 with Kyle Busch being named champion after missing 13 races. Once Jeff Gordon retired in 2015, NASCAR started adding a bunch crappy rules & began manipulating the car performance. Now with Johnson retiring they're gonna mess with a bunch of other stuff, which will ultimately fail. A lot of people are optimistic about the new car, new schedule, but unfortunately NASCAR never actually fixes anything.

2014 Is such a Great and Underatted Season 2016 And 2017 Were great too

The NASCAR that I grew up with died a long time ago. That doesn't mean I still don't watch from time to time. I am just not passionate about the sport than I used to and I don't always like the direction that they go, but you have to understand the position they are in, they still have to run a series and try to keep things relevant and deal with a pandemic and still put races on. This is ongoing but hopefully things get better.

McMurray did pretty good this race apparently, might have to go and rewatch it

Lol I forgot how epic a celebration that was

As a Gordon fan this hurt

Jimmie Johnson winning Championship #7 at Homestead with a perfect 2 lap shootout against Kyle Larson, that was the end of the golden era, everything changed after that. Watching Kyle dismantle the field this season was like a replay of Johnson in his prime, it was wonderful to watch!

Racing tends to be better when the playing field is even and when driving skill is rewarded. In general, NASCAR is much better than other motorsports in that regard. But the current aero package seems to deter drivers from having close battles for position at the mile and a half tracks. It will be interesting to see if the new cars change things.

When jeff Gordon Dale Jr and tony Stewart retierd perfect 🏁

Very very good video with strong and accurate insight. Great nascar historian.

literally the race right after that was the 1st nascar race that I went to

I love NASCAR roots way more

Golden era was way before this. From late 90s to about 2006 was when NASCAR was at its peak. Look at old videos. Stands every track sold out and that was way before most tracks tore sections of them down. Way more people you knew followed Nascar and everywhere you went Nascar was somewhere like on a billboard, sponsors, and tv ratings at a time were at NFL levels. The COT and economy crash plus many things that happened since caused the popularity to drop

I missed the days when any given week, it was gonna be either Gordon, Johnson, Stewart, or the Roush boys (Kenseth, Biffle, Edwards) winning it... add that along with Dale, Kahne, Harvick, Kurt here and there... and the new comers like Kyle and Denny... Damn the 2000s were amazing.

2015-2019 was the dark age. Good thing that we’re getting out of it.

I would have to think that the 2016 Ford 400 was the last race of NASCAR's most popular era for these reasons: - Jimmie Johnson wins a historic 7th championship (Ultimately it was his final run for a championship) - Tony Stewart's final race - Ultimately Carl Edwards's final race - Ultimately Greg Biffle's final race - Ultimately the last race the traditional race format was used (Green flag drops, it's a race. No stages, segment breaks, or anything like that) - Last race that Sprint sponsored the Cup Series (Monster Energy took over in 2017) - Ultimately last race that the term "playoffs" was referred to as the Chase (Yes, there was the format that was like the playoffs we have today, but to me I think that was only a transition, along with the new contract of NBC and FOX)

NASCAR is literally separated into three eras: *The Pioneer Era* *The Golden Era* *.....and now, The Wack Aero Era...* lol

Whenever the Car of Tomorrow was introduced was the end the Golden era of NASCAR. Additional nails in the coffin were the lucky dog rule and double file racing.

I was there, will never forget it. Never gonna be another day like that one.

I personally think that it happened slowly, cause there were still great races like this in 2015 but less and less, and slowly us fans have been drug into watching what once was great but is now lost it's touch and is boring.

As a Gordon fan 2014 was so fun to see him return to his old glory but so painful to see him miss out on the final 4. And he had a really good homestead car too that probably could’ve won it all. It’s crazy to think if he had just beaten Jr at Martinsville OR not crashed at Texas OR Newman didn’t wreck Larson he would’ve been in the final 4. It was so frustrating that Ryan Newman was a final 4 driver.

It was awesome after growing up going to Martinsville every year from about 2005-2014 to be able to go to this race and finally see Jr. win in person. The Earnhardt Gordon rivalry was strong in the stands. Everyone was going crazy in anticipation during the red flag before the finish. It was the last race that had that classic nascar feel too me in the stands. I went to the 2017 Daytona 500 after that, and the energy was def different, and the stages just made it entirely different from a strategy standpoint. The era of stages and manufactures working together was def a huge change in feeling for me from the late 90s to mid 2010s for sure.

I was at that martinsville race. that’s the closest i’ve been to seeing Jeff Gordon win a race in person. I still think if there was one more lap in that race Jeff Gordon would’ve been the Cup series champion in 2014. I was devastated going home.

I’m currently watching 2000s Nascar on RU-vid and it is an era I truly wish I would’ve watched when I was younger. To me, I would say the golden age really ended with the beginning of the Gen 6 car, as the cultural relevance of NASCAR had pretty much seen all its heyday by 2013.