Dear sports, I miss you.... a lot. They say you never know how much you miss something until it's gone and I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say that I'm feeling that way with sports right now. Don't get me wrong, I understand the reasons behind the lack of sports and I agree with it, but it does not make it easier, especially not when you depend as much on sports as I do.
Ask anybody who knows me and they'll tell you that I basically only watch, write, talk about sports. My late grandmother once asked me what I would do without sports in my life. I told her I didn't know. Well, Grandma, now I know and I don't like it.
I'm currently sitting on my couch with a beverage in my hand, wing in the crockpot and the window open to soak in the nice weather on this fine Saturday. The only thing missing is a basketball game or NASCAR race on the television.
I've tried to find ways to pass the time without having sports to watch (or cover), but I can only watch so many 30 for 30's/Chiefs Super Bowl highlights or play so much Playstation before I need to break away, so here I go.
Yesterday, Derek Martin did his part to fill the void of this year's NCAA Tournament by taking a look back at the 1990 NCAA Tournament. He got me thinking about doing the same with NASCAR, so I'm stealing his idea. I'm sorry, DMart. You can write about the 1991 NASCAR season if you want.
NASCAR was at its best in the 1990s. Anybody who thinks otherwise is an idiot. This decade had everything. Legends retiring, new legends coming of age, tragedy, thrilling finishes, great stories and so much more. This decade turned NASCAR in to must-see TV and put the sport on the map.
1990 was a wild season that saw a cinderella Daytona 500 winner, a tight championship battle, a great driver suffering a near-fatal injury, tragedy, and some controversy. Let's dive in.
Race 1: Daytona 500
This was Dale Earnhardt's race to win. One of, if not the greatest drivers in NASCAR history was almost unstoppable at Daytona and Talladega.....except for the Daytona 500. The Intimidator always seemed to have one of the fastest cars at Daytona, but never could get to victory lane. He entered his 12th Daytona 500 as the hands-down favorite. He showed everybody why, dominating the race and leading 155 laps. He seemed well on his way to winning the biggest race of his career until the final lap.
In the waning laps, Earnhardt overpowered Derrike Cope on a late-restart to take the lead and tried th hold off charges from Cope and Terry Labonte. Earnhardt took the white flag and was less than a half-lap away from his first-ever Daytona 500 when he ran over a piece of debris that cut a tire and handed the victory to Cope, who had never finished better than sixth in his career. Cope won the race while driving for little-known Whitcomb Racing, a team that had never finished in the top five. Cope was an unknown at the time, having made 72 Winston Cup starts for a bevy of back-marker teams and yet he won a Daytona 500 before one of the sport's greatest. How about that? Here's the finish.
Three final things about this race:
1. what an awesome call by Ken Squier.
2. the movie "Days of Thunder" was scheduled to be released later in this year, so they actually allowed cars from that movie to be drove around for parts of the race for filming purposes, wild.
3. 62 cars attempted to qualify for the 42-car Daytona 500. That means 20 drivers had to sit and watch rather than race. Like I said, the 90s' were fun.
Points lead: Derrike Cope over Terry Labonte by five points
Race 2: Pontiac Excitement 400 at Richmond
NASCAR used to run a race in Virginia...in February. As you can imagine, sometimes it's cold in Virginia that time of year. This race was one of those, regarded as one of the coldest in NASCAR history with a 40+ mph wind and a 5 degree wind chill. Woof, that's cold. Rusty Wallace and Alan Kulwicki dominated this race, but Kulwicki was caught up in a wreck on Lap 234 and finished in 24th. Wallace continued to dominate, but was passed by Mark Martin with 16 laps to go. Martin then held off Dale Earnhardt for his second-career win. However, it was not without a price.
After the race, NASCAR officials determined that Martin had oversized carburetor spacer plate and was thus penalized 46 points (such an odd number), keep that in mind as we go along.
Points lead: Dale Earnhardt over Ricky Rudd by five points
Race 3: GM Goodwrench 500 at North Carolina Motor Speedway
Kyle Petty absolutely dominated this race by leading 433 of the 500 laps. Petty and second-place finisher Geoff Bodine were the only cars to finish on the lead lap. Ken Schrader finished third and was the only car to finish a lap down. Petty's also started from the pole and was able to win what NASCAR called "the Unocal 76 Challenge". It was actually pretty cool, if you started on the pole and won, you got a bonus. If you didn't win, the bonus rolled over to the next race. No driver had won a race from the pole in the last 29 tries, so Petty netted an extra $228,400. Wouldn't it be awesome if they did something like that today?
Points lead: Dale Earnhardt over Rusty Wallace by eight points.
Race 4: Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 at Atlanta
Dale Earnhardt overcame a one-lap deficit, led 216 laps and edged Morgan Shepherd for the win by 0.32 seconds. Sadly, I cannot find video of this finish. This race also served as the breakthrough for young driver Ernie Irvan, who finished third in his first race with Morgan McClure Motorsports.
Points lead: Dale Earnhardt over Morgan Shepherd by 58 points
Race 5: Transouth 500 at Darlington
Dale Earnhardt and Geoff Bodine dominated this race. Bodine led 154 of the 367 laps while Earnhardt led 129, but ultimately captured the victory. However, this race was marred by a terrifying 12-car accident that collected the likes of Ernie Irvan, Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin, Geoff Bodine and Neil Bonnett.
Bonnett, an 18-time NASCAR winner, suffered the worst from this injury. The accident left him with amnesia and severe dizziness. That crash almost ended his career, until he returned in 1993.
Also, car owner Rick Hendrick entered two cars for this race that were from the film "Days of Thunder". Hut Stricklin and Greg Sacks drove those cars.
Points lead: Dale Earnhardt over Morgan Shepherd by 78 points
Race 6: Valleydale Meats 500 at Bristol
If a race name like "The Valleydale Meats 500" doesn't make you love 1990s' NASCAR, nothing will. A young hot-shoe from Alabama named Davey Allison won this race by leading 160 laps and beating Mark Martin by a whopping eight inches. Eight inches!. At the time, this was one of the closest finish in NASCAR history. Electronic scoring was not a thing yet (more on that in a minute) so this left ESPN broadcasters Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons and Ned Jarrett guessing who won while they waited for NASCAR to make a decision. Here's the awesome final five laps.
Points lead: Dale Earnhardt over Morgan Shepherd by 42 points.
Race 7: First Union 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway
One of the most controversial races in NASCAR history. Brett Bodine, a rather unknown driver from New York who had never won a Cup race was driving the race of his life, competing with the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and Mark Martin. Drivers were in the process of making their final pit stops when Kenny Wallace spun out, bringing out a caution.
As I mentioned earlier, NASCAR did not have electronic timing and scoring yet. Everything was done by hand. North Wilkesboro was a short track and could be easy to lose track of positions and laps. This is exactly what happened.
When the caution came out, NASCAR determined Earnhardt was the race leader. However, Bodine's wife (who was in charge of the timing and scoring for his time) vehemently argued that there was a scoring error and that he should be the leader. NASCAR burned 18 laps under caution to determine who the leader should be. They ultimately decided Bodine was the leader. He took advantage of his fresh tires and cruised to the victory, the only of his career. Waltrip, who finished second, protested the result, but NASCAR denied the protest. If you're looking for some more clarity on this confusing situation, here it is.
Points lead: Dale Earnhardt over Morgan Shepherd by 57 points.
Race 8: Hanes Activewear 500 at Martinsville Speedway
A race sponsored by underwear was dominated by two cars sponsored by beer. Man, I love the 1990 season. Geoff Bodine led 270 laps and cruised to victory in his No. 11 Budweiser Ford, holding off Rusty Wallace in his No. 27 Miller Genuine Draft Pontiac.
Points lead: Dale Earnhardt over Morgan Shepherd by 52 points.
Race 9: Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
Like he usually did at Talladega, Dale Earnhardt dominated this race. He led 107 laps and held off Greg Sacks to capture his second win of the year.
Side note: during this race, ESPN had an in-car camera in Dick Trickle's car. ESPN caught Trickle smoking a cigarette during a caution. Have I mentioned this was an awesome year?
Points lead: Dale Earnhardt over Morgan Shepherd by 90 points
All Star Race: The Winston at Charlotte Motor Speedway
The NASCAR All-Star Race is the best All-Star event in all of sports and I will fight anyone who disagrees. This one, however, was not great. Dale Earnhardt led all 70 laps and captured the $325,000 payday.
Race 10: Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Rusty Wallace absolutely dominated this race, leading 306 laps to capture his first victory of the season. This would be the only "crown jewel" race that Wallace, the 1989 Cup Champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer, would win in his career.
Points lead: Dale Earnhardt over Morgan Shepherd by 21 points.
Race 11: Budweiser 500 at Dover International Speedway
Derrike Cope proved that his Daytona 500 victory was not a complete fluke by holding off Ken Schrader and Dick Trickle for his second and final career win. During this race Dale Earnhardt blew an engine, his team fixed the engine, and it blew again. Fixing a blown engine during a race has not happened since then, nor has blowing an engine twice in the same race. Legendary.
Points lead: Morgan Shepherd over Mark Martin by 32 points
Race 12: Banquet Frozen Foods at Sears Point International Raceway
Rusty Wallace led 42 of the 74 laps for his second win in three races to put himself right into the mix of the championship hunt.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Morgan Shepherd by 62 points.
Race 13: Miller Genuine Draft 500 at Pocono Raceway
A race sponsored by beer was won by a driver sponsored by tobacco. "The Bandit" Harry Gant and his No. 33 Skoal Oldsmobile held off Rusty Wallace late for the victory.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Morgan Shepherd by 53 points
Race 14: Miller Genuine Draft 400 at Michigan International Speedway
Because 500 miles sponsored by Miller Genuine Draft was not enough. Bill Elliott dominated the race but blew an engine with 15 laps to go, handing the victory to Dale Earnhardt, who had to hold off a hard-charging Ernie Irvan.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Morgan Shepherd by 94 points
Race 15: Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway
Hey look, Dale Earnhardt dominating at Daytona. He led 127 laps and won his second consecutive race. Also, three-time NASCAR champion and future hall of famer Darrell Waltrip missed this race due to injuries suffered after a vicious wreck in practice.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 63 points
Race 16: AC Spark Plug 500 at Pocono Raceway
Geoff Bodine led 119 of the 200 laps and held off Bill Elliott for his second win of the season. This race was ran in light of tragedy. Chicago native Rich Vogler had qualified for his first career Winston Cup start, but was sadly killed in a sprint car wreck in Salem, Indiana the night before.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 48 points
Race 17: DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway
You guessed it, Dale Earnhardt dominated another superspeedway race, picking up his third in four races this year and created a dead heat with Mark Martin for the points lead.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by one point
Race 18: Budweiser at the Glen at Watkins Glen International
"The Rooster" Ricky Rudd took the lead with 10 laps remaining and never looked back, cruising to victory by 6.54 seconds over Geoff Bodine. Rusty Wallace blew an engine, severely hampering his championship chances.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 10 points.
Race 19: Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway
Mark Martin gave himself a cushion in the points standings with his second victory of the season. Dale Earnhardt finished eighth.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 48 points
Race 20: Busch 500 at Bristol International Speedway
In case you're counting, this is the eighth of the race of the season to be sponsored by spark plugs, beer or tobacco. 'Merica!. Ernie Irvan put the NASCAR world on notice by holding off Rusty Wallace to capture his first career victory. Dale Earnhardt led 350 laps, but faded and finished eighth.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 61 points
Race 21: Heinz Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway
Dale Earnhardt took the lead with 54 laps remaining and held off Ernie Irvan for the victory. Earnhardt's victory also put him just 26 points back of Mark Martin with eight races remaining.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 26 points
Race 22: Miller Genuine Draft 400 at Richmond International Raceway
This is the third race that Miller Genuine Draft sponsored in 1990, plus they sponsored Rusty Wallace's car. I can only imagine how much they spent on NASCAR that year. Dale Earnhardt led 173 of the 400 laps and held off Mark Martin for the victory, whittling Martin's points lead to just 16 points with seven races remaining.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 15 points
Race 23: Peak AntiFreeze 500 at Dover Downs International Speedway
Bill Elliott dominated the race, leading 364 of 500 laps for his first victory of the season. Mark Martin finished second, followed by Dale Earnhardt in third.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 21 points
Race 24: Goody's 500 at Martinsville Speedway
Geoff Bodine led a nice 69 laps in a race that was extremely competitive with 16 lead changes. Bodine took the lead from Mark Martin with 42 laps remaining and held off Dale Earnhardt and Martin for the victory. Earnhardt gained five points on Martin, cutting the points deficit to 16 points with five races left. Maybe Martin wishes he had those 46 points that got docked at Richmond, right?
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 16 points
Race 25: Tyson Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway
Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt just couldn't separate from one another. Martin held off Earnhardt for the victory by 3.63 seconds despite Earnhardt leading a race-high 291 laps.
This was another race was unfortunately marred by tragedy, hours after the race, rookie Rob Moroso was killed in a drunk-driving accident. He was posthumously named NASCAR Rookie of the Year.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 16 points
Race 26: Mello Yello 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Another race where Bill Elliott dominated, but left empty-handed due to a blown engine. Davey Allison was the beneficiary of Elliott's woes and captured his second win of the year. It was a tough race for championship contenders Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt. Martin finished 13th while Earnhardt had an interesting race. He lost all four tires on pit road after his crew mixed up the lugnuts. His team was regarded as one of NASCAR's top pit crews, by the way.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 49 points.
Race 27: ACDelco 500 at North Carolina Motor Speedway
One of my favorite drivers I never got to see, Alan Kulwicki, took the lead with 55 laps remaining and held on for his second career victory. Dale Earnhardt managed to finish 10th, one spot ahead of Mark Martin, gaining four points in the process with only two races remaining.
Points lead: Mark Martin over Dale Earnhardt by 45 points.
Race 28: Checker 500 at Phoenix International Raceway
Dale Earnhardt put together a championship-esque performance, leading 262 of the 312 laps and gaining the points lead after Mark Martin finished 10th.
Points lead: Dale Earnhardt over Mark Martin by six points
Race 29: Atlanta Journal 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Morgan Shepherd closed the 1990 season by taking the lead from Bill Elliott with 29 laps remaining and holding off Geoff Bodine by 2.47 seconds. Dale Earnhardt entered the race with a six-point lead over Mark Martin and clinched the title with a third-place finish while Martin finished sixth. When the dust settled, Earnhardt held off Martin for the championship, the fourth of his career, by just 26 points. If Martin had not been docked 46 points at Richmond, he would have had a 20-point advantage over Earnhardt. Something in February prevented Martin from his first-ever title, wild.
As you can see, the 1990 Winston Cup Series season was insane, just like most the decade.
