Today in Nascar History April

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Winners on this date: Bill Blair, Bob Welborn, Cotten Owens, Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Bobby Hamilton.

April 20th, 1998: Bobby Hamilton dominates at Martinsville leading most of the laps and cruising to over a 6 second victory. It is his 3rd career win.



April 20th, 2002: Not Cup...but the then Busch Series at Talladega-biggest crash in the modern era (since 1972)-30 cars. I do have a memory of watching this too-I was almost 14-and at a basketball tournament i was playing in-I was in the hotel watching the race before we left for the game-and this happened-I was like WHOA!!! LOL. Idk why I always remember where I was for this one-probably because it wasnt my normal watching spot for races. Jason Keller won the race if anyone cares:

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Today In Nascar History April 21st:

Winners on this date: Jack Smith, Richard Petty (2 times), David Pearson, Neil Bonnett, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Jeff Gordon.

April 21st, 1968: David Pearson wins at North Wilkesboro. Seventeen cars are eliminated by engine failure! (Talk about reliability issues lol)



April 21st, 1974: Richard Petty wins at North Wilkesboro using a smaller engine in his Dodge. Nascar permits the smaller engines to run without restrictor plates while the big 426-429 engines have to use one. It obviously gives the smaller engine the advantage.



April 21st, 1991: Darrell Waltrip wins at North Wilkesboro to end a 19 month winless streak.



April 21st, 2002: Dale Earnhardt Jr leads a DEI 1-2 at Talladega and avoids a 24 car wreck on the backstretch to win.

Big One

Last 4 Laps: (How can you not love Dega?)

April 21st, 2007: Jeff Gordon beats Tony Stewart in a great race to take his first career win at Phoenix International Raceway. The win also ties him with Dale Earnhardt for career victories and Gordon honors the great champion by taking a big 3 flag for a victory lap.

Last 10 Laps

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Today in Nascar History April 22nd:

Winners on this date: Marshall Teague, Buck Baker, Junior Johnson, Richard Petty (2 times), Brett Bodine, Bobby Hamilton, and Kevin Harvick.

April 22nd, 1990: Brett Bodine drives Kenny Bernstein's #26 car to the win at North Wilkesboro-it is Bodine's 1st career victory.

April 22nd, 2001: Bobby Hamilton takes the lead from Tony Stewart to win a caution free race at Talladega. The average speed is over 184 mph.

The finish: (this was a great race-they had that wicker package still-again how can anyone hate Talladega?)

April 22nd, 2006: Kevin Harvick passes Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle in the late laps to win at Phoenix.

Last 19 Laps:

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Today in Nascar History April 23rd:

Winners on this date: Ned Jarrett, Richard Petty (3 times), Rex White, Darrell Waltrip (2 times), Rusty Wallace, and Kurt Busch.

April 23rd, 1989: Darrell Waltrip takes the #17 Tide Ride to the win at Martinsville.

April 23rd, 2005: Kurt Busch holds off a last ditch effort by Michael Waltrip to take the win in Phoenix.

Finish

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Today in Nascar History April 24th:

Winners on this date: Tim Flock, Lee Petty, Jim Paschal, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, and Rusty Wallace.

Nothing much on this date-however all of the races on this date except the first 2 in which Tim Flock won at Langhorne and Lee Petty at Weaverville, have been run at Martinsville-starting with Jim Paschal's 1966 win at the paperclip on this date.

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Today in Nascar History April 25th:

Winners on this date: Red Byron, Gober Sosebee, Frankie Schneider, Fred Lorenzen, Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Harry Gant, Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Kevin Harvick.

April 25th, 1958: Frankie Schneider scores his 1st and only cup series win in Manassas, VA.

April 25th, 1982: Handsome Harry Gant scores his first career win in his 107th career start by taking the checkers at Martinsville.

April 25th, 1988: ME! I was born-today! And I'm a big race fan-so thats Nascar history haha.

April 25th, 1999: Dale Earnhardt takes the lead late from Dale Jarrett to win at Talladega (GAH! I was SOOOOOOOOOO mad-I hated Earnhardt and he had won on my birthday-GAH-i just remember being a really frustrated 11 year old)

Last 4 Laps

April 25th, 2004: Jeff Gordon stays ahead of Dale Jr as the caution flies late at Talladega giving Jeff the win and ending DEI's plate dominance-the Alabama faithful are none to happy with the ruling and show their displeasure by throwing thousand's of beer cans at Gordon’s car. (I’m sure you all remember this one-I tended to laugh at all the losers who’d do this-but it was wild!)

The Race's Big One: (Stewart and Kurt Busch started it lol)

Finish

April 25th, 2009: Nationwide Series-David Ragan scores his 1st career NNS win-Matt Kenseth survives a flip down the backstretch.

April 25th, 2010: Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski each score spectacular exciting wins, in the Cup Series and Nationwide Series respectively at Talladega on perhaps the most exciting, wildest day of racing of all-time. Harvick beats Jamie McMurray to the line in a photo finish to win his first race since the 2007 Daytona 500. Harvick's pass of McMurray is the 88th lead change of the event-shattering the mark for the most lead changes of all-time (75-also at Dega). Other history tidbits of the event-it sets the record for the most different leaders all-time in a Nascar event at 29, it is the first race for the new spoiler package at Talladega, it is the first race to use up all 3 attempts at Nascars new 3 tries at a Green White Checkered finish (the Nationwide race also goes into GWC), and it is the 8th closest finish in Nascar history.

Mini Big One



2nd Big Wreck



Finish









In the Nationwide race, Keselowski makes a charge on the final lap and passes Harvick for the lead going into turn 3, foiling Harvick's bid to become the first driver to win a Cup Series and Nationwide event in the same day. The event is crash-filled and features countless wrecks, including a huge, destructive last lap pile up in turn 3 that sends Dennis Setzer's car airborne into the catchfence and on fire-capping the wildest full day of Nascar racing perhaps of all-time.

First Big One



2nd HUGE ONE and Finish

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Today in Nascar History April 26th:

Winners on this date: Dick Rathmann, Junior Johnson, Fed Lorenzen, Morgan Shepherd, Dale Earnhardt, Mark Martin, Bobby Labonte, and Brad Keselowski.

April 26th, 1981: Morgan Shepherd, then a rookie cup driver, takes the win in an upset at Martinsville. It is Pontiac's first win in cup since 1963.

April 26th, 1998: Bobby Labonte survives to win at Talladega. Carnage ensues when the big one happens on the front stretch. Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt take the worst of the monster wreck (I definitely remember this one!).

April 26th, 2009: Brad Keselowski takes his first career victory driving for the underdog 09 team in a shocker of an upset win at Talladega after colliding with Carl Edwards coming to the checkers-Edwards’ car goes airborne and into the catch fencing injuring 8 fans in a spectacular wreck. Edwards then proceeds to do his Ricky Bobby impression and sprints across the line himself to the delight of the fans. Edwards wild ride is the last of the 3 huge wrecks that mar the race-one of the craziest Talladega races of all time.

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Today in Nascar History April 27th:

Winners on this date: Herb Thomas, Marvin Panch, Jim Reed, Richard Petty (2 times), Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch, and Kyle Busch.

April 27th, 1969: Richard Petty wins at Martinsville-James Hylton helps Petty relief drive during the race and Petty finishes it.

April 27th, 1980: Darrell Waltrip comes from 4 laps behind to win at Martinsville.

April 27th, 1997: Mark Martin wins a caution free race at Talladega-the average speed of 188.354 mph for the race remains the fastest in Nascar History.

April 27th, 2008: Kyle Busch holds off Juan Pablo Montoya as the wreck unfolds behind them on the final lap giving Busch the win at Talladega.

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Today in Nascar History April 28th:

Winners on this date: Paul Goldsmith, Art Watts, Richard Petty, Tiny Lund, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough (2 times), Harry Gant, Dale Earnhardt, Sterling Marlin, and Jimmie Johnson.
April 28th, 1996: Sterling Marlin wins at Talladega in a wild event-Bill Elliott breaks his leg after a wild airborne wreck on the backstretch while later on Ricky Craven survives one of the worst big ones all time when his car tumbles up the banking and into the catch fence before slamming back down to earth.

Bill Elliott's Crash



Ricky Craven's Crash/the Big One





April 28th, 2002: Jimmie Johnson takes the lead from Kurt Busch late in the going at California and takes his first career cup win. The rookie does it in only his 13th career start. This race also featured a vicious crash between Dale Jr and Kevin Harvick.

Jr/Harvick wreck



Race Recap

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Today in Nascar History April 29th:

Winners on this date: Fonty Flock, Buck Baker, Bobby Johns, David Pearson, Geoff Bodine (2 times), Rusty Wallace, and Jeff Gordon.

April 29th, 1984: Geoff Bodine driving Rick Hendrick's #5 car takes the win at Martinsville-it is Bodine's 1st career win as well as car owner Hendrick's in the team's 8th start.

April 29th, 2001: Rusty Wallace holds off Jeff Gordon to win at California and salutes his late friend Dale Earnhardt on his birthday by carrying a flag for a victory lap.

April 29th, 2007: Jeff Gordon breaks his career win tie with Dale Earnhardt by winning on the Intimidator's birthday at Talladega-the Alabama faithful are none too happy with Gordon surpassing Earnhardt's win total.

It is the late Dale Earnhardt's birthday-so heres a nice tribute video of the man.