Over the last 13 years, NAPA ads have become the most common and sometimes completely mind bending ads during a Sunday race (like you’ve never involuntarily blurted out “N-N-N-NAPA Know How!”). This spot from 2003 kind of comes off a little rough on Mikey, but what’s more shocking is to actually see Teresa Earnhardt.

by Vito Pugliese
 

UPS had one of the more memorable ad campaigns when it signed on with Dale Jarrett in 2001. It was a relationship that lasted through the 2008 season, but it wasn’t until UPS joined Roush Fenway Racing that they actually painted the car brown on a regular basis. This spot from 2007 features Ned Jarrett — who I wish ESPN would have the good sense to let call a few laps with Bob Jenkins at The Brickyard this year; maybe invite Ken Squier in the mix as well.

by Vito Pugliese
 

During NASCAR’s ascension to national prominence in the 1990s, one of the keys to its success was getting a mention during ESPN’s SportsCenter, where Dan Patrick always made a point to let you know where Dick Trickle finished. Another key was self-deprecating humor, as Dick proves in this NAPA spot.

by Vito Pugliese
 

What’s this? Another NASCAR commercial with a Wisconsin racing hero? Matt Kenseth won the last Winston Cup in 2003, and was featured in this spot for Nextel. This ad is not only funny — as the knock on Kenseth at the time was that he was void of personality (not true) — but accurate, considering how Kenseth can still get out of 130-degree car after four hours and talk at Mach 2 without taking a breath. If only they had the foresight to bank this one for Jimmie Johnson … they really could have had some fun with it.

by Vito Pugliese
 

ESPN had a slew of great NASCAR spots during the 1998 season with its “NASCAR Ride Along Program.” This one with Richard and Kyle Petty was one of the best, with The King offering some backseat driving for Kyle. For some reason, I have a feeling these conversations actually did take place on the way back to Level Cross.

by Vito Pugliese
 

When Toyota came to the Cup Series in 2007, it faced a bit of an uphill battle. It was the first time since the 1950s that a foreign automaker had competed in NASCAR’s premier division. Toyota had to hit it right and knew it should tread lightly to gain fan acceptance and prevent an outright revolt – which appears to have happened with these R/C cars. Note Tony Stewart’s ode to Vince Neil with that hair.

by Vito Pugliese
 

Another one of the “NASCAR Ride Along Program” spots, this one featuring Keyshawn Johnson and Mark Martin. These two are either great actors or actually got along very well.

by Vito Pugliese
 

When the 2000 Chevy Monte Carlo debuted, it had a swoopy new body that emphasized lower drag and vastly improved downforce. After getting it’s headed handed to it by the Ford Taurus for two years (well, other than that No. 24 car…) Chevrolet’s new car was inexplicably heralded by … the Tasmanian Devil? Not sure why they’d select a babbling, sputtering maniac with an acute case of Tourette’s, but at least they managed to have the Earnhardt’s in this commercial together. As with the ad with the Richard and Kyle Petty spot, this one hit the mark probably because it was more fact than fiction. If you haven’t seen this one in a while, it’ll make you miss him that much more.

by Vito Pugliese
 

This Gatorade ad from 2003 featured 2002’s Rookie of the Year runner-up and the Winston Cup runner-up from the same season. Mark Martin looks more “D-FENS” from the movie “Falling Down” than a driver’s training instructor (and drives like him too). This would be the second time in a few months that Martin would drive into the side of Jimmie Johnson, as his power steering locked up on the pace lap of the fall Talladega race the season before, eventually costing Martin the title. Looks like Jimmie rebounded OK, though. As fair and gentlemanly as Martin has been throughout his career, I’ve always feared he’d snap one day and do this for real.

by Vito Pugliese
 

This commercial with Jeremy Mayfield lives on in Mopar lore as one of the greatest ads ever. Kind of ironic that she’s pouring a bunch of chemicals in a tub … something that Jeremy would apparently develop an affinity for in later years. Jeremy’s date in this one is Candice Michelle, who would later go on to GoDaddy.com and WWE fame. She actually slides through the window like a champ. Oh yeah.

by Vito Pugliese
 

The Kool-Aid Man on the hood of Michael Waltrip’s No. 30 Pontiac probably didn’t let loose with an “Oh Yeah!!!” after busting through the wall at Bristol in a Grand National race back in 1990. Michael was knocked a little loopy – well, more so than usual – giving quite a scare to everyone in attendance and watching on TV. Sure, people can joke about it now, but at the time it was say-a-prayer moment for all involved. 

—by Vito Pugliese

Before Kyle Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing decided to launch an all-out assault on the minor leagues of NASCAR a few years ago, Mark Martin’s No. 60 Winn-Dixie Ford was the scourge of what was then the Busch Grand National Series. Martin put on a clinic, leading 195 of the 250 laps on this day in Bristol, while a late-race crash between Hermie Sadler and Robert Pressley saw the race concluding under caution – no green-white-checker finishes in those days. As the field was coming up to congratulate Martin, he was shifting gears, preparing to go run final practice in his Cup car. He had radio problems all day, and Jack Roush who would spot for him, was on his way down off the stand. Martin ducked to find Victory Lane one lap early, surrendering the win to eventual 1994 champ David Green. Ironically, it would be Green’s only win of his title year.

Whether he was grabbing a fistful of Tony Stewart’s uniform at Daytona, walking into traffic like Harry Callahan to blast a helmet at Michael Waltrip or cleaning house in Montreal, nobody would ever accuse Robby Gordon of laying down. In 2002, driving for Richard Childress, Gordon got into it with the sport’s new most popular driver. Junior had some choice words for Robby as well. Not as good as his “cue ball-headed fool” blast on Todd Bodine, but good nonetheless. He does lack some originality for copying Tony Stewart’s pit road PIT maneuver on Jeff Gordon, but worthy nonetheless. Doesn’t sound like the No. 31’s spotter was too cool with it however. Watch it now. 

Darrell Waltrip was the undisputed king of Bristol Motor Speedway until Rusty Wallace showed up. Ernie Irvan was the next up-and-comer, and had just collected his first career victory the prior race at Bristol in August 1990. This race was an eventful one, including a caution for an umbrella being blown onto the track and Sterling Marlin bailing out of his car, while on fire; Sterling that is – not just the car. A rain shower with 50 laps to go set up the final fight to the finish in another classic Bristol showdown that made this one of the toughest tickets in motorsports to get.

It was the debut race for the Car of Tomorrow — a safe test since aerodynamics typically aren’t the deciding factor on a short track like Bristol — and the CoT, as hearty and ungainly as it was, had no problem beating and banging into other cars or the wall. Kyle Busch had all he could handle with Jeff Burton in the closing laps, but being Burton, at least he knew he was going to get a fair fight. If only Kyle had been so generous to the new car in Victory Lane. You want to know why you were fined, Denny? It stems from what Kyle said later in the winner’s circle.

One of the reasons why Bristol is such a popular track is the throwback nature it possesses. Tempers can flare and paybacks are to be expected, as NASCAR was built on bullrings, not 1.5-mile cookie cutters and 200 mph corner-entry speeds. In March 2001, the sport and fans were reeling from the loss of Dale Earnhardt, so the Food City 500 was a welcome race — and two of NASCAR’s most legendary, respected and iconic teams were battling for the win. Pat Tryson made the call to keep Elliott Sadler out on old tires in the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Ford as he held off John Andretti in The King’s No. 43 Dodge for the final 70 laps. Meanwhile, Jeff Gordon punts Tony Stewart late in the going and Smoke takes exception on pit road. Perhaps a little carry over from Watkins Glen, 2000.

Not sure what looked more out of place – the rear wing on the CoT, Tony Stewart’s ode to Steve Perry coif, or Smoke driving a Toyota. Whichever, both Stewart’s and teammate Denny Hamlin’s cars were stumbling and fumbling around with fuel pick up problems after dominating the race, leading a combined 365 of 500 laps. Harvick and Stewart get together on the last lap, which raised some questions if any of that was some residual spill-over from their tangle at The Brickyard 400 a year earlier. Sounds like Harvick had more issues with his spotter than Stewart, and five years later, Harvick has signed on to drive for Stewart in 2014.

It’s hard to pinpoint at what place in time running into a guy on the last lap to pass him became an acceptable form of racing in NASCAR. Actually, no it’s not. It’s right here at Bristol in 1997. While Gordon’s “bump and run” is a bit innocuous compared to some of the later “dump and runs” that would follow, this helped set the stage for a number of finishes of less than honorable outcomes in years to come. Wallace had led 240 laps that day, including 85 of the final 86 laps; but not the one that counted.

Dicing with Matt Kenseth in the final laps of the Food City 500, Kurt Busch was on his way to victory during a wintery race weekend that saw brother Kyle firing snowballs into the crowd. Jeff Gordon gets turned on the final lap, and then commits the ultimate tough-guy no-no: goes after a helmet-less guy who’s apologizing, while wearing a helmet. Between Kenseth, Jeff Burton, and Clint Bowyer, who hasn’t Gordon taken a swing at?

In the days before electronic timing and scoring, this was one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history. The official margin of victory is listed as eight inches, though it’s a good thing ESPN had a camera trained on the start-finish line and not Sterling Marlin’s Oldsmobile spinning down the backstretch. This was Bristol before it was concrete, carved up, and cobbled up with variable banking. Though Martin may not have won this one, at least he didn’t plow into the back of Allison and pat himself on the back for it afterwards. Also, this may be the first recorded use of term “It’s a drag race!” to describe the run to the checkers.

There are some crashes in motorsports that stick in your mind forever — and this is one of them. Mike Harmon, a then Busch Series regular from Alabama, crashed in the same spot as Michael Waltrip 12 years earlier, during practice. As the exploded remains of his car lay on the track, along comes Johnny Sauter with nowhere to go, driving through the pile of wreckage, missing an exposed Harmon by inches. Sauter has been pretty vocal about his Christian and Catholic convictions of late — perhaps this is one of those turning points that helped shape his life. Safe to say the same would go for Harmon as well.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since the passing of 1992 Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki. The underdog in the Underbird got to the pinnacle of the sport racing on the short tracks of the Midwest in the ASA Series, alongside the likes of Mark Martin, Dick Trickle and Rusty Wallace. After perishing in an airplane crash following a sponsor event, the Hooters No. 7 transporter left the track early, taking the checkered flag as it exited. It was a somber rainy weekend in Bristol, and nobody felt much like being there. Wallace, however, rose to the occasion, leading 376 of 500 laps and holding off Dale Earnhardt Sr. by just under a second. Wallace dedicated the win to Kulwicki and his team, celebrating with what Alan described as his “Polish Victory Lap” after his first career win at Phoenix in 1988.

The inaugural Daytona 500 was one of the strangest. Lee Petty ended up winning in a literal photo finish — but the decision wasn’t made until three days later. Johnny Beauchamp was originally flagged the winner, but Petty protested the outcome and after a review of fan photographs, press pics and grainy black and white video that made the Zapruder film look like Avatar, Bill France Sr. gave the win to the patriarch of NASCAR’s most famous racing family. Petty and Beauchamp didn’t fare so well a couple of years later at Daytona. In the qualifying races for the 1961 event, both were involved in an accident that launched their cars out of the track in Turn 4 and seriously injuring Petty. While he entered only six more races, his win in the first 500 held at Daytona International Speedway was fitting.

by Vito Pugliese

In the 1980s, there were a number of second- and third-generation drivers coming along, destined to follow in their fathers’ footsteps. Larry Pearson, Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett were all making an effort to live up to the family name. One stood above the rest, though, evident that he would be something special – Davey Allison, son of Hall of Famer Bobby. Davey won two races in his rookie season of 1987 — something that just wasn’t done by rookies in those days. In ’88, his Robert Yates-powered Havoline Thunderbird hung tight with his father’s Miller High Life Buick in the 500, but didn’t quite have enough to challenge him at the end. It was Bobby’s third 500 win, but his final victory in what would be an abbreviated season, as he nearly lost his life in a crash at Pocono just four months later. Sadly, due to the accident, Bobby has no memory of one of the most endearing finishes in NASCAR history.

by Vito Pugliese

Is it still paranoia if they really are out to get you? Dale Earnhardt had to be thinking that as he ran over a piece of Ricky Rudd’s shattered bell housing entering Turn 3 while leading the final lap of the Daytona 500. Having just missed the 1989 Winston Cup by 12 points to Rusty Wallace, Earnhardt had the Harley J. Earle Trophy locked up, despite having nailed a seagull at 195 mph on the backstretch early in the race, which was captured and replayed throughout the afternoon. PETA is still probably pissed about that one. Earnhardt, though, would have to wait eight years until the bad luck would cease to claim the one prize that had eluded him. Derrike Cope, in Bob Whitcomb’s No. 10 Purolator Chevy, kept himself in a position to win and did just that after Earnhardt blew a right rear tire on the final lap. This finish even catches the smooth-as-silk Ned Jarrett a little off guard, as he gets a little tongue-tied calling the pass for win.

by Vito Pugliese

There are three names that Mopar freaks hold in high regard: Richard Petty, Dick Landy and Tom Hoover. Hoover is known as the Grandfather of the 426 Hemi, which made its NASCAR debut in 1964 at the Daytona 500. To say they had the field covered was a bit of an understatement. Paul Goldsmith won the pole at a speed of 174.91mph — on tires carved from granite. Richard Petty started alongside on the front row and dominated the action in his Plymouth Belvedere. There were only six lead changes between Petty, Goldsmith, A.J. Foyt and Bobby Isaac, with Petty leading from lap 52 to the finish. Petty by a lap over runner-up Jimmy Pardue and two laps over Goldsmith, but all three drove ’64 Plymouths powered by the new elephant motor. NASCAR would ban the engine for ’65, leading Petty to sit out for a season. Imagine the win and title total had he not.

by Vito Pugliese

You could draw some similarities between the 1981 and 2013 NASCAR seasons. The former year witnessed a new, downsized body … and no one really knew what to expect from it. The Daytona 500 was actually the second race of the year at this time (the now-defunct Riverside road course hosted the first event of the year). Bobby Allison dominated the 500, leading 117 of the 200 laps, while briefly exchanging the lead with Ricky Rudd and Neil Bonnett. Richard Petty wasn’t even a factor – until it counted. Coming onto pit road with 27 laps remaining, Petty’s cousin, Hall of Fame crew chief Dale Inman, made the audible call for two tires. It got Petty out far enough in front that he and his STP Buick led the final 26 circuits — the only laps he’d lead all day — and cruised to Victory Lane for his seventh and final Daytona 500 victory.

by Vito Pugliese

Back around the mid-late 2000’s, NASCAR attendance and ratings started to decline. It seemed the rules were constantly changing to fit the current circumstance, phantom yellows run amok, and a new points system was being rolled out every season. During the 2003 season, it was determined that there would no longer be racing back to the yellow flag when a caution came out. The field would be frozen and timing and scoring determined the winner. In his 23rd start, and first outside of the No. 6 Roush Ford since 1988, Mark Martin had things sewn up. He just had to make it through a Green White Checker restart, and he’d have quite the consolation prize for not having won a title in 20 years of trying. As the wreck starts, Martin has the lead over Harvick. He pulls down to avoid the side draft of Harvick, anticipating the yellow flag that never flew – despite cars being upside down, on fire, and flipping through the grass.

“After 20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration, Dale Earnhardt will come to the caution flag to win the Daytona 500!” A simply great call by Mike Joy in what he deemed, “the most anticipated moment in racing.” That sentiment was verified as every crewman from every team lined pit road to congratulate Earnhardt upon taking checkers. In watching the replay, Bobby Labonte started to make it a little more close than I remember, and if he had another lap, could have made things really interesting. All through Speedweeks, the parallels were drawn between John Elway, who finally won his first Super Bowl nearly a month earlier after so many devastating – and lopsided – loses, and Earnhardt, who was still looking for that elusive 500 win. A year removed from ending up on his lid on the last lap, but getting back in to finish the race, Earnhardt showed up at Daytona with a renewed determination and a new crew chief, having lured Larry McReynolds away from Robert Yates Racing and Ford. The ’98 version of the Daytona 500 was one of those races where everything just came together, nothing bad happened, and the guy you expected to win actually did. 

by Vito Pugliese

It the mid- to late- '70s, the superspeedway races at Daytona and Talladega were barnburners. You could count on one hand who was going to be factory: Richard Petty, David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough. The 1976 edition of the 500 was about as good as it gets, with Pearson and Petty sandbagging and sling-shotting during the final laps. The Silver Fox pulled a monster slide job going into Turn 3, but The King side-drafted through 4 and powered by on exit. Almost. As the two titans of the sport made contact and spun out of control, Pearson managed to kick in the clutch to keep the powerplant alive, while Petty’s went kaput. Pearson’s take? “The bitch wrecked me!” Note the wee Scott, three-time Formula One world champion Jackie Stewart commentating. Perhaps Michael Schumacher would care to drop by the booth this weekend and offer his thoughts on the drivers “giving a maximum effort.”

by Vito Pugliese

The 2001 Daytona 500 should have been the greatest ever. It marked the first race of NASCAR’s new multi-billion dollar TV package, while the roof-wicker aero-package was about the best NASCAR had put together — and a seven-time champ was back in form after a few lean years, having pulled off the greatest come-from-behind win in series history at the fall Talladega race in 2000. Headed into the final lap, Dale Earnhardt was watching the two cars he owned – those of Michael Waltrip, his longtime friend who was determined he reach his potential, and his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. We all know how it ends — the significance of Waltrip’s first Cup win in 462 starts, the tears and concern of a brother, friend and former rival in the broadcast booth — so we’ll not belabor the point. But if there is one saving grace from this event, it has been the constant focus and improvement on safety within the sport.

by Vito Pugliese

“There’s a fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison! The tempers over-flowing, they’re angry, they know they have lost…” No surprise here, as the 1979 installment tops any and all Daytona 500 lists. Those immortal words from Ken Squier cemented the key event in the history of NASCAR, thrusting it from underground regional spectacle into full-blown national consciousness. Amazing how one man and three cameras can cover a race better than the army of aerial drones and three different studios can today. Aided by a blizzard in the Northeast, a post-race fight and Richard Petty breaking through (ending a winless drought from injuries and the disaster that was the Dodge Magnum), the ’79 race put the Daytona 500 on the map as a major sporting event and, as Petty has said many times, “took us from the Sports page to the front page.” Looks like a certain brunette from Roscoe, Ill., did the same, once again, this past weekend.

by Vito Pugliese