[Lefty Noob]

So I was thinking... all sports have their fair share of major upsets, right? An athlete or team pulling off a unlikely win in an event they would lose 99 times out of 100? So what's the biggest upset you've ever seen in a NASCAR race? What's stock car racing's equivalent of the Miracle on Ice?

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

So I was thinking... all sports have their fair share of major upsets, right? An athlete or team pulling off a unlikely win in an event they would lose 99 times out of 100? So what's the biggest upset you've ever seen in a NASCAR race? What's stock car racing's equivalent of the Miracle on Ice?

Okay, I know squat about NASCAR, but I'm going to try to play.... I am going with Dick Brooks 1973 Talladega 500 win in an unsponsored Plymouth...which was the guys only win against the big boys, I think?

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Lefty Noob

So I was thinking... all sports have their fair share of major upsets, right? An athlete or team pulling off a unlikely win in an event they would lose 99 times out of 100? So what's the biggest upset you've ever seen in a NASCAR race? What's stock car racing's equivalent of the Miracle on Ice?

Three upsets immediately jump out at me.

1. Derrike Cope's beating Daddy Dale in the 1990 Daytona 500 (Was this when Dale had a tire go in turn 3 or was it when he hit a seagull on the backstretch? Someone please help me; my memory is getting horrible!)
2. Greg Sacks winning the 1985 Firecracker 400 (Of course, later revelations indicated that, with the car he was driving, he should have lapped the field a couple of times, not just won)
3. Alan Kulwicki's winning the Championship in 1992.

Since I completely gave up on stick & ball back in 1986 or 1987 (Big name athletes who strike for more money and benefits get absolutely zero support from The Bobster), I haven't a clue what the "Miracle on Ice" is. If it has anything to do with The Ice Capades, I'd say Cale, Donny and Bobby Allison's exhibition of fisticuffs at Daytona put on a pretty good show. <g>

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

Okay, I know squat about NASCAR, but I'm going to try to play.... I am going with Dick Brooks 1973 Talladega 500 win in an unsponsored Plymouth...which was the guys only win against the big boys, I think?

FYI, It was Richard Brickhouse, not Richard Brooks. It wasn't the upset it might have been. The only really noted drivers of the time who competed were Bobby Issac (4th), Tiny Lund (9), Buck Baker (18th) and Jim Hurtubise (25th). He was also driving the Ray Nichels Dodge normally driven by Charlie Glotzbach which had a history of being really competitive.
The biggest names of the day had joined Richard Petty's PDA and were boycotting the race for safety reasons.

[Nevadastars]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

Three upsets immediately jump out at me.

1. Derrike Cope's beating Daddy Dale in the 1990 Daytona 500 (Was this when Dale had a tire go in turn 3 or was it when he hit a seagull on the backstretch? Someone please help me; my memory is getting horrible!)

Yes, Cope beat Dale Sr. when Earnhardt had a tire go down. He cut a tire when he ran over a piece of his own debri. Something in the clutch/bell housing area broke. That was a sad day for DE fans for sure. I remember the seagull incident as well.

Another major upset was when Michael Waltrip won the 1996 Winston Open, then came from the back to win The Winston (now the All Star Race) itself. I dont think anyone else has ever came from the Open (what I call the "B Main") and won the big one ever since.

Does anyone remember Tim Richmond? He came back after being severely ill with complications from AIDS to win 2 races in a row, only to finally sucumb to the disease. I remember that well because at the time, it was not released that he had the HIV virus until after his death. They said he had double pheumonia. He was one of the greatest drivers ever, and Nascar basically just swept him under the rug. Coming back to even race, let alone win, after being in the hospital a dying man, was amazing. Here is a good article on one of the greatest ever who's life was cut short....
http://www.gordonline.com/feature/timrichmond.html

[LSC9901]

It is a bit off topic but yes the Tim Richmond story was/is a sad moment for NASCAR history. I remember Tim Richmond and I get angry when I think about the bias that NASCAR exhibited in his case.

On topic I would vote for the Cope/Earnhardt situation. On the mechanical side of major upsets I'd go with the restrictor plate implementation.

[TN_Gal]

Originally Posted by Bob Tanner

I haven't a clue what the "Miracle on Ice" is. If it has anything to do with The Ice Capades, I'd say Cale, Donny and Bobby Allison's exhibition of fisticuffs at Daytona put on a pretty good show. <g>

Wasn't the miracle on ice the USA Hockey team winning Olympic Gold??

[Lefty Noob]

Good upsets, all. As someone fairly new to NASCAR, it's great hearing about some of the past upsets. Makes me wonder why there don't seem to be too many in this day and age of racing. Oh, and for those who asked, the Miracle on Ice is the 1980 US Hockey team upsetting a Russian squad who quite honestly would've won 9 of 10 games or 99 out of a 100. Go rent the Disney movie "Miracle" if you're interested; it's a little embellished, but it does give a good idea of the situation.