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With the site of the All-Star Race being the star of the show this weekend in North Wilkesboro Speedway, some may forget that this is the All-Star Race this weekend after all.
Once a race traditionally held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the race has been the host of some great NASCAR moments. Here are the top five Best All-Star Races
The 1987 Winston, as it was known at the time, featured one of the best moments the Intimidator ever had. The day was dominated by Bill Elliott, who led 121 laps. However, Earnhardt took the lead after Geoff Bodine spun in front of Elliott on a restart.
Elliott did everything he could to get past Earnhardt, and the two touched on the frontstretch with eight laps to go. Earnhardt slid his way through the grass, but found his way back in front of Bill Elliott heading into turn one.
Elliott would fall out of contention after contact with Earnhardt the next lap. Earnhardt fought off Terry Labonte and Tim Richmond for the win. Elliott would hit Earnhardt’s car on the cooldown lap and expressed his displeasure with Earnhardt following the race.
The 2010 All-Star Race had teammates on the front row for the restart with 10 laps to go. Kyle Busch tried to pass Denny Hamlin on the next lap, but Hamlin pushed Busch up the track and into the wall. The incident would put Busch behind the wall, and he would end up walking into the 11 car’s hauler.
The beneficiary was Kyle’s brother Kurt Busch. Kurt would take the lead following the two teammates tangling. After another incident just before the white flag lap, Kurt would hold on to win the race over Martin Truex Jr.
The final segment of the 2009 All-Star featured five lead changes, two caution flags, and a winner who had not led until the final two laps. The final segment started with Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth on the front row, but Kyle Busch went three-wide around the outside before Jimmie Johnson spun – bringing out the caution flag.
The next restart, Busch did the same thing, but took the lead. Gordon and Ryan Newman joined the battle going three wide into turn three with eight laps to go. There was not enough room for the three off of turn four and Jeff Gordon spun into the wall on the frontstretch, ending his day and Newman’s.
On the final restart, Matt Kenseth took the lead from Busch, but Tony Stewart, fresh off a pit penalty, worked his way to the front. Stewart would pass Kenseth with two laps to go to take home the win.
The 1989 Winston was between two dominant cars, Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip. The two would naturally be running first and second during the final segment with two laps to go. Wallace came close to Waltrip off of turn four, and Wallace ran away to take the caution flag.
Wallace would come back around after the restart to win the race. Waltrip’s crew felt the matter was not settled as they met Wallace’s crew as they were escorting the Wallace car to victory lane. From there, a melee broke out between the two pit crews before officials and police officers got in the way.
Waltrip summed up his thoughts with a simple quote, “I just hope he chokes on that $200,000.”
It seems hard to believe now, but the All-Star Race was once on the rocks. That was until former Charlotte Motor Speedway track president “Humpy” Wheeler came up with the idea to install lights at the 1.5 mile track. With the help of Musco Sports Lighting, the track was lit for the first night race at a superspeedway.
The race did not disappoint, and on the final lap, it was a three-way battle for the win between Dale Earnhardt, Kyle Petty, and Davey Allison. Earnhardt and Petty touched in turn three on the last lap, sending Earnhardt into a spin. Allison roared on the bottom of the track out of turn four and nosed ahead of Petty at the finish line, but Allison was inadvertently spun into the wall.
Allison was taken to a local hospital after sustaining multiple injuries after the crash. Thankfully, Allison did not have to miss any races as a result of the crash. From there, the NASCAR All-Star Race became a staple of the NASCAR schedule, and it was here to stay.
This next race at North Wilkesboro could be a start of a new tradition. It is also a race that renews a traditional venue that was once on the schedule every year.
