NASCAR winner- Daytona

bilbo@work

All-SEC
Dec 9, 1999
1,494
0
0
atlanta, ga
Yes folks, it's the return of the "pick the NASCAR winner for the week" contest. Just submit your pick in a reply and let's see if you can correctly pick the winner! Last year I believe I got 2 right...for Daytona I'm gonna go with the dark horse and say Johnny Benson.

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"Despite all the hardship and distractions, Dennis Franchione appears to have Alabama heading in the right direction on all sides of the ledger -- including style and class."-Paul Finebaum
 
well Bill you know me i ve got to go with Dale Earnhardt Jr


David D.

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My roots are in Alabama's sod ~ I'm Southern by the grace of God ~ BEAR BRYANT taught me the meaning of PRIDE ~ My PLEDGE of ALLEGIANCE is ROLL TIDE!!
 
Little E is my heart's choice but I think this Daytona 500 will be the boring everybody-line-up-single-file kind of race like the 2000 race. If you rememeber that race, Benson had the lead in an unsponsored car late in the race until the Ford freight train derailed him. Don't think that will happen to Johnny this time as he has a great sponsor and a great crew....

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"Despite all the hardship and distractions, Dennis Franchione appears to have Alabama heading in the right direction on all sides of the ledger -- including style and class."-Paul Finebaum
 
Thanks bilbo for the invite and e-mail. I use to lurk over here on the pro-sports board until Earnhardt died. After that, my heart just wasn't into racing. Slowly, buy surely, I'm getting back into it pulling for Jr. or any of the DEI guys and with Harvick.
I don't think I'll ever get soooo close to another driver like I was with Earnhardt, though. Heck, I'm still collecting his stuff left and right. Can't believe he's been gone almost a year and I still feel a void in me that just doesn't seem to be filled by the other drivers just yet.
We use to go to Talladega. Went twice a year for 10 years, then to the spring race for the last 5--not counting last year. We use to hold a block of 33 race tickets in the O.V. Hill North Tower where all our friends sat. Then, we discovered Rockingham, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Bristol. So, we'd go to Talladega in the spring and to one of the others in the fall. We went up into the mountains last year and drove right past Charlotte on race weekend. Just wasn't ready to face the races at that time. Anyway, I'm hoping we'll get back into the groove more and more this year.

As for my pick for the Daytona, it'll have to be Jr. or one of the DEI guys. Wouldn't mind seeing Harvick win, but I personally would love to see Jr. win one (another one) for his dad at a place that is sure to hold a lot of painful memories for him this year. I know it'll be tough on me watching the Daytona 500 knowing the "last lap" is coming.
 
Oh, forgot--even though we still hold 10 tickets, we're just not ready to go back. They've already been sold to friends who have drivers still living.
frown.gif
 
Is Dale really dead??? Well, I'll go with Dale Jr.

BamaJ

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"It ain't the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog."

http://www.xtremebama.homestead.com
 
Man, I'm glad its that time of the year again....

As far as a winner for Daytona, I think any driver from DEI or Hendrick's Stable has a chance to win. Of course, you have the Dodge boys in the mix too.

Here's my picks...

1. Kenny Wallace
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Bobby Labonte
4. Bill Elliott
5. Dale Jarrett

Hopefully, its a good race with a lot of passing and racing for the lead.
 
My pick for the Daytona 500 would be the reigning WC Champ, Jeff Gordon, but I wouldn't mind Dale, Jr winning. I thought Jr, winning the Pepsi 400 was the greatest tribute to his great father.

Bamanet, I wasn't an Earnhardt fan until he died. You never know about the greatness of a human being until something happens to him. I wish I had known what kind of man Dale Earnhardt was before that ill fated last lap. For a year, I had three pictures of Dale up on my wall, one with Teresa, one at driver intro at last year's Bud Shootout, and one with Taylor when she was a little girl. I bought memorabilia up the wazzoo as a lasting tribute, not as a vulture. We in the NASCAR family shared the pain the Earnhardts and his fans went through. When I go to my first race, I will be wearing a Dale shirt, in honor of his greatness!!

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My home's in Alabama,
No matter where I lay my head!!

....Alabama

RTR4LIfe!!
 
I was always a big Earnhardt fan and will always be.
After the accident, I haven't watched another race and NASCAR just doesn't "DO" anything for me anymore.

I didn't even know Gordon won last years WC....pretty sad if you knew me before.

Anyway, I'll go with Bobby Labonte or Tony Stewart.
 
Understand the feelings of lost tremendously. I hate to admit it, but the loss was so great to me, I decided to retire from teaching. After 28 years in teaching, I had trouble finding the love of it that I use to have. It was probably the first week in March after Earnhardt died that I realized it was time to go. My classroom was always decorated with Bama posters on one wall and Earnhardt stuff on another. I guess after a dismal year of seeing my beloved Bama fall to 3-8 and then having Earnhardt's death to deal with, I just realized it was time to let someone with newer and fresher ideas take over.
I can hardly believe that it's been almost a year and yet the pain is still there. I have a 9 foot wall of glass shelves in my kitchen/dinette area filled with memorabilia to Earnhardt so I see and think of him every day. (All other spaces in this area are dedicated to Bama). I watched the last 10 laps when Kevin Harvick won his 3rd race, the Pepsi 400 at Daytona where Jr. won, and maybe one or two others--but, it just wasn't the same. I get a bigger kick out of watching the old races on ESPN classics where I get to see the old black #3 racing. Did you all see the one the other night? There was Alan Kulwicki, Davey Allison, Neil Bonnett, and Earnhardt racing. All gone!! And such a terrible loss. But, thanks to these old films, we'll forever get to enjoy some kinds of racing--even if they're gone.
Take care my racing buddies and may God protect all those drivers who risk their lives every time they get into a car.
 
I asked a friend of mine who would win and he said , " Gordon or Harvick ", " You heard it here first ".
So I guess we ' ll put his vote into the pot !
 
I grew up in Chicago and went to school at Bama . In all the years I was at school , I was never into NASCAR . Then my buddy from Chicago who I ' ve known since I was 4 called me one day and said " Man , I can ' t believe you live that close to Talladega and you ' ve never gone !" Needless to say , he ' s a big NASCAR fan . ( even us Yankees like our racin ) So , he continued to bug me until I finally gave in and we went to the Spring race in 1997 . It rained for 3 days straight and we never got to see a full race . Saw qualifying on Thursday and that ' s about it . BUT , I was hooked . And considering my buddy was a HUGE Earnhardt fan , I decided he would be my driver too . For the next 4 years , I proudly wore my Earnhardt gear and am proud to say I saw him win 4 times .

I preface with that because February 18th , 2001 will be a day I will never forget - much like Spetember 11th . I remember I had a Daytona party at my house ( will have another one this Sunday ) and as Fox cut away my friend said " The only time an ambulance goes that slow is when the person is dead ." Now , she is not a racing fan and I was ****ed as hell at her but unfortunately it turned out ture . I remember sitting at the bar of my favorite sports bar near my house and there was not a dry eye in the place . Quiet too .

For about a week , I was a walking zombie . People at work knew I was a big race fan and just kinda left me alone . It wasn ' t until that weekend ' s race at Rockingham that the fog started to lift . I , Like the drivers , realized that life must go on . Dale would have wanted it that way . Still , not seeing that black # 3 almost brought me to tears again . And when Jr crashed on the 1st lap , my heart just about broke again . BUT , Steve Park winning really showed that Dale was watching his boys that day .

Fast forward 2 races to Atlanta . I was there . That ' s where they started the 3 finger , third lap salute . Harvick ' s win brought me almost fully back . I realized that even though Dale was gone and will never be forgotten , there were other drivers out there who I could root for and they would do Dale proud .

Jr ' s win at Daytona brought me fully back and then seeing him in person win at Talladega in the fall cemented the fact that he and Harvick were going to be " my boys " Since then , I have had closure on Dale ' s death and I look forward to this year ' s season to finally put his death behind me ( but NEVER forget ) and get on with life .

Sorry for the long rant but that was therapudic .....

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"Despite all the hardship and distractions, Dennis Franchione appears to have Alabama heading in the right direction on all sides of the ledger -- including style and class."-Paul Finebaum
 
Hey Bilbo , I ' m going with an even darker horse .... Hut Stricklin !! It ' s time we start another Alabama Gang . If not Hut , then I predict Sterling Marlin to win .
 
[ QUOTE ] Originally posted by Buff :
[ B ] I ' m going with an even darker horse .... Hut Stricklin !! It ' s time we start another Alabama Gang . [/ B ][/ QUOTE ]

Actually , I bet you knew that Hut Stricklin was a second - generation Alabama Gang by marriage ( to Donnie Allison ' s daughter ). That would be good , although I still miss Davey !!




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My home's in Alabama,
No matter where I lay my head!!

....Alabama

RTR4LIfe!!
 
I ' ve always cheered for Hut because next to Steve Grissom he ' s the only Bama boy to do ANYTHING in the past 5 or so years . I , unfortunately , didn ' t get into the sport to see Davey Allison in person but you damn sure know I would have !!!! I got Bobby ' s autograph last year at Talladega and he was a very nice gentleman . Tina Gordon ( no relation ) may just be the next generation of the " Alabama Gang " and wouldn ' t that just be a hoot ! I proudly fly my Bama flag at Talladega and I ' m not the only one ....

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"Despite all the hardship and distractions, Dennis Franchione appears to have Alabama heading in the right direction on all sides of the ledger -- including style and class."-Paul Finebaum
 
As February 18th draws nearer , it really helps for us Earnhardt fans to be able to share our memories and talk about him . I just started reading " A Pass In the Grass " and it has a CD included with it . But , the CD that I really love is one that a friend burned for me from tributes to Earnhardt that she downloaded off the net . Mannn , you talk about a tear - jerker .

bilbo -- I was at that race in ' 97 when it rained sooo hard . We trudged right on in to our seats and stood underneath the bleachers and in the bathrooms . We started partying in the girls bathroom up in the tower -- men and women !! We had a good time even though we were wet and cold as the dickens . When it was announced that the race would be postponed til the next day , we drove into B ' ham so we could go back the next day . We only lived about 3 hours from Talladega , but decided to make a run to B ' ham instead of going back home and then going back the next day . We ALWAYS took a change of clothes with us -- a lesson learned many years ago from a previous experience . Driving 3 hours back home in wet clothes was a once in a lifetime - don ' t want to ever do it again -- experience . LOL !!

Isn ' t it funny how people respond to you when you tell them you ' ve been to Talladega ?
I ' ve been all over and run into racing fans who ask me outright if I ' d ever been to Talladega when they find out I was a racing fan . BEEN THERE ?? I thought I half owned it for about 15 years . LOL !! It ' s amazing that they say that is the ONE place they dream of going . I look at them like , WHY ?? After going to Talladega , then go and visit other tracks like Bristol , Atlanta , Charlotte , and Rockingham . I ' d definitely advise them to go to Charlotte or Rockingham -- though , Rockingham will always be my favorite . It ' s small enough that every seat is a good seat ( I think ) and large enough that the speeds are great .

I ' ll probably watch the race Sunday , or listen to it while I ' m playing on the computer -- well , more like lurking around here . And , I ' ll be pulling for the DEI guys and Harvick .
 
I look for Gordon to come out on fire and make a statement that he is ready to win the WC again . Big race coming up . Last year was kind of a wierd season because of everything . This year is going to be different and its gonna start with this race . Gordon pulls it out over Jr . Roll Tide
 
No bamdevo , i was talkin about the Daytona 500 . I posted this way early to give everyone a chance to respond and know we ' ll do this every week before the race .

Bamanet - maybe it ' s because it was the 1st track I went to or the fact that Earnhardt OWNED Talladega , but I love that track . I have been to Daytona , Charlotte , Chicago , and Atlanta . Bristol is next . I have to say Daytona was a bit boring for me , Charlotte is a fantastic track and they really know how to treat the fans , Chicago had good seat views and that ' s about it , and Atlanta has great finishes but the worst traffic and weather . Being a " party person " I guess I just like the atmosphere of the Talladega infield not to mention the sound / feeling one gets when those babies come by you at 190 + mph !!!!!!!! Let ' s go NASCAR racin !!!!!!


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"Despite all the hardship and distractions, Dennis Franchione appears to have Alabama heading in the right direction on all sides of the ledger -- including style and class."-Paul Finebaum
 
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