So nice watching a race naturally develop, pure racing no gimmicks, stages or bullshit. Strategy, tire wear, fuel mileage all so much more important. Miss this a lot.
I can understand the stages as they help prevent the field from getting to spread out and they also prevent the race from having 100-150+ boring green flag runs but yea the rest of the gimmicks they try are bullshit
@@GeneWagner-wl7oddon’t you think it’s weird? No other racing series would dare to artificially alter a race. The outcry would’ve been heard around the world! NASCAR is the only series that’s not about racing anymore, but a made up concept of „entertainment“. Isn’t it a weird coincidence that popularity decreased after they started this stuff? (Let’s ignore Dale’s tragedy accident) NASCAR almost became something like wrestling. Pure show.
You could tell the difference guys like Craven, Benson, Blaney, etc that Kurt had fun racing with over Jimmy Spencer. Those guys had respect for each other over Spencer.
I remember being about 5 or 6 when this race happened. My dad and a bunch of his coworkers loved Nascar and made a bet on it every week. They would draw a number from a hat and whatever number they got was the starting position of the driver. My Dad got Ricky Cravens number and that was the only time that he won the bet. I've never seen that man jump as high as he did when they were coming to the finish!
I'd have to be the greatest in my opinion at least. Many great finishes, but no other one captures the feeling of hard-fought stock car racing like this one!
It was nice to see both Craven & Blaney have a great run! Both of those guys had a lot of bad luck! Back when NASCAR was an event! Thank God for TH-cam. I can relive the good ol days!
Funny story about this race, I was 12 when it happened and I was at my grandparents’ house for spring break. My aunt, uncle, and cousins were also over at their house and everyone was trying to get me to come outside but I just wanted to watch the race. My favorite drivers are/were Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte who were both involved in an early crash so they were non factors and Kurt Busch, who I couldn’t stand, led a good chunk of the race so I made a deal with my grandma that if Kurt Busch was still leading with 20 laps to go, I’d turn it off and come outside. Busch was still out front with 20 laps to go so I turned the race off and went outside with my family. Later that night, we were all sitting around in the living room watching the news and I remember the anchor saying “When we come back from break, your weather forecast for this week and more on the closest finish in NASCAR history” and I basically just sat there like 😐😑😤
I learned my lesson about never turning off a sporting event until it is over when Reggie Miller single-handedly murdered the entire Knicks franchise by scoring 8 points in the final 8 seconds to come from down 6 to win by 2. I almost, almost walked out of the room to refill my drink but at the last moment, I turned and looked back at the TV. Then the first 3 went in. Then he stole the ball and drained another. HFS! A John Starks choke job and two Miller FTs later and that was all she wrote. If there is even the tiniest chance a miracle can happen, you never leave any sporting event early.
Considering the build up to the race, the (at the time) last Southern 500 in the fall, the rumblings at the time of Darlington losing the date, this race saved the track's future in NASCAR. Thanks Ken Squier for ezplaining that on the year in review documentary
Wow...I was at this race! Sat right on the front stretch coming off turn 4. Remember seeing Kurt and Ricky banging doors and fenders to the finish line.....awesome race!
I hope anyone about to watch nascar for the first time just watches the last 60 laps of this race and they’ll understand why they’re going to enjoy this track. This is the best
Where I'm from, NASCAR is called V8 Supercars. I wanted to dip my feet into America's motorsport scene though, and it just so happens that this *was* the first NASCAR race I watched. If time really does fly by when you're having fun, then those three-and-a-half hours went very, very quickly.
I dont understand, why does everything seem so much better? The sounds, the colour schemes, the cars running so close to each other, drivers even seem like they have to actually drive or they'll wreck. Now? Now it seems so easy.
First of all THANK YOU to posting these races. These races are awesome to watch and the quality is good. Thank you, thank you, thank you. If you are looking for ideas to post, how about posting the videos from the 1998 50th Anniversary Celebration. The videos were Good Old Gods, Inherit the Win, Southern Exposure, Field and Towers and Sincerely Bill France. Those videos would be great for younger fans to appreciate what made NASCAR so great and give them a great understanding of the history of the sport.
I watched that race live as a young kid and I'll never forget it. I liked that Tide car because my Driver Ricky Rudd use to have that sponsor. Now a days Logano is my driver and he Just won today at Nashville. He risked running out of gas to get the W.
I've watched hundreds of NASCAR races over the years but there are only a handful that I can remember like it happened yesterday, where I was, what I was doing, in perfectly crystal clear detail. It's been over 20 years now but I still remember it as clear as day. I was living in Phoenix at the time and working at a sports bar called McDuffy's and they had some massive 12x12 projection screens on one side of the room. You wanna talk about watching on a big screen. This was before all the modern day fancy smart TVs. We're talking old school projectors hanging from the ceiling and no 4k super detailed screen could top that experience. There was a large crowd that day and the entire room exploded when Craven beat Busch to the line. Simply incredible. Top 5 all time finish in NASCAR history. All hail Ricky Craven. The fact that he had to run Busch down from so far back, caught him, passed him, then got passed back, only to get him at the last possible moment. Just an absolute masterpiece. Have you ever?! NO I'VE NEVER!!!!!!!!
Best NASCAR race i've ever seen ... it's Darlington, so they're sideways half the time ... i could rewatch this every year, plus DW w the driver take, just f'in awesome
This new car will either make or break that. Hopefully it can bring the racing product somewhat closer back to this. But I do have confidence that the Next Gen car will produce a great season this year!
@@brandoncastro6731 2022 had its ups and downs, but this season is shaping up to be one of the classics of nascar. At least 3 races that people have called one of the best races in nascar history. Even the short tracks have done pretty well as compared to what we saw last year.
i was playing NASCAR 2003 and mark martin qualified 2nd (i was 1st because its only 87% dificulity and i tune the CRAP out of my car) . always.... i pushed mark to his first win always liked mark.... seems like a chill dude
Because as we all know. Advertising *only ever* happens on cable... 🤡 online advertising? Nah, doesnt exist. TH-cam ads constantly? Nah not an advertisement. ONLY cable has advertisements 🤡🤡
Fun Fact: 9 drivers (10 when Jimmie's eligible) in this race, (Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jr, Bobby & Terry Labonte, Bill Elliott, Tony Stweart, Mark Martin, & Dale Jarrett), will be inducted into the Nascar Hall of Fame. Edit: Make that 10 drivers with Kenseth getting into the hall this year.
Also, back in the 90s ESPN used to do a cool thing during the week leading up to the race weekend where they would replay old races on ESPN Classic. I think that would be cool. For example, Pocono week you could show this Pocono race from 1985 and people could see how great the racing at Pocono used to be. th-cam.com/video/gkVEUeh8bzg/w-d-xo.html
Yes! My favorite win from my favorite driver. Also, that answer the question that nobody was asking : Will they upload races from the old calender or from the new one. That also mean they will probably upload the first Jeff Gordon win for Charlotte.
I feel like these old classic race replays were just for the pandemic lockdown. Each week they uploaded classic races from the tracks that were on the normal 2020 schedule for that weekend. Now that the season will be back, and with two races a week, I think they'll be ditching the classic uploads and go back to uploading each most recent race from Cup, Xfinity and Truck series.
@@Foxfire_forty-nine Probably. But they also said, answering my comment on their upload of the Busch Clan 1997, that they will be doing it all year. I think, as you said, that the 5 races a week was for the lockdown, but now, they will upload one race a week, like with 2003 Darlington and 1996 N. Wilkesboro. Of course, that could have change since their answer to my comment.
Yea this was a awesome race but NASCAR InCar was just as awesome I had 2 TV set up 1 for InCar and 1 for regular broadcast! Those were the days Go 8 go 15 Been a long time since I said that
Ok, I’m sick & tired of people acting like I’m complaining about things not in HD. Look, I know this wasn’t in HD, but do I care? No. What’s the one thing I care about the most? ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO! The original aspect ratio for this race was in 16:9. I know this because I own this race on DVD & I had no clue that there was a widescreen version of this race. Overall, I only prefer myself to watching things in the way they were intended to be broadcasted in. That’s what I care about, end of story.
I didn’t know NASCAR on FOX had a Beyond Racing segment during the races that specifically explain what Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart’s favorite hobbies and interests are.
LarryMac: "And both these cars are driving terrible right now, half a lap to go."
DW: "Naw, they're driving good!"
Nobody said that
Yes. Yes they did.
@@stormrigsng lol, I get it because his name is Mr. Nobody
Every single time I watch this finish and hear that exchange it makes me laugh every time lol, "NAW! naw they're drivin good!" lol.
lol
So nice watching a race naturally develop, pure racing no gimmicks, stages or bullshit. Strategy, tire wear, fuel mileage all so much more important. Miss this a lot.
I can understand the stages as they help prevent the field from getting to spread out and they also prevent the race from having 100-150+ boring green flag runs but yea the rest of the gimmicks they try are bullshit
@@GeneWagner-wl7oddon’t you think it’s weird?
No other racing series would dare to artificially alter a race.
The outcry would’ve been heard around the world!
NASCAR is the only series that’s not about racing anymore, but a made up concept of „entertainment“.
Isn’t it a weird coincidence that popularity decreased after they started this stuff?
(Let’s ignore Dale’s tragedy accident)
NASCAR almost became something like wrestling.
Pure show.
@@GeneWagner-wl7odyyyytyy7yyy88
still love the sport but 100% agree
@@rolux4853 nfl football is the same.
"It's gonna be a drag race!"
"WOW!"
"They touch! They touch!"
"CRAVEN GOT HIM!!!!"
NO I’VE NEVER
Chris Molyneaux your right about that
Uncle
Uncle
Uncle
Uncle
Uncle
Uncle
Uncle TT
Uncle
Uncle TT
Uncle TT
Uncle TT
No I've never
No i've never
Even tho Kurt lost you can tell how much fun he had
He just couldn't stop smiling. You don't see that kind of joy in Kyle Busch, when he loses for so much little. Despite having a hard fought racing.
Went straight to victory lane to congratulate Ricky👍 nobody ever talks about that stuff though
Kurt couldn't stop smiling
You could tell the difference guys like Craven, Benson, Blaney, etc that Kurt had fun racing with over Jimmy Spencer. Those guys had respect for each other over Spencer.
I like to say I'd rather battle for second to last than walk away with a win. Good racing should be enjoyable, Busch shows that
"Gatorade Victory Lane"
>giant bottle of Powerade on Craven's car
I prefer Gatorade
I only just noticed😂😂
"Presented by Michelin"
>Everybody racing on Goodyear tyres
Powerade no longer exists lol
@@badcornflakes6374 yeah it does
"They didn't even need seats in these grandstands Because nobody was sitting down!"
-Larry Mac
I was at that race on the front straight. The Carolina Dodge Dealers 400.
Larry Mac was right about that
I remember being about 5 or 6 when this race happened. My dad and a bunch of his coworkers loved Nascar and made a bet on it every week. They would draw a number from a hat and whatever number they got was the starting position of the driver. My Dad got Ricky Cravens number and that was the only time that he won the bet. I've never seen that man jump as high as he did when they were coming to the finish!
I was about the same age them were great times… nascar was huge then!!
I was 7 when this race happened
The greatest finish in NASCAR history.
I say top 5 not greatest ever
I'd have to be the greatest in my opinion at least. Many great finishes, but no other one captures the feeling of hard-fought stock car racing like this one!
KY Gamez Racing DIARRHEAAAAAAAAAAA
It’s still to this day the closest finish in NASCAR history
Yes
It was nice to see both Craven & Blaney have a great run!
Both of those guys had a lot of bad luck!
Back when NASCAR was an event!
Thank God for TH-cam. I can relive the good ol days!
Funny story about this race, I was 12 when it happened and I was at my grandparents’ house for spring break. My aunt, uncle, and cousins were also over at their house and everyone was trying to get me to come outside but I just wanted to watch the race. My favorite drivers are/were Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte who were both involved in an early crash so they were non factors and Kurt Busch, who I couldn’t stand, led a good chunk of the race so I made a deal with my grandma that if Kurt Busch was still leading with 20 laps to go, I’d turn it off and come outside. Busch was still out front with 20 laps to go so I turned the race off and went outside with my family. Later that night, we were all sitting around in the living room watching the news and I remember the anchor saying “When we come back from break, your weather forecast for this week and more on the closest finish in NASCAR history” and I basically just sat there like 😐😑😤
Gordon was in the lead with 20 to go.
kurt busch only led 23 laps
@@chad2831 for real this story doesn’t really add up lol
This story dosen't add up
I learned my lesson about never turning off a sporting event until it is over when Reggie Miller single-handedly murdered the entire Knicks franchise by scoring 8 points in the final 8 seconds to come from down 6 to win by 2. I almost, almost walked out of the room to refill my drink but at the last moment, I turned and looked back at the TV. Then the first 3 went in. Then he stole the ball and drained another. HFS! A John Starks choke job and two Miller FTs later and that was all she wrote. If there is even the tiniest chance a miracle can happen, you never leave any sporting event early.
Considering the build up to the race, the (at the time) last Southern 500 in the fall, the rumblings at the time of Darlington losing the date, this race saved the track's future in NASCAR. Thanks Ken Squier for ezplaining that on the year in review documentary
Timeless. Classic. 😉
Wow.
It's really you.
I'm 28. This happen when I was a kid. Considered a classic????
👀
You should sponsor more full time drivers
@@ChickenNuggggy it's a classic because it ain't ever gonna be forgotten. The finish felt like something out of a movie lol
I remember being 10 years old watching this race, absolute classic. Courage.
Same
I don’t think anyone expected Darlington to stay on the schedule until this race ended.
I agree
I'm glad Darlington and Martinsville are still on the calendar.I truly love the old school tracks and the cool throwback paint color s. Way to cool❤
Wow...I was at this race! Sat right on the front stretch coming off turn 4. Remember seeing Kurt and Ricky banging doors and fenders to the finish line.....awesome race!
That's awesome you were at this race
Love that Tide Ride no matter who's in it.
me to
I hope anyone about to watch nascar for the first time just watches the last 60 laps of this race and they’ll understand why they’re going to enjoy this track. This is the best
Where I'm from, NASCAR is called V8 Supercars. I wanted to dip my feet into America's motorsport scene though, and it just so happens that this *was* the first NASCAR race I watched.
If time really does fly by when you're having fun, then those three-and-a-half hours went very, very quickly.
Do any of you wish Pontiac was still around today?
One of their worst decisions ever!!! Bring it back!
Studebaker and Pontiac are the two American brands I want back the most.
Nope
From the Judge to the Trans Am WS6 Ram Air, Pontiacs were awesome!
Of Course! The 1964 Pontiac GTO was the very first Muscle Car and it started the Muscle Car Craze!
The race that saved Darlington
This was the greatest finishes in NASCAR history and it’s in the top5
your right
2007&2016 Daytona 500 were close too
**Overwhelming Nostalgia.**
Pontiac’s last win
You sure on that wasn't Tony Stewart driving one at the time
JGR changed from Pontiac after the 2002 season. Tony never raced a Pontiac again in NASCAR.
Greatest nascar race ever!!! The true mountain top peak of the sport
I agree with you
DW's commentary at the end of this race was so good haha he called it!
I agree
the fact that craven won because the pontiac's nose is a little longer is wild
this is one race that will NEVER get old
I dont understand, why does everything seem so much better? The sounds, the colour schemes, the cars running so close to each other, drivers even seem like they have to actually drive or they'll wreck. Now? Now it seems so easy.
The tide was my favorite car since I was a little kid. I love when they run one these days
First of all THANK YOU to posting these races. These races are awesome to watch and the quality is good. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
If you are looking for ideas to post, how about posting the videos from the 1998 50th Anniversary Celebration. The videos were Good Old Gods, Inherit the Win, Southern Exposure, Field and Towers and Sincerely Bill France.
Those videos would be great for younger fans to appreciate what made NASCAR so great and give them a great understanding of the history of the sport.
Its crazy to me that if it had not been for this race Darlington more likely than not would have been off the schedule
I watched that race live as a young kid and I'll never forget it. I liked that Tide car because my Driver Ricky Rudd use to have that sponsor. Now a days Logano is my driver and he Just won today at Nashville. He risked running out of gas to get the W.
I watched this live …it still is the Best finish I EVER SAW!
Fantastic race. I remember this like it was yesterday
This one never gets old
Still the best finish in history. Probably will always be. Love this so much!
Thank you for posting this I have wanted to watch this race for a while now but I couldn’t find it until now
I remember watching this when I was 8 with my dad. This is the race that made me a Nascar fan cheering for Craven being from Maine.
I've watched hundreds of NASCAR races over the years but there are only a handful that I can remember like it happened yesterday, where I was, what I was doing, in perfectly crystal clear detail. It's been over 20 years now but I still remember it as clear as day. I was living in Phoenix at the time and working at a sports bar called McDuffy's and they had some massive 12x12 projection screens on one side of the room. You wanna talk about watching on a big screen. This was before all the modern day fancy smart TVs. We're talking old school projectors hanging from the ceiling and no 4k super detailed screen could top that experience. There was a large crowd that day and the entire room exploded when Craven beat Busch to the line. Simply incredible. Top 5 all time finish in NASCAR history. All hail Ricky Craven. The fact that he had to run Busch down from so far back, caught him, passed him, then got passed back, only to get him at the last possible moment. Just an absolute masterpiece.
Have you ever?! NO I'VE NEVER!!!!!!!!
What a drag race 🏁finish between Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven 👏
Ok NASCAR, now upload the Busch race from the next day that had an even wilder finish between Todd Bodine and Jamie McMurray
i like how neither driver complained about the contact and respected each other at the end
I miss Waltrip’s commentary SO much! His happy voice made the races fun and exciting.
Boogity boogity boogity!
Let’s go racin’ !🤣🤣🤣
DW's commentary is the best.
2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
Location: Darlington, South Carolina
Track: Darlington Raceway
Type of race track: Speedway
Starting cars: 43
Finishing cars: 38
Laps: 293
Cautions: 7
Pole Winner: Elliott Sadler (38)
Most laps led: Dale Earnhardt Jr. (8) (91 laps led)
Race Winner: Ricky Craven (32)
I miss Dodge Intrepid and Pontiac Grand Prix
FINALLY, THE FULL RACE.
3:15:38 That laugh..
Sounds like a crow to me XD
@@tomandjerrydatwoofanboy06 Yep, agreed 👍😂
Thanks NASCAR for the upload.
Way to win a race without dumping a racer, he easily coulda wrecked him, but chose to beat him pedal to the metal! AWESOME!!
Great race. Thanks for showing it.
3:15:19 Craven gotem
51:48 volume up omg 😂😂😂
Possibly the best NASCAR race ever. NASCAR, more of these archive races for us broke shut-ins, please! :)
one of the greatest finishes in Nascar history and a great win Ricky Craven got over Kurt Busch and a fantastic photo finish
Three words to describe this race: what, a, race!
Best NASCAR race i've ever seen ... it's Darlington, so they're sideways half the time ... i could rewatch this every year, plus DW w the driver take, just f'in awesome
This is what this sport is all about watched this race from start to finish and enjoyed every minute
3:10:08 in 2022: CAUTION! Gordon moving slowly and or driver scraped a wall. Yellow! Negating one of the best finishes ever
Couldn´t stream a better race now that NASCAR is back baby!
This. THIS is why I love NASCAR.
I miss great racing like this. I hope we can get the sport back on the right track before it fades into nothingness.
This new car will either make or break that. Hopefully it can bring the racing product somewhat closer back to this. But I do have confidence that the Next Gen car will produce a great season this year!
@@brandoncastro6731 2022 had its ups and downs, but this season is shaping up to be one of the classics of nascar. At least 3 races that people have called one of the best races in nascar history. Even the short tracks have done pretty well as compared to what we saw last year.
Incredible victory lane interview
*YES* THE RACE, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND
Lol
The first NASCAR race I ever watched. If this didn't get you hooked at 5 years old like me, nothing would've.
i was playing NASCAR 2003 and mark martin qualified 2nd (i was 1st because its only 87% dificulity and i tune the CRAP out of my car)
.
always.... i pushed mark to his first win
always liked mark.... seems like a chill dude
Greatest finish ever.
Also R.I.P. John Andretti.
One of the greatest finishes ever. One of the best races of Ricky Craven’s career. One of the best races of Dave Blaney’s career.
Absolutely insane how few awfully timed ad breaks there are. I cant wait for cable to die
There will always be ad breaks because someone needs to advertise. Cable or not.
Because as we all know. Advertising *only ever* happens on cable... 🤡 online advertising? Nah, doesnt exist. TH-cam ads constantly? Nah not an advertisement. ONLY cable has advertisements 🤡🤡
CRAVEN GOT EEM
ALRIGHT! WHAT A FINISH!
HAVE YOU EVER?
What a finishes
This was the closest Blaney has ever came to winning a Cup race right?
Sadly yes. He should have won Atlanta a few years earlier but a loose wheel ended that
@@lightningracing19 If they hadn't restarted the 2012 Daytona 500 after JPM's Jet Drier crash, he would've won it since he was the leader at the time.
Still the best NASCAR finish of All-Time.
It was beat today
Wow
2:19:42 this crank it up to me was pretty satisfying
I thought Kurt Busch won that race. It was crazy!🏎
DW: "Let's see if we can get Sterling Marlin to talk to us"
Me: Don't Do that! That's rude!
I love this NASCAR opening theme!
20 years ago today!
Have you ever?
No I’ve never
DW: "It's like going to the fair doing bumper cars"
XD
Fun Fact: 9 drivers (10 when Jimmie's eligible) in this race, (Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Dale Jr, Bobby & Terry Labonte, Bill Elliott, Tony Stweart, Mark Martin, & Dale Jarrett), will be inducted into the Nascar Hall of Fame.
Edit: Make that 10 drivers with Kenseth getting into the hall this year.
Well now this finish has just been dethroned after that Kansas finish.
3:15:19 THEY TOUCH! THEY TOUCH!
Crazy finish for 32 and 97
This was peak NASCAR
2:19:38 How many people love this restart?
Hey NASCAR with the Coke 600 coming up this week it would be awesome if you uploaded the 1994 & 2005 Coca-Cola 600’s those are absolute classics!
That Michael Waltrip in car camera was spot on
Also, back in the 90s ESPN used to do a cool thing during the week leading up to the race weekend where they would replay old races on ESPN Classic. I think that would be cool. For example, Pocono week you could show this Pocono race from 1985 and people could see how great the racing at Pocono used to be. th-cam.com/video/gkVEUeh8bzg/w-d-xo.html
I remember ESPN doing that and your right, it was VERYcool.
The greatest sports moment in New England history that doesn't involve Tom Brady
Yes! My favorite win from my favorite driver.
Also, that answer the question that nobody was asking : Will they upload races from the old calender or from the new one.
That also mean they will probably upload the first Jeff Gordon win for Charlotte.
I feel like these old classic race replays were just for the pandemic lockdown. Each week they uploaded classic races from the tracks that were on the normal 2020 schedule for that weekend. Now that the season will be back, and with two races a week, I think they'll be ditching the classic uploads and go back to uploading each most recent race from Cup, Xfinity and Truck series.
@@Foxfire_forty-nine Probably. But they also said, answering my comment on their upload of the Busch Clan 1997, that they will be doing it all year.
I think, as you said, that the 5 races a week was for the lockdown, but now, they will upload one race a week, like with 2003 Darlington and 1996 N. Wilkesboro.
Of course, that could have change since their answer to my comment.
Yea this was a awesome race but NASCAR InCar was just as awesome I had 2 TV set up 1 for InCar and 1 for regular broadcast!
Those were the days
Go 8 go 15
Been a long time since I said that
Back when Darlington had more of an attitude!
Oh yes, I've been waiting for this!
I’m so glad nascar is back!
1:23:54
My favorite driver was the polesitter!!
Ok, I’m sick & tired of people acting like I’m complaining about things not in HD. Look, I know this wasn’t in HD, but do I care? No. What’s the one thing I care about the most? ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO! The original aspect ratio for this race was in 16:9. I know this because I own this race on DVD & I had no clue that there was a widescreen version of this race. Overall, I only prefer myself to watching things in the way they were intended to be broadcasted in. That’s what I care about, end of story.
well this finish is now the 2nd closest finish
“People hitting the wall, the most famous wall this side of China.” That is an amazing joke.
I didn’t know NASCAR on FOX had a Beyond Racing segment during the races that specifically explain what Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart’s favorite hobbies and interests are.
Love these races...