2001 EA Sports 500 Wild Finish

The last 10 laps of the crazy 2001 EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Captured by myself.

[@dandeinlove]

Man the sound of those engine back then...incredible

[@bluetaurus6]

Something I didn't know until recently was that the older exhaust systems is what gave the engines this high pitched roar at the plate races during this era.

[@davo92345]

Oooooohhh I miss it!!!! Epic!

[@michaellangley6620]

80s and 90s they had a much deeper roar. Sound louder and closer to a harley.

[@tamezzodiac2862]

Michael Langley 1998 was the first time they were high pitch.

[@MRNASCARFAN25]

I tell you any real nascar fans want this plate package back and the cars and the exhaust system

[@hunternixonfishing2500]

best plate package in NASCAR history

[@bandaaventureroyloco]

Hunter Nixon even the engine sounds better..

[@tssmoke1488]

they could easily bring this back with the package they have now. just add the 2 inch wicker bill across the top of the car. i miss this type of racing at the plate tracks. now its so incredibly hard to pass they all just run in a single file.

[@TheMW2informer]

2 car tandem was a bit more exciting how much 2 cars could pull away.

[@tssmoke1488]

@@TheMW2informer i disagree. Just my personal opinion but i really hated the 2 car tandem stuff

[@TheMW2informer]

Casey Metzger this is definitely one of the top 3 plate packages but it did have that annoying single file line sometimes.

[@alivewithpassion]

RIP Benny Parsons, one of the best NASCAR announcers ever!

[@jerryhopper1685]

AliveWithPassion ,,, And Benny was a great Stock Car Racer to

[@darylgibbs8834]

AliveWithPassion hell yeah

[@JJA1987]

Miss hearing BP.

[@donyelletaber6555]

Yeah And RIP Bobby Hamliton As Well

[@Jardbig]

I really wish that the cars today could always sound like that. This is what I grew up with, and I miss it dearly.

[@jaredthompson5829]

thank the rule change to electronic fuel injection (EFI)

[@kbaker3959]

Jared Thompson No the cars at the plate tracks had the exhaust comin out both sides

[@curtisbaldwin2461]

I couldn't agree more. I miss these type of cars and packages.

[@MRNASCARFAN25]

Same here

[@ronaldshank7589]

The next thing ya know, NASCAR will be running those electric cars out on the ole racetrack! NASCAR is so far removed from what it used to be, that I don't much watch it anymore.

[@nastyasszeus]

Jr honestly really drove like his dad right here

[@JJA1987]

nastyasszeus When it comes too Dega & Daytona he’s right up with his Dad

[@carnationvideos4258]

Dega and Daytona is where them Earnhardt boys shines brightest

[@darrenplamo804]

i hate that ge dale didn't win a championship

[@MRNASCARFAN25]

Jr had a few good years on plate tracks but he really gave up after 05 season he never was the same if anyone up with Dale its Jeff Gordon

[@JJA1987]

False Its Junior who's up there with The Intimidator

[@kevinwolfenden6616]

The moves jr made at Daytona and Talladega when the cars were like this were amazing. God I miss this type of racing!

[@smc4600]

Kevin Wolfenden yes but in 04 his reign ended and the Jeff was the dominant driver at Dega. won 05. Should have won 06. And swept Dega in 07. Since JR and Jeff have been strong but not like it used to be. Too bad Jeff is retired. At least Jr is still racing.

[@rhys3089]

@@smc4600 this aged well

[@cookie1749]

*"Contact! Bobby Labonte's over! It's the big wreck on the final lap!!!! They're racing back for the win"* -Allen Bestwick. 2001 I miss Allen, I wish he came back on NBC's coverage.

[@jahy0un9_jah3]

me too

[@Jmeon4eva]

him and Benny made NBC/TNT coverage compete and made FOX have to work even harder. Now FOX I'd the best, NBC sucks now, especially Kyle Petty

[@Trainlover1995]

FOX and NBC, I'd say, are about equal these days.

[@DerrickRG]

Racing back for the win. They way it should be at large tracks with plenty of time for the leaders to slow down after crossing the finish line.

[@zwards1288]

me too. I had loved TNT & ESPN coverage.I miss them

[@dlwile33]

Gotta give Jr some credit here, looked like his old man during the end of this race.

[@JJA1987]

He's nearly just as good as his dad was at these tracks.

[@nascarfanatic2425]

If it wasn't for Dale Sr.'s death, and 9/11, the 2001 Winston Cup Series season would've been one of the best seasons of all time. There were some pretty spectacular moments over the course of 2001. Kevin Harvick's photo-finish first win, one of the greatest caution-free races, Dale Jr.'s first win at Daytona, Steve Park's only oval-track win, and the debut of both Chicagoland and Kansas all came in 2001. This finish, as well, was also from 2001. (Obviously)

[@timr387]

+nascarfanatic2425 Sadly a lot of that wouldn't have happened if it hadn't have been for Earnhardt's death. Mainly Harvick's first win, but had Earnhardt have participated in the other 35 races, then he effects all of those races and they could have all had different outcomes. Sadly, even with a great season like 2001 that showed that NASCAR could still grow and be great without one of it's greatest drivers, just 5 or so years later they started changing everything up. What could have been...

[@nascarfanatic2425]

+timr387 True. The fall of NASCAR has been blamed on Dale Earnhardt's death. People said the sport died w/ him. Newsflash to those people: It didn't. 2001-2003 had very competitive, hard racing. It was just proving that it could get better and better until Brian France took over as CEO.

[@cjmischel4010]

I honestly believe 2001 was one of the best years NASCAR had. Look at the dramatic finishes it had.

[@jesuschristislord6790]

@@nascarfanatic2425 the fall of nascar wasnt earnhardts death, the sport was bigger than one man. The fall of nascar was the playoffs.

[@nascarfanatic2425]

@@jesuschristislord6790 I completely agree. However, even though Dale's death wasn't the death of NASCAR, it did overshadow all of the exciting moments of the 2001 season.

[@OriginalAnonymous1]

The new NASCAR will NEVER top the Winston Cup Series. I loved it back when the drivers could fight it out on the track and they were allowed to race back to the caution flag. Dale Earnhardt Sr. said it best when he was asked what he thought about restrictor plate racing and stated "Take the restrictor plates off and let us fight it out"

[@robertanderson2898]

I'd love to see all the seasons from when the "Chase" started, calculated under the old points system and see who the real champions were, if that's possible. I think it would be, might be a long and tedious nightmare, but doable.....!

[@jrfan07]

Robert Anderson all those calculations are on jayski :)

[@thattruckerwes8072]

***** Take the restrictor plates off and the cars would go 230-240mph. Then the cars would go into the grandstands every time they turn backwards. Just no. 200mph is fast enough.

[@fcknfckers]

Robert Anderson Old Points System Champions: 2004: Jeff Gordon 2005: Tony Stewart 2006: Jimmie Johnson 2007: Jeff Gordon 2008: Carl Edwards 2009: Jimmie Johnson 2010: Kevin Harvick 2011: Carl Edwards 2012: Brad Keselowski 2013: Matt Kenseth 2014: Jeff Gordon

[@robertanderson2898]

fcknfckers Heh, Jimmie Johnson still would have won in '06 and '09.... Gordon would have 7 Championships, wow.

[@alman666]

Goosebumps at 7:47. That roar of the crowd is just electrifying. Man, I miss these cars.

[@cctitansfan]

The sounds of those engines are just lovely.

[@randymiller3949]

My dad & I were at this race. We were both HUGE Earnhardt fans...his death was a HUGE impact to us in 2001. After Earnhardt's death my dad became a HUGE Michael Waltrip fan & I became a HUGE Earnhardt Jr fan. Watching Jr win this race was so special to my dad & l...we talked about how much fun we had & what a Talledega race & experience meant to me & him all the way back to Mobile Alabama. IT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEMORIES & TIMES I EVER HAD WITH MY DAD!!! I sure do miss my dad now...I still think about this race & I have to just cry & smile...THERE AIN'T NOTHING LIKE A FATHER/SON RELATIONSHIP & MEMORIES!!! Much love from Mobile Alabama.

[@scottschwenzjr.6285]

I wish they still sounded like this

[@Alex-eh5wr]

+Scott Schwenz, Jr. a big crash with no caution? that's rare.

[@arad_austin]

+Alex98 Well these were the rules before the 2004 Nextel season , race back to the line. The field did not freeze at the moment of caution.

[@Alex-eh5wr]

CookieCrumbler D the 2001 ea sports 500 finished under green, despite labonte flip and the big one.

[@chasefan9361]

There was a caution but back then they would race back to the line and not finish wherever they were at the moment of caution.

[@heathmcconnell3901]

Look carefully at the 7:42 minute mark. They did bring out the caution. However, prior to the fall 2003 Dover race, they used to do what was known as "racing back to the line". That meant that a driver was deemed to "take the caution" at the start/finish line and could still race for position prior to coming to the start/finish line. Look up the finish for the 1998 Daytona 500 or 1998 Brickyard 400 if you want an example.

[@justinknust2395]

I watched this live when I was 8 years old, and I can re-watch it 100 times over and it will give me goosebumps every time. NASCAR just doesn't do that anymore.

[@speedtwitch]

It still has it's moments

[@ronaldshank7589]

NASCAR is dying...kinda like Wrestling. It needs to go back to the good old days! The next thing ya know, the cars will be those electric-powered cars. No real guts-Just flash. If Dale Earnhardt, Sr., could come back from the dead, he'd crawl right outta his grave, walk into the NASCAR Office, and he'd start puttin' his boots right upside their backsides! He gave his life for this Sport! So did many others, that drove for NASCAR! Fireball Roberts, Don McTavish, Neil Bonnet, Tiny Lund, Russell Phillips, Tony Roper, and so many more NASCAR Drivers, that died doing what they loved to do, would be rollin' over in their graves, if they knew just how tame that NASCAR is nowadays!!!

[@MrBigShot110]

@@ronaldshank7589 It’s not necessarily about the safety aspect, more so about the transition away from combustion engines. I think that’ll be the death of nascar at the end of the day. That, plus stage racing and the “playoffs”/chase both suck in my opinion

[@ronaldshank7589]

@@MrBigShot110 Nowadays, NASCAR wouldn't know a good thing, if it came runnin' up to 'em, and screamed "Here I am"!!!

[@dylanhills3244]

Can't believe that this was 20 years ago today.

[@moose030406]

Love this sound

[@TheSpiderTre]

back when they actually raced til the end rather than ride single file until the final corner

[@tommythetreat000]

Notice how the stands are packed to capacity. You rarely see that these days with alot of grandstands being tarped off or taken down entirely.

[@canuckster24]

Because the sport was fine in the late 90s when it started going mainstream. NASCAR caved to the vocal minority, gave them what they "wanted", the vocal minority disappeared shortly after and the long time loyal fans became apathetic. Doesn't help either that it's hard to tell who's car is who's these days.

[@RippingItAllSportsCards]

Well, when you watch this and you watch the 2017 Spring race at Talladega... is there really that big of a difference in the racing? Fans are stuck in the past, they think this race was great (which it was), but so was the 2017 Spring race.

[@LancasterResponding]

I still blame the fact Jimmy Johnson winning all those championships in a row for part of the loss of popularity. It stopped being fun to cheer for your favorite driver all year only to see one guy win it all year after year after year. That’s sort of when I stopped tuning in. Same thing happened to the NFL especially for fans in the AFc East, why bother cheering for a team when you know the Pats are gonna win.

[@charliesmith5545]

@@canuckster24 very well said and understood

[@tamezzodiac2862]

Lancaster Responding it’s cause the chase was added it and it was perfect for his style. I still don’t think he deserved them. Everyone had to win under the Winston but him.

[@wvchild]

I miss the days of hearing packed crowds roar over the engines at Dega and Daytona when Junior would take the lead

[@tensor120]

Taped this myself. One of Jr's greatest wins I say. Gives me goosebumps everytime

[@tmdavis202]

I lost my mind when he won..... Junior Nation!!

[@moviewriter93]

TaeLi McTaw go Jr. it will suck when he retires

[@coach6662]

Best drive Jr. ever had, looked like Sr. those last 3 laps. I miss Benny Parsons

[@nascarfanatic2425]

Without a doubt, this was my favorite race of the 2001 season. No tragedy, exciting finish, great racing, everything you could ask for in a race.

[@Stealthcola]

One of my all time favorite finishes!

[@DerrickRG]

This aero package was amazing.

[@connerrichardson3564]

Its a shame i have to come on youtube to watch good racing...

[@Noonecanknow879]

Its a shame that you idiotic Classic NASCAR fans have to ruin every video...

[@connerrichardson3564]

Bruh...calm yourself

[@Noonecanknow879]

I'm being serious. Every time I watch an old NASCAR video, the comments all say "This was amazing the new NASCAR sucks".

[@08RamandRogue]

Noonecanknow Miner Maybe because there's some truth to what the classic Nascar fans say??

[@Noonecanknow879]

No, there's no truth. The racing today is far better than before.

[@it_is_finished]

Man that was 10 exciting laps. I use to love going to Dega. Good times for sure.

[@mikemgd9320]

lovin those engines at full song!! incredible

[@BIGHUHA15]

2001- car flips on last lap huge wreck race to the line 2017- car spins outs half mile from the pack caution out

[@alphazuluosprey1708]

"...half mile away from the pack..." -_-

[@DerrickRG]

@@alphazuluosprey1708 He's right.

[@weston9106]

SinikkaL no he’s not lmao

[@JasonTigno]

that was some good fuckin racing

[@blindhorizon7571]

One of the best races ever!

[@rogue_8370]

This was some of the best racing I have ever seen. Best package they have ever had. Sucks they don't race it anymore.

[@mattlatorre9084]

Poor Ricky Rudd there at the end, thought he could make it til his engine gave out :P

[@MichaelKnight2024NASCAR]

yep

[@truenorthcanadian5628]

😂

[@russellmj]

"This is unbelievable." I watched it live and agreed with you BP. R.I.P. buddy.

[@austinsteed1581]

Unreal how good of cars DEI had at plate races back then

[@__deebzz__]

So much better than talladega racing nowadays

[@smc4600]

2cool 4u Last year's 499 was one of the most exciting in years...

[@__deebzz__]

S.M.C Truuuee

[@bobguffaws2901]

2019 was best in decade

[@StormSliders]

The only truly bad talladega race I've ever seen was last year's fall race.

[@inthere2it]

i love the way the old cars sounded! I wish they would bring it back

[@TheCrowneJewel]

2001 was my favourite Nascar Season despite Dales Death!

[@dangerzone24]

I loved watching wrecked cars drag themselves across the finish line back in the day. The pride of finishing used to be huge.

[@UltimateEEnEFan]

Every word said gave me goosebumps. This finish was awesome.

[@m140m]

Probably the best piece of driving I have ever seen from Dale Jr.

[@Fultonfalcons86]

IMO Jr could have won a title with DEI until Theresa screwed it up............

[@CBright7831]

Wow! When Junior and Tony Stewart teamed up at Talladega or Daytona, it was game over.

[@mdog2560]

His dad taught him more about drafting before anyone else caught on to what he was doing, including the announcers. Today you hear the commentators mention that phrase a thousand times during a plate race, but you don’t hear it mentioned one time during those early years of Jr.’s career when he dominating plate races. He didn’t learn that on his own. That’s why his dad dominated there as well. He taught him the art of side drafting and taught him well as proven by his at plate race stats at that time.

[@JJA1987]

M Dog And that’s why Junior’s among the best at Plate Racing

[@mcr2124]

From a racing and TV production stand point, this is the second greatest race in history. Only behind the 2001 Pepsi 400.

[@mikemike388]

lol i remember watching this race live. i was so nervous about jr and when i saw lebonte get turned over i thought he died. great vid and great finish :]

[@m140m]

I wish every Talladega race could be this amazing. And those engines sound awesome as well.

[@constantdewdrinker88]

2001, greatest year of racing in nascar history

[@michaelclayton7367]

Hell yeah! This was a bad ass finish and thanks for the upload and the memory.

[@mister8800]

Benny Parsons- And Tony Stewart goes with JR! I still can't believe Tony went with JR and really can't believe Bobby L. tried to block B. Hamilton.

[@brandonsettle8089]

That's what got Labonte in trouble, he made that block and tried to come back down but that line already had a run on him

[@CombatWoundedVet2015]

This is the era when NASCAR was still amazing to watch.

[@snappy452]

Even though there was a big wreck at the end, this race reminded me of the golden age that NASCAR was in at this time. A great blend of raw, young talent and old, savvy veterans who all shared one common, important thread - RESPECT.

[@Hendrick588]

"this is...unbelievable" R.I.P. BP and this was the best racing nascar ever produced...when they would actually let them race

[@JakeFromLateFarm]

A thrilling race and a breathtaking (albeit scary!) conclusion. Seems like just yesterday, but I remember this finish vividly. I was a HUGE Labonte fan and given that Bobby usually didn't fare too well at plate tracks, I couldn't believe that he was in the lead so late in the race! I kept watching until the pack came through the tri-oval for the white flag which, being 9-years-old, I was so nervous that I had to leave the room. A few minutes later, I returned to the sight of the 18 car wrecked and upside down at 8:12 Terribly disappointing, but looking back at this race today -- and at Nascar during this period -- I realize what a remarkable combination we as fans were treated to at that time: A great on-track combination of young, up-and-coming drivers mixed with seasoned veterans, superb announcers and pit reporters (we all miss you, BP!), the old aerodynamics package, the roar of the cars as they passed by...This was when Nascar was really Nascar and I miss it dearly. It's sad that this era is now ancient history and is gone forever, but I am so, *SO* glad that I lived to see Nascar during some of its brightest days.

[@osurocks24]

I love this race. One of my favorite finishes in NASCAR since I started watching. And this cars and the wicker were awesome combination. Best plate car ever and I miss this racing dearly.

[@robertmusgrave9236]

Peak NASCAR era and them going all out for a million bucks.

[@robminmonaca]

Wow I could only imagine what it was seeing it live right there and the crowds first reaction.

[@apointtomake1517]

Good job Bobby... Drift up to the wall blocking and when the lane he was in, fills in, pushes he way back into it...

[@wildbeemer]

what an awesome final set of laps - 3 by 3 by 3 by 3 by 3 aall the way back lol looked like rush hour traffic!

[@nickadams2709]

Dale looked so much like his dad right here. He would be so proud.

[@Diecastbuffet]

This is the package that should be used in 2021. Change my mind

[@artisticgizmo8654]

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 5th Career NASCAR Winston Cup Victory

[@MovieLover1995]

All of the drivers involved in that big crash disliked this.

[@benmay1932]

Watching finishes like this make the wait for Daytona even harder... I LOVE NASCAR

[@granpastreetz]

Wally's sentence was cut off, but I think I know what he was implying. "I cannot BELIEVE Tony Stew-ert left Labonte out to dry.."

[@spencergwin9454]

23 years later, still hold my breath waiting for the "Big One."

[@dega4amp]

I was only 8 years old at the time but I remember I started crying when Junior fell back with 4 laps to go.

[@00stevenmusselman]

I was 8 also and cried at Labonte flipping! Lol

[@binnyman]

Excellent commentary and excellent racing. From mid-2000 on, this aero package, with the rear-window and roof side-strips and the rear-spoiler wicker was the best for this kind of racing. Superior drivng skills shown by many in this race, including Dale Jr, who hasn't forgotten how to drive a race car. Awesome determination by Ricky Rudd. Peace:-)

[@robertanderson2898]

I think i recorded this race, and many of the Talladega ones 1997 & later. The 2001 Pepsi 400 at Daytona was amazing, along with Dale's final career win at the 2000 Winston 500.

[@coreybrogdon1637]

I miss Nascar being like this

[@alpha8438]

Hi from France ! I remember this race, I was 10 at the time and I was a Formula 1 fan but a friend got me interested into NASCAR and told me about Daytona, Talladega, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Labonte etc ... This NASCAR race was the first I watched, and it was amazing. I remember the French commentator telling us about Tony Stewart who said that he would win by slowly making his way back to the front at the end of the race, about the skills of Dale Earnhardt Jr on this speedway inherited from this father who recently had died ... And then this huge crash. Great memories !

[@gordonfan200]

That was some AWESOME racing!

[@jaysalazar107]

My first ever talladega race watching live as a fan . It was great

[@jshane812]

I absolutely love this kind of racing!

[@dalejr183]

That plate package was the best restrictor plate package with the wicker bills on the roofs. It debuted in Dales incredible last win at Talladega in fall 2000 Winston 500 and they kept it for all the plate races in 2001. Its a damn shame they got rid of it in 2002 that was another overreaction to Dales death by Nascar and didn't contribute to the accident. It actually allowed great passes which the fans and drivers loved Reply

[@robminmonaca]

dalejr183 then that asswipe Brian France took over and just knocked a wrecking ball to NASCAR. Now with NASCAR it’s like putting crap on the wall and hope it will stick.

[@glory70x]

Great vid dude 👍👍

[@Dirigo207]

Man those sounds and that racing. Incredible. Nascar at its Peak really.

[@desertdoggz]

That was some great driving by Earnhardt Jr. Wow!

[@socaljew3417]

bring the wicker bill back to plate racing, you can actually pass. today if your the leader you cant be passed not enough drag on the cars. nascar is safer today then it was back then, im sure they can come up with a package similar to this..

[@BurnNotice2023]

+So Cal JEW I don't why they haven't went back to that package. Not sure it would work with the new cars but it can't be any worse. They definitely need the roof bar back.

[@Maverick33]

You forgot the lip on the rear spoiler

[@chrismaxwell6192]

2019: Your wish was granted. The Wicker Bill came back and it was glorious. It wasn’t on the roof, but rather the spoiler, but the effect was the same.

[@RacingWorldTV202]

That was quite a finish! Spectacular to say the least.

[@ZacharyE2014]

This finish still gives me chills...

[@bigjmac0816]

When Stewart forced Jr up to the high side coming to 3 to go.....I think that ticked Jr off judging by his aggressiveness the last two laps Also the crowd noise at 7:48 EPIC

[@tholc21]

I was at this race. I was only in 2nd grade, but as a huge Tony Stewart fan from the start, this was one of the most exciting experiences I had ever had. NASCAR and Tony Stewart fan till I die.

[@jedistreaming4006]

Bring back the famous and sounds so awesome, "the winston cup" racing. Man, I miss the old school car engine noise. Buggie Buggie Buggiedieeeeeeeeeee!!!!

[@RedCard94]

Labonte's flip looked similar to Johnny Sauter's flip in the spring Busch race at Talladega the following year

[@AlonsoRules]

before the repave it was epic

[@dolphinmagic24fan]

That year in racing for the plate tracks was probably one of the most exciting ever.

[@rubatowolf1170]

Junior entering the trioval: "Did I win?" Me shouting at the tv back then: "Cross the damn finish line, ya goober!" XD I love junior. Always will. Haha Btw, that 55 car was faaaaaaast. Damn. Wanna see that number make a comeback.

[@SkullCrusher416]

great commentaries

[@jrfan07]

Different exhaust systems. The headers/exhaust systems have changed since then, not to mention they only run pipes out the right side now, they ran them out both sides back in these days. If you go and find some qualifying sessions at the plate tracks in recent years (prior to 2013) you'll notice the penske dodges sounded just like these old cars, something i found neat and always enjoyed during cot plate quals :)

[@49GMC]

the 2 greatest finishes at talladega, fall '00 and '01 by the earnhardts.

[@Aaron25thinfantry]

Dale Sr taught Jr how to dominate restrictor plate races

[@Sunoco]

Fantastic racing. Wow.

[@twelveshepherd9331]

To this day I still can't believe Stewart didn't go with Labonte on the last lap

[@jebediahgentry7029]

To me this was the perfect restrictor plate package. They could get huge runs with that wicker on top and the one they put on the spoiler and made the racing soooo good

[@BreakfastConnoisseur]

A huge crash on the final lap and two or three guys racing back to finish line to win it. THIS is what NASCAR should be, none of that green white checkers crap

[@Mitchp93]

the hum of those engines is awesome!

[@video752]

Apparently Mark Martin was Mr. Where Did He Come From back in 2001.

[@dangerzone24]

loved the need to pass the start finish line back then...

[@cstrnutt2004]

I agree with you,the races at Dega we always get up for