NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES 1990 (Winston 500)

DATE: May 6th 1990
TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway
POLE WINNER: Bill Elliot (Ford Thunderbird Coors #6)
RACE WINNER: Dale Earnhardt (Chevrolet Lumina GM Goodwrench #3)
CAUTIONS: 7
TV BROADCAST: ESPN /ABC

[@VampireYoshi]

The most dominant restrictor plate car I've ever seen (all season long), with the greatest and most...intimidating...livery ever painted on a stock car, driven by the greatest driver in stock car history; back in the days before the modern circus crap. Makes me want to cry, for both good and bad reasons. We miss you a lot, Dale.

[@benpetty43]

You ever heard of a guy named Petty? You’re getting carried away!

[@rusher33707]

I was at this race. I can honestly say that it was the most exciting and thrilling race I ever attended. Restrictor plate racing had already been around for a couple of years, but not to the extent that it is today, with Daytona and Talladega both being little more than 'bumper car pinball machine' chaos (witness yesterday's "Sprint Unlimited). In those days (1990), the best cars and drivers usually dominated, and rightly so. You never saw the 30-car 'freight trains' so commonly seen today. Also, notice that there is no speed limit on pit road (that would come a couple of years later). On this day, Greg Sacks, a huge underdog, gave the legendary Dale Earnhardt all he could handle. It's been said that if Sacks' pit crew were as experienced as Earnhardt's (long story behind that), Sacks would have won going away. I believe that he would have. As it is, I am sure that Greg will remember this as one of the rides of his life. For me, it remains the most memorable NASCAR race I ever attended. Humorous sidelight: Dick Trickle lighting up a cigarette after his crash, using a lighter installed in his race car -- you don't see s__t like this any more. LOL

[@rusher33707]

Post-script: Dale Earnhardt turned a 200 mph lap during this race. NASCAR tightened up the restrictor plates in the aftermath. To my knowledge (and I could be wrong), there has never been another 200 mph lap run by anyone during a race ( a few 200 mph qualifying runs, but not during a race).

[@user-Dr.]

Before pit road speed limits, the best stock car driver of all time, wins another one.

[@kingofrunescapepking]

Actually, if Trickle didn't hit Elliott, Elliott's car wouldn't have lifted at all