After the weekend off I am biting at the bit to get back to racing. On this edition of Fast Talk my co-host Kyle Petty and I reflected on NASCAR's top 25 Sprint Cup moments. Kyle and I had very similar top three moments and this is a combination of our top moments.
1. Allen Kulwicki wins the Winston Cup title at Atlanta Motor Speedway even though Bill Elliott won the race. This was also the first Sprint Cup race for Jeff Gordon and the last race for Richard Petty.
We chose this as our number one moment because of the ripple effect it had on NASCAR. It signified the fading of Richard Petty and the rising of Jeff Gordon.
2. Dale Earnhardt Sr. wins the Daytona 500 in 1998. Three years later Earnhardt was killed in a crash on the final lap. The very next race at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt JR. gets the win.
The passing of Dale Earnhardt was an emotional event for the NASCAR community. Earnhardt was the face of NASCAR and his passing will always be remembered.
3. Kevin Harvick wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2001.
Harvick edges out Jeff Gordon by six one- thousandths of a second (.006) to get his first win in only three Sprint Cup starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This win came three races after the passing of Earnhardt. In remembrance of Earnhardt, Harvick held three fingers out the window as he did a burnout.
We discussed some of the more recent memorable moments and agreed Trevor Bayne's win at the Daytona 500 in 2012 should be added to our list.
Since we talked a little bit about the past, I wanted to look into the future by discussing the three rising stars in Kyle Larson, Austin Dillion, and Chase Elliot. I asked Kyle if he could invest stock into one of these three drivers who would he pick. Immediately, Kyle said Elliott. He thinks that with only a few races under his belt he has earned his position and showcased his talents to compete with the best NASCAR drivers. Even though he is only 18 years old, Kyle believes in a couple of years there will be a seat opening up at Hendrick Motorsports with Gordon coming to the end of his career. Gordon is in pursuit of winning his fifth championship and is leading in points this season. If Gordon could win a title in the next few years, one would think that a title would be a great way to cap off an outstanding career.
This weekend we are headed to Richmond International Raceway. Can Gordon keep his slim one point lead or will we see another driver to take the checkered flag for the first time this season?