|| *Comments on the 2001 Pepsi 400:* View the most recent comment <#84> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Chris Cadiz posted: 03.20.2004 - 2:24 am Rate this comment: (8) (3) An storybook win for Dale Earnhardt Jr., as he goes to victory lane at the track that claimed the life of his father earlier that year. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and second place finisher Michael Waltrip celebrated in the infield together. 2. Jake posted: 06.07.2004 - 2:06 am Rate this comment: (3) (2) Most dramatic Pepsi 400 ever. Dale, Jr. winning at the place that took his dad's life and having Mikey finishing 2nd. 3. Jake Kane posted: 04.12.2005 - 6:04 am Rate this comment: (17) (18) one word: scripted 4. HomeDepot20TS posted: 06.05.2005 - 1:19 pm Rate this comment: (5) (0) It would've been very nice if NBC had made some mention of Kenny Irwin since this race took place on the one year anniversary of his fatal accident. I know that in everyone's mind he wasn't a fraction of the driver Dale Earnhardt was or whatever, but a mention still would've been nice. 5. HomeDepot20TS posted: 06.05.2005 - 1:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Also, the penalty on Tony Stewart was BS. When he gets fined or whatever, he normally deserves it and I support NASCAR's decision to do it, but in this case, they shouldn't have penalized him for avoiding an accident. 6. Darrell posted: 10.16.2005 - 6:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First top ten finish in a long time for Brett Bodine. Also, Mike Wallace responds nicely to the rumors of him being replaced in the #7 with a good run. 7. CBCMikeyfan posted: 10.28.2005 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (2) (3) One of those wins that just leaves you speechless. The only thing better would be to see Kyle Petty win at New Hampshire. I get chills just imaginging that situation. 8. Thomas posted: 11.17.2005 - 7:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It would have been nice if I could've seen this race live. The idiot station manager at KPRC, the NBC affiliate in Houston, thought that the Miss Texas Scholarship Beauty Pageant was more important. 9. CanucksAndNASCAR Fan posted: 05.14.2006 - 7:45 am Rate this comment: (4) (2) I was so happy for Dale Jr. after winning that race. Who could have scripted it any better than that? 10. biffle16 posted: 02.21.2007 - 1:59 am Rate this comment: (2) (4) In my opinion, this was the best race of all time. 11. myself posted: 02.21.2007 - 4:35 pm Rate this comment: (5) (14) This race represents one of the 2 biggest "fixes" in nascar history. Ironically, the other was in this very same race 17 years earlier. Even a couple of drivers & nascar writers said the fix was in & that the #8 was given a competitive advantage over the field! nascar started to seriously go down hill after this day! 12. jarhead posted: 03.04.2007 - 11:54 pm Rate this comment: (3) (2) Yes, Stewart's penalty was total BS. A hundred driver's have broken the yellow line rule way more flagrantly that Tony did since, a couple in the 2007 Daytona 500. Dale Jr.'s pass of Kenseth at Talladega a few years back was a prime example. But it was Junior, so that rule doesn't apply. Script or no script, Tony could have won this race. 13. Dan posted: 04.29.2007 - 6:09 am Rate this comment: (8) (8) I defy anyone to watch Junior go to the outside and pass about 5 cars BY HIMSELF with NO drafting help and tell me that this race wasn't fixed. First race at Daytona since Senior's death, first race on NBC, NASCAR knew what they had to do. May as well have been written by Spielberg. 14. Mr. Big posted: 08.12.2007 - 2:58 am Rate this comment: (6) (4) It wasn't fixed...Jr. probably wanted to win more than anybody else out there. So shut up about you thinking it was fixed. Funny story about the Texas beauty pageant though. 15. WillG46 posted: 08.16.2007 - 3:05 pm Rate this comment: (2) (7) All races won by Jr are fixed. Some people just don't have the balls to admit that he can win. Most of them are Jeff Gordon fans, ironically. 16. Jim C. posted: 11.28.2007 - 3:11 am Rate this comment: (2) (1) To all the haters out there, and I know you're there, Watch a replay of the race. Dale Jr. had the best equipment, because Dale Earnhardt learned a lot in his year of racing at Daytona. Passing 5 cars by himself? It's not that hard when you have the the fast track on the outside. You get the car rolling really fast, and you can pass without a draft. It happens every race, folks. Get over it. Dale Jr. won fair and square. Except for his Daytona 500 victory in 2004, probably the greatest victory of his career. 17. SK posted: 12.07.2007 - 3:10 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sterling Marlin's last career pole, unless he and James Finch pull off some restrictor plate magic in '08. 18. DieselDan posted: 12.10.2007 - 4:17 am Rate this comment: (4) (9) Dude, it was fixed. Jr's plate had slightly bigger holes. 19. The Real Thomas posted: 12.13.2007 - 2:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) While hard to believe the 5 car unhelped pass by Junior, it's not totally unprecedented. Elliott Sadler passed about 4 cars by himself in turn 3 at Talladega in the spring 2006 race. It was interesting to note, however, that NBC kept losing the satellite uplink feed to this race and then suspiciously decided not to recap the final pit stops that took place following the big wreck with about 20 laps to go, only to return to see Junior move up from 7th on the restart to win. 20. The Real Thomas posted: 12.13.2007 - 2:09 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Also, is it really that hard to believe that Junior could make a pass like that at that point in time? DEI was hooked up, to say the least, on the restrictor plate tracks from 2001-2004. 21. Anonymous posted: 04.23.2008 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) note: this was not the first race on NBC- they aired the 1999 and 2000 pennzoil 400's from homestead also- to anyone who belives in the NBC satelite conspiracy feed- if that were true, then people at the track would have saw it. you cant pull off a fix in the middle of a race regardless if the tv network has signal troubles. the 100,000 plus fans at the track see everything daytona is a handling track and jr was able to keep his car wide open on fresh tires, while the top 5 were mid pack runners all night who stayed out during the caution 22. Schafe posted: 06.02.2008 - 3:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Well, in response to this race being fixed, keep in mind that Ward Burton was able to make similar passes in February. As stated above, handling is vital to success at Daytona, and with the higher July temperatures, it comes into play that much more. My favorite race of all time. 23. b4il3y posted: 09.01.2008 - 8:39 pm Rate this comment: (2) (3) Fixed... ok.. I guess next thing will be Todd Bodine coming out to the ring swinging a chair. Yeah.. sounds as stupid as saying "NASCAR fixed the race so Jr. could win and avenge his Daddy's death". 24. Josh20 posted: 09.18.2008 - 3:56 pm Rate this comment: (4) (2) This race wasn't fixed. And anyone who says it is isn't a real racefan. I'm far from a Jr. fan but story book ending. Jr. EARNED IT!!!!! All you haters need too get over it!!!!! 25. Scott posted: 11.11.2008 - 9:41 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) If this race was ever fixed, NASCAR would've been boycotted by now and down the drain. Anyone could've won that race. 26. Ryan posted: 12.04.2008 - 12:08 pm Rate this comment: (5) (2) I guess the race that February was f*ckin scripted too?!?! Get out of here people! Jr. won a lot of restrictor plate races from this race until his last one in Talladega... He won 7 out of 14 plate races at one time... Give him his due, Kane and myself! 27. Anonymous posted: 01.13.2009 - 1:16 pm Rate this comment: (1) (2) These conspiracy fools don't remember that tech inspection for all the cars in NASCAR is open for everyone to see from the crews to the fans to the media. If Junior was given a bigger plate, someone sure as hell would have noticed in pre-race and post-race tech. It all comes down to this, Junior and his team wanted this race more than anyone has wanted any race in the history of the sport. As mentioned in Junior's book, Driver #8, Tony Eury, Jr. spent a lot of time getting that car ready for that race. 28. Ryan posted: 05.30.2009 - 4:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony Stewart gets penalized, and for good reason. If you watched this race, you could see he was about to cause another death several times. I would classify him as the sport's most dangerous driver, though he has gotten better the past couple of years since he hasn't been as dominant. 29. Anonymous posted: 02.22.2010 - 5:26 pm Rate this comment: (6) (11) HOW MANY TIMES MUST WE SAY IT? THIS RACE WAS FIXED. UNDERSTAND? GOOD. 30. Madison posted: 04.18.2010 - 8:41 pm Rate this comment: (5) (4) NASCAR is not Hollywood. Only true morons can believe this race was fixed. There is a purse, people. Over $200,000 to the driver alone that 43 people were fighting for. Everyone has to pass tech inspection. Heard of Carl Long? Know what happened? If you think this or any other race was scripted, you just need to get out of your chair and walk out the door. NASCAR doesn't need bull$#!^ beliefs such as this. So I guess the 2004 Daytona 500 was fixed? eh? With over $1,000,000 on the line? 31. Wikus van de Merwe posted: 07.04.2010 - 11:11 am Rate this comment: (1) (7) How could Jr. make passes all by himself on a plate track without cheating in some way? 32. Madison posted: 08.11.2010 - 8:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #31- Is this the only plate race you've seen? People do that all the time. Sr, Waltrip, McMurray, Harvick...They can all do it pretty damn well. 33. Schroeder51 posted: 07.29.2011 - 7:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I have pinpointed the finish of this race as the exact moment Dale Jr. became NASCAR's most popular driver. 34. RaceFanX posted: 02.16.2012 - 9:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors: #24 Jeff Gordon- DuPont Automotive / Pepsi #8 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.- Budweiser / Major League Baseball All-Star Game #2 Rusty Wallace- Miller Lite / Harley Davidson Ford #01 Jason Leffler- Cingular Wireless / Special Olympics (this was an extended deal, Leffler ran this sponsorship in every race from the June race at Dover through the July race at Pocono and Dorsey Schroeder had it at Sonoma when he drove the #01- Leffler also DNQed a #04 at Sonoma with this sponsorship) #18 Bobby Labonte- Interstate Batteries / Jurassic Park III #20 Tony Stewart- Home Depot / Jurassic Park III 35. Anonymous posted: 04.03.2012 - 8:04 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor: #17 Matt Kenseth- AT&T / DeWalt Power Tools 36. seyb32 posted: 06.20.2012 - 7:23 am Rate this comment: (5) (1) let's just say you idiots are right and this race was "fixed" Dale would still have to avoid crashing, mechanical failure and any kind of slip up in the closing laps to win. You can't fix a race. You could give a guy the best equipment and a defined advantage every race and it wouldn't guarantee a win. Think about it, how many times does a car that isn't the best or fastest win a race. It actually happens a lot if you think about it. 37. Brad24 posted: 06.22.2012 - 10:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this yet. But this was the first of many restrictor plate wins for Dale Jr. 38. The Final Gear posted: 08.08.2012 - 2:47 pm Rate this comment: (3) (7) I agree with Jimmy Spencer that this race was likely fixed for Dale Jr. to win, much like the Nationwide race when Jr. was using the #3 car. I do think that he had some help but Jr. is a talented superspeedway driver on his own. Yes NASCAR tried to give him some help but the car was naturally strong on it's own. 39. b4il3y posted: 04.23.2013 - 3:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) You guys really talking bout a fix lol... Brett Bodine gets a top 10. 40. myself posted: 06.04.2013 - 1:40 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) 36. seyb32 posted: 06.20.2012 - 7:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) let's just say you idiots are right and this race was "fixed" Dale would still have to avoid crashing, mechanical failure and any kind of slip up in the closing laps to win. You can't fix a race. You could give a guy the best equipment and a defined advantage every race and it wouldn't guarantee a win. Think about it, how many times does a car that isn't the best or fastest win a race. It actually happens a lot if you think about it. Being allowed to have a car with a competitive advantage is referred to as "the golden handshake." 41. Anonymous Moonbat posted: 09.06.2013 - 3:46 am Rate this comment: (5) (11) The most rigged outcome in NASCAR history. 42. 52 posted: 12.18.2013 - 9:53 pm Rate this comment: (6) (5) You can't spell fixEd without a Little E. 43. Evan posted: 04.25.2014 - 12:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors 2nd place finisher:#15 Michael Waltrip-NAPA Auto Parts/"We Keep America Running" This was the stars and stripes special paint scheme, Michael Waltrip drove for this race and then drove it in the races following the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks just without this phrase on the trunk. Sources:I watched the race, Jayski.com 44. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 06.20.2014 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Owner Update #27 Jack Birmingham 45. Evan posted: 09.07.2014 - 12:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor #92 Stacy Compton Kodiak/1-800-CRIMETV/Chandra Levy This was a one-race deal by Melling to assist the authorities in the search of the late missing intern. Source:I watched the race, about a few minutes after details of the Earnhardt incident, Bill Weber mentions it. 46. Jake posted: 10.19.2014 - 9:54 am Rate this comment: (2) (3) LOL at the conspiracy loons.DEI owned plate racing in the early 2000's.Hell even Mike Waltrip won in those cars.Bill Webber's post race interview with Jr might of been the worst of all time.Webber was such a D-bag.I here he is an illusionist now at some hotel in Tampa! 47. Schroeder51 posted: 11.28.2014 - 1:27 pm Rate this comment: (5) (1) I would be willing to bet money that the people who believe this race was rigged for Dale Jr. to win likely believe in the following as well: -9/11 was an inside job -We never landed on the Moon -Obama is not a US citizen -Elvis Presley is still alive and well somewhere -Reptilians control the Earth In all seriousness, I just can't see HOW this race was rigged for Jr. to win. There are far too many variables for me to really believe NASCAR rigged the race for him. He could have blown a tire and fallen out of contention. He could have suffered an engine failure and dropped out of the race. He could have been caught up in a crash. Anything COULD potentially happen to a driver in a race...which is why I just have a hard time believing in such a scenario. Now, that doesn't mean I don't think that NASCAR hasn't tried to manipulate races before (especially nowadays where they're all about every race being an exciting classic for the ages), but I just think it would be EXTREMELY difficult for them to fully rig a race. Not impossible, but extremely unlikely. Besides, DEI had by and far the best plate program from about '01 to '04; look at how many races they won at the plate tracks during that time period and how many laps that team led. Is it REALLY a big stretch to believe that Junior just had that good of a car that night? All the DEI cars ran well in this race; Steve Park, even though he finished 20th, spent a good chunk of this race in the top 5 or 10 as well. And mind you, I'm not a Junior fan (I don't dislike Junior as a driver, but I DO dislike a large portion of his fanbase). I'm sure somebody will call me one, but I'm not a big Junior fan. Even so, I don't think this race was rigged for him to win. I doubt I'll convince any conspiracy theorists otherwise, though (you can't really argue with most of those types...) 48. 52 posted: 02.25.2015 - 7:48 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) It is very simple to fix a restrictor plate race. Each plate is given to the teams by the sanctioning body. An extra 1/16 inch, which wouldn't be visible to the naked eye would give an extra 50-70 hp. 49. mister83 posted: 07.03.2015 - 1:27 pm Rate this comment: (2) (1) LOL all you idiots citing Jimmy Spencer as to why this race was "fixed". Spencer is a well known idiot himself, but okay take his word for it why don't you. 50. Eric posted: 07.03.2015 - 1:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) There is one thing people forgot about Jimmy Spencer's comment. Jimmy later on apologized to Dale Jr. about his fix comment. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/29/sports/auto-racing-controversy-goes-bumper-to-bumper-with-spencer.html 51. Seibaru posted: 07.03.2015 - 1:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) The 'fixed' cries remind me of those who don't believe in the moon landing...think about it. If the part of the media who doesn't think NASCAR is a sport/the Soviet Union saw any piece of it that could imply that it wasn't what it was supposed to be, they would have thrown it right in the face of NASCAR/the Americans and scored a major victory to their cause. 52. Big Mac Fan posted: 10.24.2015 - 8:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DEI had the dominant cars from 2001-2005. That's why they were the front runners in this race. You can try to rig a race, but outside circumstances will dictate and deter that from happening. 53. Anthony posted: 01.26.2016 - 6:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) I watched this race again, I love how Dale Jr was just passing cars on the outside without help. 54. Braindead Zombie posted: 06.29.2016 - 10:00 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I have to admit I'd actually never seen this race in its entirety until tonight. What a great moment for the sport. 55. RaceFanX posted: 06.29.2016 - 10:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) NASCAR rookie Kurt Busch has issues and has to settle for 30th. On the other side of the country his 16-year-old younger brother Kyle Busch (years away from Cup at this point) won a special Fourth of July weekend short track race on his home track, the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 56. Nathan8848 posted: 06.29.2016 - 10:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm not a fan of the small screen size. Over half is ads and useless stuff. 57. Nathan8848 posted: 06.29.2016 - 11:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Everyone is talking about Jr. moving from 7th, but Waltrip went from 14th to 2nd in the same amount of laps. 58. Jolly Mean Giant posted: 06.30.2016 - 1:51 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) I never saw this race live, but I do have a VHS copy of the race. As I recall at the time I was traveling with my mother to visit my grandparents in New York and they taped the race while it was on and gave me the copy to keep (I remember getting to watch it the next day). I still have it buried in a closet somewhere... Even if I'm not exactly a member of Junior Nation the finish of this race and the emotional post-race celebration by Junior and Waltrip gives me goosebumps. No matter what, I think this is going to go down as the most memorable, meaningful victory of his entire career. Hard to picture anything really topping it... Something oft-forgotten is that this was probably Andy Houston's best race of his brief Cup career. He was fast in all the practices and started 6th, and briefly passed Sterling Marlin for the lead in the opening laps going through turns 1 and 2 with help from Joe Nemechek-though he lost the lead back in turns 3/4 when Nemechek dropped back from him and never officially was credited with leading the race. He ran in the top 10 for quite a while before falling back before the first pit stops and later blowing a tire past the halfway point and slamming the wall in turns 3 and 4, bringing out the first yellow. Unfortunately this was something all too common in Houston's ill-fated rookie season... 59. 28DaveyAllison28 posted: 06.30.2016 - 8:05 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Mike Wallace came from 42nd starting spot, to run in the top 5 for majority of the race until getting shuffled last couple of laps behind Dave Blaney to a dismal 10th 60. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 06.30.2016 - 11:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Beside Ward Burton and Earnhardt Jr, the rest of top ten started 22nd or worst 61. Bob posted: 05.01.2017 - 6:33 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) I'm sure I will manage to make the conspiracy theorist and Junior Nation fans all made at me at once, but here is my take on that night. I am not sure if Nascar fixed that race. I have no idea. There is really no evidence anyone can present that says Nascar fixed the race. Surely it is a possibility, but there are many of those. I think people should go back and watch the Daytona 500. Junior was right stout in that race. He, Waltrip, and Earnhardt Sr. were all on another level. Now whether or not Nascar knew anything, that 8 car was sure as hell not legit in some way, shape, or form. As mentioned above, Junior was making passes by himself. Now did he cheat? That is a hard question to answer. Did Dale Sr cheat in the 90s? Did Bill Elliott cheat in the 80s? Did Richard Petty cheat in the 70s? That is not so easily answered. The best way I can put it is that Junior clearly had a car that had an advantage on the rest of the field. I think they found something in a grey/gray area that gave them an advantage and they continued to use that for restrictor plate races to come. I believe it was that advantage plus the fairy tale ending that had many fans calling foul. Nascar certainly had showed favoritism to Dale Sr on more than one occasion. Once when he was black flagged Dale Sr refused to come in and caused other competitors to wreck. He was originally fined 20,000 and then it was backed down to 10,000. Why? Nascar never said. In Rockingham in the 90s, Dale Sr's crew decided to put on one black lugnut with orange colored ones and Nascar bent over backwards to fix that problem, which in the end they totally screwed half the field. I could go down a laundry list. So I could understand fans feeling that way. One thing I feel confident about, if there was any fixing or cheating taking place Junior was unaware of it. I wouldn't trust Tony Eury as far as I could throw him, and unless he has dropped considerable weight that isn't too damn far. I believe Dale Junior to be a sportsman and would never take part in any fixed racing of any kind. He has a ton of character and shows a lot more than his father did at times, though I don't mean to speak ill of the dead. I respected Dale sr's accomplishments. Either way this question will never be answered. Only speculation and opinions...which don't mean much either way....and that is that...nothing more and nothing less. 62. Eric posted: 05.01.2017 - 7:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @61, There is something I know. RCR, Andy Petree Racing, and DEI had a Restrictor Plate Alliance called RAD. That alliance started back when Dale Earnhardt Sr. was alive and I believe that alliance started in 1999 and 2000. That alliance found something and explains the speed at the 2001 Daytona 500 out of Dale Sr., Dale Jr, and Michael Waltrip. What I know out of the hiring process of Michael Waltrip by Dale was decided by 2 things. The first is Michael and Dale did have a friendship and the 2nd is Dale thought Michael was great at drafting. Dale Sr. saw potential in his son for drafting that Steve Park never had. Keep in mind that Andy Petree didn't have the drivers in 2001 to be considered great plate drivers. Bobby Hamilton Sr. was undrrated as a driver, but he looked upon as a threat at tracks a mile or less in the cup series despite having a Talladega win. Joe Nemechek won a total of 4 cup races, but wasn't really a great plate driver on the cup level. After Dale died, Kevin didn't have plate experience on the cup level at the time. Mike Skinner wasn't the same cup driver in 2001 as he was in 1999 and 2000. That means RCR was at a disadvantage since Dale Sr. was a master of the drafting at Daytona and Talladega. That basically means the winner of the Alliance between the 3 organizations was DEI since they had the drivers to take advantage of the findings they found for plate racing. 63. 48johnsonfan posted: 02.24.2018 - 9:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Isn't it ironic it that this race and Daytona 500 both had three cautions and both winners of those two races are DEI drivers? 64. Brenton posted: 03.06.2018 - 10:25 pm Rate this comment: (1) (3) Really lack of critical thinking in some of the comments here. The fact that Jr could have had bad luck preventing him from winning doesn't negate the possibility of being given a more open restrictor plate. As it has been said, it would have been simple for nascar to give a tiny plate advantage without anyone noticing. Not even Jr would have known. Regardless, the DEI cars had an insane advantage at plate tracks around this time. Considering how mixed up the field gets in these packs, the DEI dominance showed they must have had a massive advantage in either HP or aero over the others. Take an average car in this race, give them an extra 50hp, and they would have been driving the same way Jr was, passing cars at will without help. I find it hard to believe that one Nascar team could have had such a big legit advantage in speed. Regarding Stewart, I don't know if his blag flag was fair or not, but not pitting showed his colors that he showed repeatedly throughout his life. He's an angry, entitled, petty, piece of shit. If he makes a mistake to get himself spun, he not only blames the car that he hit but guaranteed makes a post race altercation. Look at him v Gordon at Bristol in 2001 for example. The 2009 comment here is telling - the comment came true - he did end up killing someone with his psychotic on track behavior. 65. Brenton posted: 03.06.2018 - 10:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Tony Stewart should have been DQ for ignoring black flags. Why did Nascar give him 26th instead of last? They're basically saying that there are no consequences for ignoring black flags. 66. Scott B posted: 03.06.2018 - 11:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In the case of a driver ignoring a black flag, NASCAR stops scoring any additional laps. The laps already completed are not taken off the books. It's been that way for ages, no special treatment was given. Not being allowed to run the rest of the race IS a consequence. Stewart could have finished better than 26th. 67. Alex posted: 03.07.2018 - 7:37 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) "The 2009 comment here is telling - the comment came true - he did end up killing someone with his psychotic on track behavior." I'll remember this when you jaywalk across an interstate and get hit. Apparently it's the driver's fault when somebody runs in front of their car while in a drug-induced craze. Seriously, go read Physics 101 and see how stupid you made yourself look. 68. joseph scott posted: 03.16.2018 - 4:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) to me its just a matter of how and when the restrictor plates are put on the car, and who's all present when they do it. If it were a matter of a slightly larger restrictor plates, hell, Dale Jr and his team may not have even been on it. And even that wouldnt be "scrpited" itd just be one of them "huge little advantages" that can make a such a difference. provided the driver can go out there and make it to the end missing all the wrecks and with nothing breaking, of course. There are no scripts, but there were rumors of "sanctioned advantages" in nascar long before this race ever happened. 69. Greg1&9Fan posted: 08.20.2018 - 12:11 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Wasn't fixed IMO, this was an era where DEI was dominate on these tracks. Now do I think anyone was seriously trying to get past Jr in the final lap or 2? Well.. that is up for debate. haha 70. Ryan posted: 08.20.2018 - 12:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looked like Stewart was. It wasn't odd Earnhardt winning considering he was running 2nd the year before at Talladega on the last lap (the race his dad won his last race of his career), he ran 2nd at Daytona behind M. Waltrip, he finished 8th at Talladega leading several laps, then he won this race, and then won at Talladega four straight races and a Daytona 500 in 2004 and the second race at Talladega in 2004. And during that time period from 2001-2004, if Jr. didn't win them (seven times) his teammate Michael Waltrip won four of them. Jeff Gordon won the other two, while Ward Burton, Bobby Hamilton, and Greg Biffle won one each. It just so happened that Jr. started his hot streak at the Pepsi 400, the next race at after he finished 2nd at Daytona where and when his dad got killed is why people were start conspiracy theories. It was just the start of domination for four seasons at them. Tbh, he finished second and third to Gordon in both of those races that Gordon won and at the 2002 Daytona 500 he ran over debris while running second to Waltrip that would end up making for a short day. He led several laps in the race that Biffle won on fuel mileage. He finished 2nd to Waltrip in two of his wins and he actually tried to pass Waltrip late in the 2002 Pepsi 400 for the win, but the line went with Waltrip instead of him. In the 2003 Daytona 500 he had electrical issues while running up front. The conspiracy theories just ended up being a crock. 71. Josh Drake posted: 08.20.2018 - 7:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Speaking of Ward, how about that late-race charge? Somewhere around 15th to 4th on the last lap. Very underrated plate racer. Also around 1 mph faster than the entire field in practice. Great job Junior on the historic victory. 72. Josh Drake posted: 09.07.2018 - 9:12 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I stand corrected, 2 laps was the duration of the comeback. 73. Wil posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Man, I just watched this race on Youtube, and Dale Jr's car was about 10 mph faster than the rest of the field. It wasn't even a competitive race. I believe this race was fixed (Dale Jr didn't know it). That said, I'd rather it be fixed and Dale won than it not be fixed and someone else had won. 74. Wil posted: 06.23.2019 - 5:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I never accuse anything of being fixed, but Nascar needed Dale Jr to win this race and I'm guessing they gave Eury the green light to do some stuff with the engine/plate. I'd love to be wrong but I just watched the race and it looked like the 8 car was a video game on easy mode. Not even close. 75. Drakion posted: 06.23.2019 - 7:58 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) I find it laughable and sad some of you people still think this race was fixed.....pathetic. 76. NotSure posted: 07.02.2019 - 3:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) @75: I find it laughable and sad some of you people still think this race wasn't fixed.....pathetic. @73/74: NASCAR handles the plates so his crew need not know. Congrats on acknowledging the truth despite your desire to see him win even if it meant bending the rules. I remember wanting him to win it, just not like this. Number 4 on this list (https://www.thefixisin.net/top-10) ahead of Ali-Liston and Super Bowl 36 and just behind Super Bowl 3 and 2002 Lakers/Kings. 77. Yeet posted: 04.20.2020 - 3:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Scenes from this race were used by the PIXAR employees to create the opening race of the 2006 movie Cars, most notably the flashing array of lights from the crowd's cameras that seemed to shine like none other this race. 78. SweetRich posted: 06.29.2020 - 9:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The commentators were Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach. The pit road reporters were Bill Weber, Matt Yocum, Marty Snider and Dave Burns. 79. RightRear posted: 07.07.2020 - 7:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) On this day in history, Dale Earnhardt Jr used lessons learned from his father to go from sixth to first to score the victory in the Pepsi 400 80. RaceFanX posted: 02.19.2021 - 10:46 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't know what happened to the car itself but Earnhardt, Jr. kept the right side body work of his uniquely painted white MLB All-Star Game #8 from this one. The winning sheet metal, with that famous black scuff mark right through the number still intact, now hangs on the wall of the "Dale Jr. Download" studio alongside several other bits of racing memoriablia from his career. 81. TeamDCRfan posted: 02.19.2021 - 12:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Looks like, just based on pictures, that they probably cut the right side door off since it was dinged up and replaced it, because the rest of the car didnt look too bad and easily could've raced it again. 82. RaceFanX posted: 02.19.2021 - 2:03 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm sure they raced again. It looks like it might have been the car Junior won with again at Talladega in the fall and it likely ran much more after that. 83. BlueOval posted: 04.16.2021 - 7:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @65 They scored him as many laps as he completed before the black flag. 84. Mile501 posted: 04.16.2021 - 9:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @65, 66, 83 - Tony Stewart crossed the finish line in 6th, but was dropped to 26th in the official results for ignoring the black flag. That was essentially a 65-point penalty. In the end, that didn't make much of a difference, but you never know at the time. Had this been 2002 instead of 2001, it might have been enough to cost him a championship. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: