NASCAR Winston Cup Series era

Last updated

The NASCAR Winston Cup Series era was the period of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) from 1971 to 2003. In 1971, NASCAR leased its naming rights to the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company who named the series after its premier brand "Winston". The series was referred to as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from that point forward. [1] Many view the changes that resulted from RJR's involvement in the series as well as from the reduction in schedule from 48 to 31 races per year established 1972 as a time in which NASCAR entered the "modern era" of spectator sports. During this era, NASCAR experienced a significant rise in popularity that persisted until Winston left the sport after the 2003 season. [2]

Contents

1971–1979

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco company logo R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company logo.svg
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco company logo

In 1971, NASCAR was courting the tobacco giant, R.J. Reynolds, about sponsoring the entire NASCAR Grand National series. When Congress banned television advertising of cigarettes via the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, tobacco companies began to sponsor sporting events as a way to spend their excess advertising dollars. Reynolds Co. started spending a large amount of its advertising budget in auto racing starting in 1971. [1] The tobacco company saw a major potential advertising base that could offset the loss of television commercials. The new name of NASCAR's premier stock car racing tour became the "Winston Cup Grand National Series." [1]

In 1972, the schedule was reduced from 48 to 31 races. Races on dirt tracks and on oval tracks shorter than 250 miles (400 kilometres) were removed and transferred to the short-lived NASCAR Grand National East Series, and the remaining races had a minimum prize money of $30,000. Additionally, the points system was modified several times during the next four years. NASCAR's founder, Bill France Sr., turned over control of NASCAR to his oldest son, Bill France Jr. In August 1974, France Jr. asked series publicist Bob Latford to design a points system with equal points being awarded for all races regardless of length or prize money. [3] This system ensured that the top drivers would have to compete in all the races in order to become the series champion. This system remained unchanged from 1975 until the Chase for the Championship was instituted in 2004.

ABC Sports aired partial or full live telecasts of Grand National races from Talladega, North Wilkesboro, Darlington, Charlotte, and Nashville in 1970. Because these events were perceived as less exciting than many Grand National races, ABC abandoned its live coverage. Races were instead broadcast, delayed and edited, on the ABC sports variety show Wide World of Sports . [4]

Plymouth's final season was 1977 and American Motors' final season was 1978.

During the Winston Cup Era, NASCAR experienced a significant rise in national prominence. One example is the 1979 Daytona 500 which was the first race of its kind to be broadcast to a national television audience from start to finish. [2] On the final lap of the 1979 Daytona 500, Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crashed allowing Richard Petty to take the victory. After the race, Donnie Allison along with his brother Bobby got into a fight with Yarborough on the backstretch. Millions observed this encounter on live television helping NASCAR enter a niche in spectator sports once held exclusively by other events. [2]

1980–1989

Ronald Reagan with Richard Petty Ronald Reagan with Richard Petty.jpg
Ronald Reagan with Richard Petty

Mercury's final season was 1980.

In 1981, an awards banquet began to be held in New York City on the first Friday evening in December. The first banquets were held in the Waldorf-Astoria's Starlight Room and in 1985 were moved to the much larger Grand Ballroom. For 2001, the banquet portion was dropped in favor of a simpler awards ceremony, which was also moved to the Hammerstein Ballroom at the Manhattan Center the following year. However, in 2003, the festivities returned to the Waldorf's Grand Ballroom, and the banquet format was reinstated.

Since 1982, the Daytona 500 has been the first non-exhibition race of the year.

On July 4, 1984, President Ronald Reagan became the first sitting president to attend a NASCAR race when he watched Richard Petty win the 1984 Firecracker 400. [5] Some look to moments such as these to suggest that the Winston Cup Era marked the time in which NASCAR officially appeared on the national stage in America. The Firecracker 400 was Petty's 200th and final Winston Cup victory. [5] In that same year, Terry Labonte captured his first Winston Cup Series Championship driving the No. 44 Piedmont Airlines Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

In 1985, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company introduced a concept called "The Winston Million." From 1985 to 1997, a million-dollar prize would be awarded to any driver that won three out of four major races during the 1985 season. Those races were the Daytona 500, the Winston 500, the World 600, and the Southern 500. [6] Bill Elliott would become the first driver to win "The Winston Million" after he won the Daytona 500, the Winston 500, and the Southern 500 in 1985 in the #9 Coors Ford Thunderbird. [6] Later, R.J. Reynolds would go on to create an "all-star" prize referred to as " The Winston " in 1985. This prize would award the winner a check for $200,000. This development set a precedent for significant cash prizes for winners of NASCAR events and funneled an increasing amount of cash flow into the sport. Darrell Waltrip was the first to be awarded "The Winston" at Charlotte Motor Speedway. [6]

Chrysler and Dodge ceased participation after the 1985 season.

In 1986, "Grand National" was dropped from the name of the series, making it the NASCAR Winston Cup. [7]

In 1988, amid fears of a hostile takeover within Goodyear, Hoosier Racing Tire entered the Winston Cup Series, sparking the first of two tire wars in the sport. The season saw a war of attrition among teams, as tire failures from both tire manufacturers resulted in horrific crashes and numerous driver injuries. By the end of the season, Hoosier claimed nine victories out of the 28 races. In 1989, after a botched attempt at Daytona, Goodyear officially unveiled their new radial tires at North Wilkesboro Speedway to combat Hoosier's bias-ply tires. After Dale Earnhardt won the race on Goodyears, interest in Hoosier waned until the company left NASCAR after the Winston 500 at Talladega, ending the tire war. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Darrell Waltrip won his first and only Daytona 500 in 1989 driving the #17 Tide Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Hendrick Motorsports. [12]

1990–1999

Dale Earnhardt Dale Earnhardt visits Langley AFB.jpg
Dale Earnhardt

The series underwent a large boom in popularity in the 1990s. [13]

At the 1990 Daytona 500, Earnhardt led 155 of the 200 laps when he not only ran over a piece of metal on the backstretch but also popped a tire on the final lap. Derrike Cope, driving the No. 10 Purolator Chevy Lumina, was able to pass Earnhardt and win the 32nd annual running of the Daytona 500. [14] During the 1991 Winston Cup season, Harry Gant driver of the #33 Skoal Oldsmobile swept the races at Darlington, Richmond, Dover, and Martinsville going undefeated in the month of September. Gant was nicknamed "Mr. September" for this historic winning streak. [15] A record six drivers were still in contention for the Winston Cup Championship going into the season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1992. Alan Kulwicki, Bill Elliott, Davey Allison, Harry Gant, Kyle Petty, and Mark Martin were all fighting for the championship during the 1992 Hooters 500. Bill Elliott won the race, but Alan Kulwicki captured the championship by a slim ten-point margin. This race would also be the final Winston Cup race for Richard Petty. [16] General Motors brand Buick left the series after the 1992 season and fellow GM brand Oldsmobile departed after 1994, leaving Chevrolet, Ford and Pontiac as the remaining manufacturers.

Hoosier re-entered the Winston Cup Series in 1994 for its second tire war with Goodyear. Their return was marred by the practice crash deaths of Neil Bonnett and Rodney Orr at Daytona, as both cars were on Hoosiers and the media was quick to blame the tire manufacturer. Despite four wins with Geoff Bodine, Hoosier once again struggled to gain interest from other drivers and left NASCAR for good at the end of the season. [8] [9] [10] [11]

In 1994, NASCAR held the first Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt won his seventh and final Winston Cup Championship in 1994 and his long-awaited Daytona 500 victory in 1998, assisting to his rise to national recognition as well as the recognition of the Winston series in general. [17] Terry Labonte won the Winston Cup Series Championship for the second and final time in 1996 driving for Hendrick Motorsports. Various other racers won the series in the subsequent years prior to the decline of the series after turn of the century. [18]

In 1997 Jeff Gordon became the second an last winner of the Winston Million. [19] The Winston Million was replaced with a similar program, the Winston No Bull Five, in 1998. This program awarded one million dollars to any driver who won a prestigious race after finishing in the top five of the most previous prestigious race. [20]

Between 1997 and 1998, the winner's prize money for the Daytona 500 tripled. This coincided with a decline of popularity in American Championship Car Racing.

RJR's sponsorship became more controversial in the wake of the 1998 Tobacco Industry Settlement that sharply restricted avenues for tobacco advertising, including sports sponsorships.

In 1999, NASCAR made a new agreement with Fox Broadcasting, Turner Broadcasting, and NBC. The contract, signed for eight years for Fox and six years for NBC and Turner, was valued at $2.4 billion. [21]

2000–2003

Dale Earnhardt Jr., son of the now iconic Dale Earnhardt, took home his first career victory in 2000 at Texas Motor Speedway in the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet Monte Carlo. [12] Joe Gibbs, racing driver Bobby Labonte, captured the 2000 Winston Cup Series Championship in his #18 Interstate Batteries Pontiac Grand Prix. [22]

In 2001, Pixar visited NASCAR tracks as research for the 2006 animated film Cars , which included the voices of NASCAR drivers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr. [23] To avoid advertising tobacco in a Disney film, "Piston Cup" served as Pixar's allusion to the Winston Cup (however, by the time the film come out, Nextel had replaced Winston as the series title sponsor). [24]

The Winston Cup Series began to decline in national admiration due to a fatal crash during the 2001 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt and Sterling Marlin were competing for third place in the 2001 Daytona 500 on the final lap when the crash took place. Earnhardt's car sped up the racetrack into Ken Schrader's M&M's Pontiac, the two cars slammed into the outside wall. Earnhardt's car hit Schrader's head-on. Earnhardt was severely injured in the crash and was later pronounced dead at 5:16 P.M. [25] Michael Waltrip, the driver of the #15 Napa Auto Parts Chevrolet Monte Carlo, won the 2001 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt Incorporated driver Steve Park won the race at Rockingham one week after his boss Dale Earnhardt died in the 2001 Daytona 500. [26] Dodge also re-entered the series in 2001 after being absent since 1985.

In 2003, Ricky Craven, driver of the #32 Tide Pontiac Grand Prix, finished .002 seconds ahead of Kurt Busch to win Carolina Dodge Dealers 400. It was the closest recorded finish in NASCAR history (until the 2024 Ambetter Health 400, a NASCAR Cup Series race where Daniel Suarez edged Ryan Blaney by 0.0003 seconds) and gained national attention. It was also the last win for the Pontiac marque, as General Motors withdrew the brand at the end of the season. [27]

There were fifteen different series champions during the Winston Cup Series era. Seventy different drivers won at least one race during the Winston Cup Era. [28] The time period encompassed a significant rise in NASCAR viewership while also marking the beginning of a significant decline in NASCAR popularity that would continue over the next decade. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Earnhardt</span> American racing driver (1951–2001)

Ralph Dale Earnhardt was an American professional stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. His aggressive driving style earned him the nicknames "the Intimidator", "the Man in Black" and "Ironhead"; after his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the Cup Series circuit in 1999, Earnhardt was generally known by the retronyms Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Sr. He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history and named as one of the NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers class in 1998.

Adam Kyler Petty was an American professional stock car racing driver. A member of the Petty racing family, he was the fourth generation from the Petty family to drive in races in the highest division of NASCAR racing, mostly in what was then known as the NASCAR Busch Series. He was believed to be the first fourth-generation athlete in all of modern American professional sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Bonnett</span> American racing driver

Lawrence Neil Bonnett was an American NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. Bonnett was a member of the Alabama Gang, and started his career with the help of Bobby and Donnie Allison. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s with his performances in cars owned by Jim Stacy and Wood Brothers Racing, becoming one of the top competitors in the 1980s. The Alabama native currently ranks 47th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder. Bonnett hosted the TV show Winners for TNN from 1991 to 1994. He was a color commentator for CBS, TBS, and TNN in the years until his death. Bonnett's driving career was interrupted by a severe brain injury from a crash in 1990. He was killed while practicing for the 1994 Daytona 500 for a much-anticipated comeback.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rusty Wallace</span> American racing driver

Russell William "Rusty" Wallace Jr. is an American former NASCAR racing driver. He won the 1984 NASCAR Cup series Rookie of the Year and the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. For the accolades over the course of his successful career, Wallace has been inducted in the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2013), the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2013), the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2014) and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernie Irvan</span> American racing driver

Virgil Earnest "Ernie" Irvan, occasionally referred to as Swervin' Irvan, is an American former professional stock car racing driver. A retired NASCAR competitor, he is perhaps best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury suffered from a crash during practice at Michigan in 1994 that left him with only a 10% chance of survival. Irvan has been inducted into numerous halls of fame and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. After a series of injuries in the late 1990s, he retired from racing in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 55th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 55th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 32nd modern-era Cup Series season. The season began on February 8 at the Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. Despite only winning one race throughout the whole season, Matt Kenseth, driving the No.17 Ford for Roush Racing, was strongly consistent following the lone win, and was crowned the Winston Cup champion. His only win came in the third race of the 36 race season. Chevrolet took home the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship after capturing 19 wins and 264 points over second-place finisher Dodge, who had nine wins and 203 points. Ford finished the year third with seven wins and 200 points, and Pontiac finished fourth with one win and 125 points.

The 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 42nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 19th modern-era Cup Series. It began on Sunday, February 11, and ended on Sunday, November 18. Because of a highly controversial penalty to Mark Martin early in the season, Dale Earnhardt with Richard Childress Racing was crowned the Winston Cup champion for the fourth time, edging out Martin by 26 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 52nd season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 52nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, and was the 29th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 13 and ended on November 20. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte was crowned champion at season's end. The NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship was won by Ford as they captured 14 wins and 234 points to better Pontiac's 11 wins and 213 points. Chevrolet finished third with nine wins and 199 points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 46th season of NASCAR stock car racing

The 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 46th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 23rd modern-era Cup series. The season began on Sunday, February 20, and ended on Sunday, November 13. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing was crowned champion at season's end, winning consecutive Winston Cups for the third time in his career and tying Richard Petty for the record of most top-level NASCAR championships with seven. It was also the 7th and final NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship for Dale Earnhardt before his death 7 years later in 2001, this was also the final season for 18-time Winston Cup winner Harry Gant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 53rd season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 53rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 30th modern-era Cup series. It began on February 11, 2001, at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 23, 2001, at New Hampshire International Speedway. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports was declared as the series champion for the fourth time in seven years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span>

The 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 47th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 24th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on February 12 in Daytona Beach and concluded on November 12 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won his first career championship.

The 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 45th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 22nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 7 and ended on November 14. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing won the title, the sixth of his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span>

The 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 44th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 21st modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 9, 1992, and ended on November 15, 1992. Independent owner/driver Alan Kulwicki of AK Racing won the Winston Cup championship.

The 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 43rd of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 20th modern-era Cup Season. It began February 10 and ended November 17. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing won his fifth Winston Cup championship at the conclusion of the season. The season was marred by the death of driver and team owner J. D. McDuffie, who was killed in a wreck at Watkins Glen.

The 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 41st season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 18th modern-era Cup season. It began February 12 and ended November 19. Rusty Wallace of Blue Max Racing won the championship. This was the first year that every Winston Cup race had flag to flag coverage, with almost all of them being televised live.

The 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 40th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 17th modern-era Cup series. The season began on February 7 at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 20 at the Atlanta International Speedway. Bill Elliott of Melling Racing won the championship.

The 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 39th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 16th modern-era cup series. The season began on February 8 and ended on November 22. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing won the championship for the third time.

The 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 38th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 15th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on February 16 and ended November 16. Dale Earnhardt of RCR Enterprises won his second championship this year.

The 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 31st season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 8th modern-era Cup series. It began on Sunday, January 14, and ended on Sunday, November 18. Richard Petty won his seventh and final Winston Cup championship, winning by 11 points over Darrell Waltrip. Dale Earnhardt was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

In motorsports, a tire war occurs when more than one manufacturer provides tires for a motorsports series. Historically, tire wars have occurred in many high-level series, such as Formula One, NASCAR, Super GT, and MotoGP.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fielden, Greg (2007). NASCAR The Complete History. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, Ltd. p. 210.
  2. 1 2 3 Schaefer, A.R. (2005). The History of NASCAR. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. pp. 5–6.
  3. ↑ Mitchell, Jason, "How Do They Do That?: Winston Cup Point System", Stock Car Racing (ISSN 0734-7340), Volume 36, Number 10, October 2001.
  4. ↑ Fielden, Greg. NASCAR Chronicle. Publications International, Ltd., Lincolnwood, Illinois, USA, 2006. p. 36.
  5. 1 2 Caldwell, Dave. "20 Forgotten Details From A July 4 Firecracker Of A NASCAR Race". Forbes.
  6. 1 2 3 Fielden, Greg (2007). NASCAR The Complete History. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, Ltd. pp. 290–291.
  7. ↑ "Name changes slated for Grand National, LMS series". The Gaffney Ledger . October 30, 1985. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2019– via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 Bruce, Kenny (September 29, 2016). "How the tire war was won at North Wilkesboro". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Doremus, Kraig (January 15, 2018). "Tire Wars, Innovation Highlight Goodyear's Relationship with NASCAR". Front Office Sport. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "Historical Motorsports Stories: Tire Wars! Goodyear vs Hoosier". Racing-Reference.com. July 14, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Historical Motorsports Stories: Tire Wars! NASCAR's Asphalt Battlefield". Racing-Reference.com. May 15, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  12. 1 2 Schaefer, A.R. (2005). Dale Earnhardt Jr. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. p. 18.
  13. ↑ Autoracing1.com Archived September 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine "NASCAR's Greatest Moments – Part 3" Retrieved March 12, 2009
  14. ↑ Fielden, Greg (2007). NASCAR The Complete History. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, Ltd. p. 364.
  15. ↑ Fielden, Greg (2007). NASCAR The Complete History. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, Ltd. p. 365.
  16. ↑ Fielden, Greg (2007). NASCAR The Complete History. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International Ltd. p. 367.
  17. ↑ Hinton, Ed (29 October 2003). "Pontiac pulled from NASCAR". Chicago Tribune.
  18. ↑ Howell, Mark (1997). From Moonshine to Madison Avenue: A Cultural History of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. pp. 182–183.
  19. ↑ DarlingtonRaceway.com [ permanent dead link ] "Darlington Legends: Million Dollar Bill" Retrieved 7/5/09
  20. ↑ TheAutoChannel.com Archived February 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine "Winston to Substitute "No Bull 5" for "Winston Million"" Retrieved 7/5/09
  21. ↑ Forbes.com Archived June 2, 2022, at the Wayback Machine "NASCAR Pulls into Prime Time" Retrieved August 22, 2009
  22. ↑ Dutton, Monte (2003). Postcards from Pit Road : inside NASCAR's 2002 season. Brassey's Inc. ISBN   1574885685. OCLC   51222191.
  23. ↑ Daly, Steve (June 19, 2006). "Meet the Mater". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Conheça os atores de Carros" (in Portuguese). Fast Driver. June 29, 2006. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2012.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  25. ↑ Benson, Michael (2002). Dale Earnhardt. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers. p. 60.
  26. ↑ Menzer, Joe (2001). The Wildest Ride: A History of NASCAR. Simon & Schuster. p. 322.
  27. ↑ NASCAR (2024) https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2024/02/25/results-cup-series-2024-atlanta-motor-speedway-1-race-recap/.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ↑ Schaefer, A.R. (2004). The Daytona 500. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press. p. 24.
  29. ↑ "Reliving the end of an era: The last Winston Cup season". Winston Cup Museum. 29 March 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.