Throwdowns > Closed

Outlaw... said 02/14, 09:41 PM
1. The death of Dale Earnhardt

After Dale died, NASCAR implemented a lot of safety rules to protect the drivers that should have been in place for a long time. Safer barriers, required use of a Haans or Hutchinson devise, etc. The sport changed tremendously after Dale passed on, some for the better, some for the worse.

2. The finish of the 1959 Daytona 500.

This was the first race at the Daytona Super Speedway, everybody told Bill France that the track was too big, and it wouldn't work and the racing wouldn't be exciting. At the end of the race we had a photo finish that took 3 days to determine Lee Petty won, and everybody knew Daytona was a success. Over 50 years later, and it's still the main attraction.

3. The finish of the 1979 Daytona 500.

The first nationally televised NASCAR race. Donnie Allison and Cale Yarlborough crash on the last lap while running one two, then they get inton a fight. NASCAR has been nationally televised ever since.

Good luck, changing the order is perfectly fine.

Outlaw... said 02/15, 06:49 PM
Really, the COT was an idea that was developed off the track by NASCAR heads and engineers. Yeah it is used on the track, and the driver's use it, but the Car of Tomorrow isn't a moment that happened on the track.

In fact, it wasn't a moment, it was something being developed over several years.

If not for the 59 Daytona 500, the 79 Daytona 500 wouldn't have happened, and chances are NASCAR would either be long gone or still only a regional sport with no national exposure.

Everybody told France that the speedway was too big, and it wouldn't work, and he was risking too much money on what was pretty much an experiment.

The experiment worked, and one of the best finishes in NASCAR history happened, which proved the success of Bill France's idea of the Daytona 500 and the Super Speedway.

Had this race been a dull race, and the finish wasn't great, there would have been a possibility that Daytona would go back to racing on the beach.

This was the first ever Daytona 500, and it was the start of the main attraction in NASCAR today.

Dale's death over the 79 Daytona 500 next.

Outlaw... said 02/16, 07:34 PM
You're stretching it here.

Yeah, Daytona being built didn't happen on the track, but the finish of the first Daytona 500 did, and the fact that the finish and the race was so good, it showed the the idea of the Super Speedway worked out, and really was a huge stepping stone for NASCAR, who might have still been racing on beaches and dirt tracks if the finish of the 59 Daytona 500 hadn't have been so good.

The 79 500 was a big stepping stone for NASCAR as well, but it doesn't hold a candle to how Dale Sr's death changed the sport.

If Dale hadn't died, drivers might still be out there with no restraining devises and wearing open faced helmets.

Most would say that Dale's death lead to the development of the COT, as NASCAR was trying to make the cars safer, and the COT is much safer than the old body styles.

NASCAR changed drastically in the years after Dale died, some of the safety requirements were good, other restrictions were bad.

Either way, Dale Sr's death is hands down number 1.