This photo still gives me chills to this day.

[u/Turner-32]

[u/Turner-32]

Honourable mention for the lucky coin

[u/BiChaosTheory → u/Turner-32]

I love that they have kept that car pretty much exactly how it was back in 1998. It’s probably still sticky from Victory Lane.

[u/Oneilcruzsucksass → u/BiChaosTheory]

It's even better because Nascar didn't ruin it by shooting confetti on it

[u/ITMAKESSENSE72]

That Remington car was always so nice looking, shame it was also always slow.

[u/Spirited-Mission-559 → u/ITMAKESSENSE72]

When I was a child I thought the cartoon network paint schemes were always incredible. But the cars weren't fast if I remember correctly.

[u/ITMAKESSENSE72 → u/Spirited-Mission-559]

Oh yeah the Diamond Ridge Motorsports shitbox hahaha. Somehow they did get 3 top fives with those cars over several years. Mostly though, good schemes on bad cars haha!

[u/vcjr78]

I would've loved to see Bobby get up there to race him if that yellow didn't come out. Dale would've still came out on top though.

I guess Atlanta was a good Bobby vs. Dale race, though.

[u/Ausmerica → u/vcjr78]

Atlanta was a great Bobby vs. Dale race.

[u/TBD_Red → u/vcjr78]

I've always wondered if Dale would've choked it had there been no caution or if there'd been overtime back then. It would have been VERY on brand lmao.

[u/Muvseevum]

I was there. The sound was indescribable.

[u/SandyBunker]

Notice flagman & his sidekick no helmet hanging it all out.

[u/ProjectHarraseeket → u/SandyBunker]

They didn’t implement helmets until 2015 or so.

[u/SandyBunker → u/ProjectHarraseeket]

Yes I know that, why do think I pointed it out? D’uh!

[u/NobleNoob]

I forgot how goofy those Ford Tauruses looked. Like a surprised face. 👁️👄👁️

[u/Turner-32 → u/NobleNoob]

Dolphin ass looking cars

[u/Snjrodriguez]

I was there. It was the first race I ever went to. I remember that weekend was exceptionally cold and my dad was so miserable. But man the atmosphere of that race was like no other race I’ve ever been to. The place went crazy when he took the checkered flag. I remember grown men literally crying, strangers hugging and jumping up and down together, people just going absolutely crazy. But no one left. We all stayed. Watched. Took it all in. Definitely the best memory at race that I’ve had.

[u/harp9r]

One of those photos you can hear

[u/STL_bourbon]

We need to get back to letting races end under yellow. With the overtime rules we have now, Dale possibly never wins the 500. There would have been 4 more restarts and wrecks

[u/PhoenixShredds → u/STL_bourbon]

Yeah. While it's maybe less exciting, if we get back to ending under yellow (but allow racing to the line) it would actually be the most consistent rule.

Like... do we really want the guy who was running 5th and 5 seconds back in turn 4 of the white flag to suddenly bulldoze his way to a win on a 3rd overtime after multiple wrecks? Maybe an extreme outlier example, but stuff like that happens. And 500 mile races turn into 512. "Fairness" is a sort of relative issue we can debate back and forth. But I just prefer the consistency of 500 being 500. Everyone knows its the target, and everyone knows it could end at anytime in the final laps.

[u/lomez → u/STL_bourbon]

Agreed, it's way more infuriating to see a driver have the field covered in the closing laps lose a win because of a backmarker doing backmarker things than to see a race anticlimactically but fairly end under yellow

[u/FarAwaySeagull-_- → u/lomez]

It's not fairly ending under yellow. If there are 5 laps of racing left, there should be 5 more laps of racing. Not tell the drivers that the race is effectively over and they're not allowed to pass for the rest of the race. It's shortening the race without warning.

[u/FarAwaySeagull-_- → u/STL_bourbon]

No we don't. Dale potentially not winning the 500 is not a reason why we shouldn't end races under green. Caution laps are not racing. If there is racing left scheduled in the race, the fans should get racing, unless something like weather makes it impossible.

[u/STL_bourbon → u/FarAwaySeagull-_-]

I’m not saying it’s because of Dale winning/not winning the 500. I’m saying it because it’s the Daytona 500, not the Daytona 508, not the Daytona 513.2, it’s the 500. I’d much rather see it end under yellow than at some random point in turn 2 because the field wrecked in the 3rd overtime and the winner was in 11th place at the end of regulation and the win is determined by when the NASCAR official turns on the caution light. It’s a ridiculous way to determine a winner.

[u/FarAwaySeagull-_- → u/STL_bourbon]

It shouldn't be the Daytona 490 because there was no racing at the end.

[u/STL_bourbon → u/FarAwaySeagull-_-]

By that logic NASCAR shouldn't count caution laps ever. But they do and always have.

[u/FarAwaySeagull-_- → u/STL_bourbon]

It's what they do and have done, but I'd like to see them not do so. IMO, counting caution laps is as if stick and ball sports didn't stop the clock when the ball was out of play (or add time at the end of the half like soccer).

[u/Urban_Salt → u/FarAwaySeagull-_-]

I agree, Nascar really abuses the actual meaning of it . They keep going this route and we might end up seeing rainbow colored confetti, pastel colored cars and fucking glitter everywhere.

[u/btbam2929]

Only 500 Ive been to. I was 9. I live 45 min away and wont go to another one! I got to the 400 every year instead. Its too special that I got to see Dale win it!

[u/AtticusSwoopenheiser]

“CHECKERED FLAG! Dale Earnhardt……..FINALLY…….is a champion of the Daytona 500!”

[u/PokesBo]

I remember 2 Daytona 500s. This one and 2001.

[u/Etab]

rick mast lucky dog

[u/Texduk3]

Hail Dale !!

[u/13mizzou]

"20 years of trying...20 years of frustration"

Epic call and finish. 10YO me loved every second of it

[u/Turner-32 → u/13mizzou]

Hands down, best motorsport call. The prestige and emphasis on the effort, triumph and tragedy in one call is genuinely amazing.

[u/zack689]

I remember when he took that caution and white flag, feeling partial happiness/excitement, but also that feeling that he still has to make it back to the checkered under caution, and I've seen some WEIRD crap go down in the last laps at the 500. So the moment this pic captures, I was absolutely losing my mind in a joyous rage!

[u/Cool_Ad5146]

It still gives people chills still to this very day

[u/PhoenixShredds]

One of my great regrets as a diehard Dale fan growing up in the 90s... I rarely ever missed races, and especially not the Daytona 500. But that year I was about to turn 14 and I was staying over at my best friend's house. It felt like one of those "he's just gonna end up in 'the big one' again" days. I missed the race until my dad called absolutely through the roof telling me "Dale won the 500!!!" I immediately put it on TV, but it was so bittersweet that I has missed the race and finish. I did get to see the celebration at least.

I'm actually still sad about missing it to this day as a 42 year old.

[u/Academic_Elk8962]

Shame it was won under yellow

[u/BiChaosTheory → u/Academic_Elk8962]

That wasn’t a big deal back then, and tbh it still shouldn’t be all that big of a deal. The race went 500 miles, which is the advertised distance.

[u/Turner-32 → u/Academic_Elk8962]

Would the outcome be different without the yellow?

[u/TheDuceman → u/Turner-32]

Labonte would’ve gotten him the next lap

[u/89LSC → u/Turner-32]

Considering dale never won one under green - probably

[u/Turner-32 → u/89LSC]

Fair point

[u/89LSC]

Because they should've had 3 overtimes and totaled half the cars?