One Single Race Stands As a Defining Moment in NASCAR History

*Author's note: This race was referred to in the last column to run in this space, commemorating the death 19 years ago of Davey Allison. If you have never seen this race in its entirety, you'd be well served to do so. It was 20 years ago, and those of us lucky enough to see it still remember it well.

Every once in a while, something occurs in life that forever alters its course, though we are not always aware of that at the time it happens. It might be a chance meeting with the person with whom you will eventually spend a lifetime, or the loss of a job, only to be offered a far more rewarding one in its place. It’s called a defining moment and history is full of such moments; the shot heard round the world; a date that will live in infamy, etc.

Looking at NASCAR as it is today, there was definitely such a defining moment; one that served to usher out the old and bring in the new in many different ways. It was the final race of the 1992 season at Atlanta International Raceway, and to my mind, it has always stood out as a shining example of all that a race can be. During the race and even more so after the conclusion, there was standing ovation following standing ovation from the fans in the stands, as each driver was interviewed. The sad parts would come later, in the year that followed, but for that one day, we fans were privileged to watch the best race ever run in NASCAR.