If you think Juan Pablo Montoya wrecking while the caution flag was displayed at Daytona was unusual, think again.
I have always conceded the title of bonehead moves during the yellow flag to Buddy Baker , son of the late Grand National Champion, Buck Baker . I recall Buddy wrecking several times during the yellow flag while in position to win the race.
This interesting 2010 column by Tom Higgins confirmed my memory.
Mistakes that cost them the race
TOM HIGGINS SCUFFS
Thursday, Jun. 24, 2010
Marcos Ambrose has big-name company in NASCAR's unofficial "Behemoth Blunder Department."
Immediately coming to mind are Richard Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Buddy Baker, Terry Labonte and Darrell Waltrip.
Ambrose, as most Cup Series fans are aware by now, essentially gave away victory Sunday at Infineon Raceway in California. While leading under caution in the waning laps on the road course, the Tasmanian began flipping off his car's ignition switch in order to coast and conserve fuel.
The last time he did so the engine initially failed to refire, and Ambrose's car came to a stop. By the time he got going again four drivers had passed him, led by eventual winner Jimmie Johnson.
The colorful, popular Ambrose, who had appeared a certain winner for the first time, finished a heart-breaking sixth.
Baker knows the feeling.
While running at Texas World Speedway, where NASCAR staged seven races at the Cup Series level from 1969-81, Big Buddy once seemed to have Victory Lane awaiting him.
But a crash while under caution took him out of contention. He ran into James Hylton on the frontstretch.
"We didn't have radio communication between the cars and the pits in those days," recalls Baker. "I momentarily took my eyes off the track to try and read a message the crew was giving me on a big chalk board.
"Hylton was going a bit slower than me, and I hit him."
The chalked message?
"You've Got It Made!"
Somewhat similarly, a wreck while under yellow spoiled the chances of Baker, Labonte and Joe Ruttman in a 1980s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
The three tangled and tore up their cars on what was then the backstretch. Neither could explain what went wrong.
"It was like an invisible hand came out from the wall and smacked us together," said Labonte, a two-time Cup Series champion, who appeared to lose control first.
The speedway nicknamed "The Lady In Black" because of its many weird incidents dating, had struck again.
Among Darlington's strangest involved the superstar combination of driver David Pearson and his Wood Brothers team.
In the 1979 Rebel 500 Pearson looked to be rolling to another triumph at the South Carolina track he dominated.
But a fateful pit stop took place on the 302nd of the race's 367 laps.
The crew was completing its service by tightening the left side lug nuts.
Pearson thought he heard crew chief Leonard Wood shout "Go!" David, known as "The Silver Fox" due to his savvy, sped away.
But Leonard had said "Whoa!" The lugs weren't yet secured.
At the end of pit road the left side wheels literally ran off. And the famous No. 21 maroon and white Mercury was out of the race.
Two days later team owner Glen Wood announced a split with Pearson.
It was a sad, stunning end for one of the most famous pairings in NASCAR history. Pearson and the Woods had won 29 superspeedway races since getting together in 1972.
Back at Darlington just jut five months later in '79 Waltrip experienced his boneheaded blunder.
Darrell held a lap lead on the field on the 298th of 367 circuits in the Southern 500. Suddenly the driver that had put on a powerful performance was in the wall.
"I let myself get distracted by a much slower car," conceded Waltrip. "It was a huge mistake."
Waltrip rallied and was running a close second when he again slammed the wall just 10 laps later.
This time the culprit was a tire, possibly cut by damage to the car from the first incident.
The winner, in a storybook development, was Pearson, who had experienced such embarrassment at the track in April. Waltrip finished 11th, 12 laps behind.
Dave Marcis scored a "gift" victory at Richmond Raceway in February of 1982, courtesy of Petty and some other top stars.
On the 244th of a scheduled 400 laps the luckless Ruttman blew a tire and hit the fourth turn wall. He had led for the previous 39 laps and appeared to have by far he strongest car.
Although the sky was darkening ominously and a heavy storm loomed to the south, Petty and other frontrunners including Benny Parsons and Earnhardt swept into the pits. In fact, every driver ahead of Marcis pitted.
"I couldn't believe it when I saw them going in, especially Richard," recalls Marcis. "He's the smartest driver I've ever known. It was obvious rain was coming."
It did. Hard.
NASCAR allowed five more laps under caution, then ordered a red flag with Marcis leading. Not long afterward, the race was declared official with 250 laps completed.
Marcis had scored the fifth and final victory of a career spanning four decades.
"I knew it was going to rain," Dave says with a grin. "I guess the other guys weren't such good weathermen."
Yarborough's error unforgettably came on July 4th in 1984 as the Firecracker 400 concluded at Daytona International Speedway.
With President Ronald Reagan watching, Doug Heveron flipped in the frontstretch on the 157th lap of 160.
The caution flag waved. Under rules of that time, drivers could race back to the line under yellow. Leaders Petty and Yarborough battled abreast to get back to the line first. Both knew there was no chance of getting under green again. Victory was at stake.
As the two roared through the trioval their cars scrubbed fenders. Sparks and smoke flew.
Petty got to the line ahead by a foot or so, securing his 200th triumph.
Yarborough, adrenaline gushing at the exciting duel, lost track of the laps run.
Cale came down pit road on the 159th lap, headed to the garage. His crew frantically waved him to keep going. Yarborough sped back onto the track, but he had lost a position. Yarborough's boo-boo created a dandy NASCAR trivia question: Who finished second as King Richard scored No. 200?
Most answer Yarborough because of he and Petty charging to the line side-by-side.
However, the runnerup was Harry Gant. Yarborough fell to third.
Through the years, even stock car racing's finest have fallen victim to enormous errors.
But none, until the unfortunate Ambrose, ever cut off an engine to coast while going UPHILL!
Read more here: http://www.thatsracin.com/2010/06/24/39227/mistakes-that-cost-them-the-race.html#storylink=cpy
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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM
