NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers Appear in Unusual Place on TV

Yesterday morning, at 10:00, I was sitting in my trusty recliner watching a TVLand cable channel re-run of an episode of the show "Frasier" filmed in 2002.

Brothers Frasier and Niles were in a Seattle, Washington bookstore when Niles suddenly spotted a woman he did not want to see him. He grabbed a large "coffeetable" book and buried his head in it.

When the camera panned behind him I did a double take and sat bolt upright in the chair. For just a brief moment I was looking at a two page photograph I well remembered. It was taken on September 6, 1997 by photographer Craig Jones for Allsport at the Richmond International Raceway fall NASCAR Winston Cup Series race won by Dale Jarrett. The photo, taken at dusk with a fish eye lens (I guess) appeared as a two-page spread on pages 64-65 in the Harper Horizon 1998 publication The Thunder of America, celebrating NASCAR's 1998 50th Anniversary season.

Although I have a copy, I hadn't looked at it in years. Funny thing is, I saw several folks with the book recently at the Memory Lane Museum function honoring Bud Moore, getting autographs in their copy. It contains many very rich photos and is a very nice publication.

What I like best about the book is that it has a 4-page foldout with photos and write ups of the drivers selected in 1998 as the best in the first 50 years of NASCAR.

By the way, when the television show character looked at the cover, he mumbled something about the book being about the heroes of N O SCAR. Before the total saturation we have today, we had to take NASCAR where we could get it.

I've tried to scan a few pages, including the RIR photo that got my attention. All of the pages are much too large for my scanner, but perhaps you'll get an idea. Enjoy.

Pretty cool. This reply might need to be separate forum post, but here goes anyway. The list of NASCAR's Fifty Greatest Drivers was released in 1998. I'm curious who from 1998 through today could displace someone on that original list.

I was going to suggest Jeff Gordon from the jump - until I realized he made the cut back then. What? He was only in his 5th season!! OK, so on I go. Three shoo-ins for me are:

• Jimmie Johnson
• Matt Kenseth
• Tony Stewart

On the fence are:

• Kevin Harvick
• Kyle Busch
• Jeff Burton
• Ahhhhh Kurt Busch ... there I said. Kyle still has some upside. I think Kurt's goose is cooked.

But if any of these guys make the cut, who has to fall off the Top 50?

• Neil Bonnett?
• Davey Allison because of career brevity?
• A.J. Foyt because of limited starts in NASCAR?
• Tiny Lund? Ehh, not sure. Influence wasn't in Cup as much - but it was in other NASCAR series.

Who to can from the 1998 list of all-time 50 Greatest NASCAR drivers would be quite a task, especially for that group who votes for the NASCAR HOF and appears to have never heard of most early drivers or drivers from any division other than Cup.

I'd hate to have to pick any of that earlier group to displace. Maybe we just need a Top-100 and be more inclusive of the non-Cup series through the years.

DF - PKL - Cop outs! Ha ha.

That's the beauty of this forum. Make up our own rules. Kind of like RR's own version of NASCAR's oft-invoked EIRI. Didn't say it was going to be easy.

Great storys & pictures.

My drivers are -------Rex White--------David Pearson---------and a few more---------------------------

Thanks

Harlow Reynolds

Lynchburg,Va.

Chase, as the old beach music song played last week on the Goat Rodeo said, "I've been hurt.... hurt.... hurt..."

Rarely have I been accused of copping out! Usually I'm simply accused of having the wrong opinion. Ask my wife!

HA HA

What was it Dale Sr said about kerosene rags and ankles?

All of those top 50 from 1998 should be in the hall TODAY. There are two or three in the list that seem to be pandering to the then current fans, but I'll let them pass.

It may be too early for the next 50, but it's been fifteen years since that list. We ought to be able to come up with at least seven to add. I would definitely add Stewart, and you have to add Jimmy Johnson. JJ may not be universally loved, and the chase may be a crock, but I don't see anyone else racking up even two in a row.

I'm not ready to pull the trigger on Kenseth although I respect him a great deal and would have liked him to win the championship this year.

I still believe in Kyle, but it's too soon for him as well.

I think Harvick gets by on sentiment as the successor to Dale. He wouldn't make my list. Likewise, I haven't bought into the Kahne hype.

Jeff Burton is very good but I'd take his brother first because I like the way Ward talks.

Keselowski looks like a candidate, as do Hamlin and Cousin Carl. And nobody's mentioned Junior yet? It won't be me.

It surprises me that few names have arisen since 1998. A few I thought to add (Martin, Labonte) are already on the old list.

Harlow, you are the man! Did you know Rex White is not even on the list of 100 names being considered for the HOF in Charlotte? I find that absolutely unacceptable. What are those people thinking?

Thanks for scanning, Dave. Kind of off-topic I guess but the cute brunette to the left of Herschel looks very similar to Patricia Richardson of 'Home Improvement' TV show fame. Wonder if it could be her before TV.

Very possible, considering the shot is from a west coast venue.