'Have you had enough yet?'" Stewart recalled
Stock Car Racing History
This is how memories survive --- You write about them !!
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Stock Car Racing History
'Have you had enough yet?'" Stewart recalled
Stock Car Racing History
This I think is a tribute to the great drivers we have in Nascar,past and present.And as you read it you will see who Tony admires
#20 looks on the track during the Cracker Barrel 500, part of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Mandatory Credit: Jon Ferrey /Allsport/Getty Images Dale Earnhardt (Photo by Allen Kee/WireImage/Getty Images)"> Editor's note: This column originally appeared in 2014 as a tribute to the late Dale Earnhardt and his enduring legacy.
What's it like running the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same day? In a word, it's brutal.
And no one knows that better than Tony Stewart , who did it twice, in 1999 and 2001.
During Stewart's first shot at the double, in his rookie season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, he found that out.
Dale Earnhardt was not much for small talk. But when the man known as "The Intimidator" let his actions speak for him, those actions spoke volumes.
"You knew when he said things that the words he used weren't necessarily what the message was he was trying to convey to you," said Stewart, who was a friend of Earnhardt's. "He had that wink in his eye, he had that grin. That said a lot of words without ever opening his mouth."
It was in Stewart's first attempt at completing the double that Earnhardt lent him a big hand in a time of need.
The date was May 30, 1999. It was a big day: In addition to Stewart's attempt at the double, the Coke 600 also was Dale Earnhardt Jr .'s first Sprint Cup start.
Stewart's day began in his home state of Indiana, where he finished ninth in the Indy 500. Immediately after the race, he hopped onto a Joe Gibbs Racing private jet, which flew him to Concord, N.C. From there, he took a helicopter to the infield of Charlotte Motor Speedway. After he landed, he walked across the infield and other drivers came up to him, shook his hand and congratulated him on his Indy run.
When Stewart got to Earnhardt, the seven-time champion didn't just shake Stewart's hand. He put one arm around Stewart's waist and lifted him clear off the ground, rubbing the top of his head with his other hand. It looked to all the world as if some proud father was lifting up his son after hitting the game-winning home run in a Little League game. Stewart's jaw dropped and he clearly was shocked.
Earnhardt set him down and walked away without saying a word.
That night was a typical late May evening in Charlotte, with stifling temperatures and suffocating humidity. The cockpits of the cars were brutally hot for NASCAR's longest race. Jeff Burton , driving the No. 99 Roush Racing Ford, won the marathon ahead of Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin .
Stewart finished fourth, Earnhardt sixth and Earnhardt Jr. 16th. For the day, Stewart raced 1,090 out of a possible 1,100 miles, earning top 10s in both races, a truly remarkable feat given that he was a rookie Cup racer.
But Stewart paid a terrible price physically. He got sick in his Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac at one point and when the grueling 600-mile Cup race concluded, he pulled up to the gas pumps behind pit road and collapsed in his car.
"Obviously, I didn't understand the importance of nutrition and all that at the time," Stewart said. "I felt really rough after the race. I was just tired. I didn't have any nutrition during the day, and my body was out of gas. I just sat there with a cold, wet towel. I was out of energy."
And then Earnhard Out of nowhere, The Intimidator walked up to Stewart's car, which was mobbed by photographers, crew members and NASCAR officials. Without saying a word, the crowd somehow sensed Earnhardt's presence and stepped aside as the seven-time champion approached.
"I just was sitting there, and as I started getting out of the car, I got grabbed," Stewart said. "And that wakes you up right away, when somebody grabs you real abruptly like that. And you turn around and you see Dale and you see the grin on his face."
Earnhardt gently sat Stewart down at the edge of his car, slapped him lightly on the face, bent down and whispered something in Stewart's ear.
"The first thing out of his mouth is, 'Have you had enough yet?'" Stewart recalled .
"I told him, 'I think that's all I've got for one day.'"
And just like that Earnhardt turned and walked away. Gone.
But Stewart always will remember what Earnhardt did, an act of simple human kindness in pulling him out of the car and Earnhardt's nonverbal display, showing Stewart how much he respected what the rookie had done that day.
Actions, not words, were Earnhardt's style. No flowery speeches, just a quiet act that spoke more in a few seconds than any words could ever say.
Stewart definitely got the message.
"I'd built a pretty good relationship with him in a short amount of time, and for him to come up and respect what I was doing that day, for him to come up and acknowledge that, that really meant the world to me," Stewart said.
"He showed me how much he cared about me as a person. You always knew where you stood with him. In a situation like that, if he didn't like you, he wasn't going to come up and do that. It really made me have a sense of pride knowing that he cared enough about how my day went and how I felt after that race, that he came up to me. Basically, without flat saying it, he gave me a hug and said, 'Good job.'"
Tom Jenson "Fox Sports"
updated by @johnny-mallonee: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
Patrick Reynolds and Motor Week LIVE win Four more Awards.
-RacersReunion® RADIO
And the sky is only a new dimension Jeff. Just think !!
WHO IS GOING TO WIN THE 600
Stock Car Racing History
Well no one pick Cusin Carl. Guess he was marked off as a has been. Fooled a bunch of people too !! chalk one up for the coach !
WHO IS GOING TO WIN THE 600
Stock Car Racing History
WOW -- its gonna be a short crowd of drivers if this is the preferred list of winners !!
WHO IS GOING TO WIN THE 600
Stock Car Racing History
Nothing elaborate on this one --- just name who you think will win the 600 
updated by @johnny-mallonee: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
Kahne's winning JR Motorsports truck fails postrace inspection
Current NASCAR
While Kasey Kahne captured a thrilling Camping World Truck Series victory over Erik Jones in a nailbiter finish on Friday night at Charotte Motor Speedway, all didn't end well for Kahne and his race-winning JR Motorsports team.
NASCAR announced after the race that Kahne's Chevrolet failed post-race inspection for being too low on both sides and for being too high in the right rear.
While the No. 00 JR Motorsports team likely will be penalized for the infractions, it is typically not NASCAR's policy to take away victories for issues in post-race inspection.
Kahne, a full-time Sprint Cup driver for Hendrick Motorsports, was making a cameo appearance in the JRM truck -- which is being driven in 10 races this season by young Cole Custer.
#00 Haas Automation Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 15, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)">
updated by @johnny-mallonee: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEWS ?
Current NASCAR
Kyle Busch surprised a lot of people Tuesday including himself in announcing that he'llreturn tothe racetrackSaturday for theNASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has beensidelined since the start of the seasonafter breaking his right leg and left foot in a wreck Feb. 21at Daytona.
I think it's a great race to come back to, Busch said.For one it's shorter. It's a nonpoints event.There's mandatory cautions after every 25 laps and whatnot, so it gives you an opportunity to take a breather, take a rest, whatever it may be.That will allow me to make adjustments to myself as well as being behind the wheel of the 2015 Camry for the first time because I haven't had an opportunity to race at all in this aero package.
updated by @johnny-mallonee: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
WHO JEFF GORDON THINKS IS THE BEST DRIVER
Stock Car Racing History
"Gee, that's a tough one. Oh, man."Whew. Man, oh man, oh man," said Gordon, shaking his head.
I feel like (Dale) Earnhardt was the best restrictor-plate driver I ever raced against," Gordon said. "I think that Rusty (Wallace) is probably one of the best short-track drivers I ever raced against, and I'd throw Mark Martin in there as somebody overall, all the way around. Just a great race-car driver."
I mean, Jimmie (Johnson) is probably the best overall that I've ever seen," said Gordon of his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and the six-time series champion. "And I can say that because I drive race cars that come from the same organization. I'm teammates with him, and so I go through the debriefs and the meetings and the discussions and look at the setups and then go see what they do. And, of course, the wins and the championships tell a lot of it, too, so I would say he's probably the best overall." Now what do you folks think???
updated by @johnny-mallonee: 12/16/16 07:54:05AM
Can you say Junior
Current NASCAR
Looked like a Steam engine on the cool down lap.. maybe that was what helped him to the win. But he was one happy camper after the win..