DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series tradition in its 22nd year, the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge has racked up standout moments since its 1985 debut.
One stands alone in media minds: Dale Earnhardt’s “Pass in the Grass” of Bill Elliott in the 1987 all-star race. Executed in the infield along Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s frontstretch, it gave Earnhardt the first of three all-star victories and has been selected as the top moment in all-star history.
A total of 56 votes were cast; voting began May 15 and ended May 18. Each of the 10 all-star moments received 10 points for first place, nine points for second place, eight points for third place, seven points for fourth place, six points for fifth place, five points for sixth place, four points for seventh place, three points for eighth place, two points for ninth place and one point for 10th.
Earnhardt’s “Pass in the Grass” received 489 points and 20 first-place votes – only 10 more points than the second-place moment: Davey Allison’s victory in the 1992 all-star event, where he, Kyle Petty and Earnhardt battled on the final lap for the win. Earnhardt spun coming off Turn 3; Petty and Allison continued to duel as Allison ducked under Petty for the victory. Contact between the two cars sent Allison’s into an LMS wall, and the driver to the hospital instead of Victory Lane.
The third-place all-star moment is equally memorable – Rusty Wallace’s spin of Darrell Waltrip during the final two laps of the 1989 all-star event. Wallace won, drawing both fans’ and Waltrip’s ire. This moment received 406 points and three first-place votes.
Rounding out the top five most memorable NASCAR all-star moments is Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s 2000 victory. This fourth-place moment received 283 points and four first-place votes. Fifth is Michael Waltrip’s 1996 all-star victory. He made the field by finishing fifth in the qualifying event prior to the all-star race. At that time, the top-five finishers in the qualifying race qualified for the all-star race. Waltrip, the final qualifier, went on to win the all-star event. This moment received 272 points and one first-place vote.
The rest of the top 10 most memorable NASCAR NEXTEL All Star Challenges follow:
Sixth place – Darrell Waltrip’s victory in the inaugural all-star event in 1985.
Seventh place – Jeff Gordon’s 1997 victory in “T-Rex,” a specially engineered car that also sported a dinosaur-embellished paint scheme. NASCAR requested T-Rex’s retirement following the event.
Eighth place – Geoffrey Bodine’s 1994 win. Bodine had purchased the equipment of the late Alan Kulwicki’s race team. Following his all-star victory, he drove a Polish (counter-race) victory lap in tribute to the 1992 series champion, who was killed in an April 1, 1993 plane crash.
Ninth place – Mark Martin’s 1998 victory, his first of two, to-date, all-star victories. Martin beat Jeff Gordon, who ran out of gas on the final lap.
10th place – Dale Earnhardt’s 1990 victory; he led all 70 laps en route to his second all-star win.
