When Petty retired, it had been 6 years since his last win, and his average finishes were like 20th or worse. When Earnhardt died, he was still a contender, still running up front with the guys!
I felt he was the 2001 title favorite. Seeing how well Harvick ran, plus it being a relatively weak year overall (look at Jeff Gordon's stats compared to earlier Gordon, Jarrett or even Labonte) I think title #8 was in the bag.
Dale finished and in points in 2000 and was getting better and a favorite for 2001 championship. I was he was around because nascar would be so much better off and he would rip the idea of a chase or playoffs and the fans would side d with dale.
Earnhardts death served a larger purpose. The sport would have changed regardless if he liked it or not and he'd have had to evolve with it or get left behind.
@@rdtworld9720 god rest his soul, but man had Dale been just a little more considerate about his safety & wore a safer helmet he might still would be here
Back then, I was a huge Bobby Labonte fan (still am, technically), and my brother-in-law lived and breathed Dale Earnhardt. We had a friendly rivalry going on about it, imagine us watching this finish. Bobby would go on to win the championship that season. For Christmas, my brother-in-law gave me a framed picture of a dejected-looking Bobby with the caption "I just got lucky." The first race of the following season was Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash. My brother-in-law took down all his Earnhardt posters, and NASCAR was never the same after that for either of us. Meanwhile, having just come off the 2000 Winston Cup and the most respected driver in the garage dying in an accident, I would give practically anything to know what was going on in Bobby's head after that. He was never the same, either.
That was smart driving by Earnhardt. He knew how good the runs Labonte was getting off the high line were, so on the last lap, he took it away. He sacrificed track position, allowed Labonte to get alongside, knowing that he would have the run on Labonte going to the line. I still have to remind myself that Earnhardt was 48 YEARS OLD when he won this!! He was so great for so long. Consistency was his trademark.
@@NoNameNo.5 look at the way Harvick ran in that car, as a rookie with no prior cup experience in 2001. Earnhardt would’ve given Gordon a run for his money. Could’ve been fun.
This finish is electrifying. The energy of the fans in the jam packed grandstands and knowing that this was NASCAR’s peak makes rewatching this that much more fascinating
One of the greatest finishes of all time, and it was between the top-2 guys in the points of that season. Amazing. Great driving by Earnhardt, great driving by Labonte, this is NASCAR racing at it's finest.
Bobby didn't win this race but he used to flat out own Atlanta and it actually started before they reconfigured it. But after they reconfigured it, he took his dominance to another level. He had 6 wins, 12 top 5's and 13 top 10's in 18 races from 1995-2003. His average finish was 10.6 and that is skewed by 4 bad finishes of 31, 43, 33 and 37. Take those 4 races out and is average finish is a mind blowing 2.4.
@@michaelfreeland2791 Yeah..9 times in what, 20 years ... Labonte had 6 wins in just 6 1/2 years. Not really a comparison. Labonte was the man at Atlanta.
One Of My Favorite Memories is Dale Battling Bobby Labonte for the Lead & the Win. The More they raced, the Louder I Cheered for Dale to Win. And When Dale Earnhardt beat Labonte by An Inch, I Went Crazy. It was That Race that Got Me hooked & It was that Race that I Became a Huge Fan Of Dale Earnhardt. From then On I Started Reading Every Book & magazine I Could find to Learn about The Earnhardt Family's Legacy. REST IN PEACE DALE! 12 Years Ago today.
I just have to say it. I used to be one of those douchebags who talked shit about Nascar and the people who watch it. But one day I caught this race on espn classic and became a believer. I can't even explain to my friends properly now why I like racing so much.... It's just dale man... it's just dale.
Anybody else see the back of Dales car jumping around coming off of 4? Bobby had the best car and would have smoked anybody else , lots of respect between these two.
These production based cars were so much better than this NASCAR dream car of today, these were drivers cars, made about 3 or 400 more horse power, had to use the engine each manufacturer produced and being sold to the public at the time, now everybody gets to use a detuned version of the Chevy engine.
It’s really something crazy reading the comments here and some date back to 11 years ago... just wild. Bobby was my favorite driver and you gotta appreciate the respect he had for Dale by racing him so damn clean at the end he easily could have pushed him into the fence, but Bobby wasn’t that kind of driver, and Dale usually didn’t rough this Labonte up either... haha can’t say the same about how Dale raced Terry tho hahahaha
Ray Evernham would fill-in for Ned Jarrett on the ABC televised races. Ned was already contracted to do the races on CBS and wasn't allowed to do the races on ABC.
@stormchaser34869 Marlin in the 40 Coors Light car is how most remember him though. I think between the 90's and about 2002 were the best most memorable paint schemes fro drivers
Was there with a labonte fan and I was a Jeff burton fan sitting in turn 4 stands n saw rear of cars go across line looked side by side n heard Earnhardt wins it over speaker. Was cold as sh&t with a wind of 25
I never have gotten how they couldn't tell who won this race until after they look at the scorin' monitors, but they could see who won the 2007 Daytona 500 & who won Darlington in 2003, oh well, this is one of the greatest races of all time, always will be, just Dale Earnhardt will always be the best there ever was in racin' #3 forever!
+thereal eht543 Hey Kyle is doing great things with that 18 car now. He just took home the championship, his first, Toyota's first, and the first Gibbs championship since Tony Stewart left the team.
Guy was still running for championships until his death .....1979 to 2001 always in it for a championship....if that’s not the best driver ever I don’t know what is
A lot of people don’t know the reason Dale Sr wore an open face helmet was so he could feel the draft better on his face. The man was an absolute master of drafting
true not ALL the time but most of the time and also if he did wreck people on higher than 1.5 miles it was because they were blocking him on last lap or if they cut him off
EMPiiRE 18 different leaders in this race with like 30 lead changes. It would take an entire season now to get those stats with the way the cars work now lol
go ask all the drivers who they think is the cleanest driver in the garage and half will say Bobby Labonte; Tell me one time Bobby spunout someone on purpose?
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
![2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 [24/25] (Finish--Victory Lane)](/img/1.gif)
When Petty retired, it had been 6 years since his last win, and his average finishes were like 20th or worse. When Earnhardt died, he was still a contender, still running up front with the guys!
I felt he was the 2001 title favorite. Seeing how well Harvick ran, plus it being a relatively weak year overall (look at Jeff Gordon's stats compared to earlier Gordon, Jarrett or even Labonte) I think title #8 was in the bag.
Dale finished and in points in 2000 and was getting better and a favorite for 2001 championship. I was he was around because nascar would be so much better off and he would rip the idea of a chase or playoffs and the fans would side d with dale.
Earnhardts death served a larger purpose. The sport would have changed regardless if he liked it or not and he'd have had to evolve with it or get left behind.
@@rdtworld9720 god rest his soul, but man had Dale been just a little more considerate about his safety & wore a safer helmet he might still would be here
That's because Dale Earnhardt had good cars.
Back then, I was a huge Bobby Labonte fan (still am, technically), and my brother-in-law lived and breathed Dale Earnhardt. We had a friendly rivalry going on about it, imagine us watching this finish. Bobby would go on to win the championship that season. For Christmas, my brother-in-law gave me a framed picture of a dejected-looking Bobby with the caption "I just got lucky." The first race of the following season was Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash. My brother-in-law took down all his Earnhardt posters, and NASCAR was never the same after that for either of us. Meanwhile, having just come off the 2000 Winston Cup and the most respected driver in the garage dying in an accident, I would give practically anything to know what was going on in Bobby's head after that. He was never the same, either.
A 500 mile race decided by less than 2 feet...amazing.
***** And unlike half of today's races, there was no late race "debris" caution to manufacture drama!
Bobby Labonte is without a doubt the cleanest driver in NASCAR.
This was *his* year 🏁🏁🏁🏁🏆💚
This was the first race I ever watched. I was 10 years old, and after this, I was hooked.
Same here dude. My stepfather had it on, I was 10 as well and I was sold.
I imagine your heartbreak later
@@sawchiefs29 I imagine your heartbreak later
That was smart driving by Earnhardt. He knew how good the runs Labonte was getting off the high line were, so on the last lap, he took it away. He sacrificed track position, allowed Labonte to get alongside, knowing that he would have the run on Labonte going to the line. I still have to remind myself that Earnhardt was 48 YEARS OLD when he won this!! He was so great for so long. Consistency was his trademark.
Think he woulda won an 8th Chip?
@@NoNameNo.5 No idea, but he was a title favorite in 2001 because of his strong season in 2000.
@@BlueSkyCrystals sadly he died in the very first race :(
@@NoNameNo.5 look at the way Harvick ran in that car, as a rookie with no prior cup experience in 2001. Earnhardt would’ve given Gordon a run for his money. Could’ve been fun.
@@PeteyJZ Harvick is a special talent though.
Dale's final Atlanta win, his last non restrictor plate win, and his last at any 1 and half mile track. Final win at Talladega later in 2000.
Stephen Holloway 2:44 Final Lap
I was at that race with a Bobby Labonte fan, was wild, cold and windy as sh#t.
I mean yea.. we all know that..
@@must9819 what do you you think of labonte so close to getting the win
I left that race a little early in 2000 at Dega to beat the traffic out…..wish i hadn’t 🤷♂️
Who is watching this in 2024 with the epic finish we just had?
I am! Support your local short track!
This finish is electrifying. The energy of the fans in the jam packed grandstands and knowing that this was NASCAR’s peak makes rewatching this that much more fascinating
One of the greatest finishes of all time, and it was between the top-2 guys in the points of that season. Amazing. Great driving by Earnhardt, great driving by Labonte, this is NASCAR racing at it's finest.
Bobby didn't win this race but he used to flat out own Atlanta and it actually started before they reconfigured it. But after they reconfigured it, he took his dominance to another level. He had 6 wins, 12 top 5's and 13 top 10's in 18 races from 1995-2003. His average finish was 10.6 and that is skewed by 4 bad finishes of 31, 43, 33 and 37. Take those 4 races out and is average finish is a mind blowing 2.4.
I really wanted him to win that race in 2005 against JJ, that was another amazing finish
Wait nevermind that was charlotte rip
Okay? Earnhardt won 9 times at Atlanta with alot of seconds. Wrap up race for championships when the presure was on.
That version of Atlanta is the Charlotte version, it looks like Charlotte Motorspeedway
@@michaelfreeland2791 Yeah..9 times in what, 20 years ... Labonte had 6 wins in just 6 1/2 years. Not really a comparison. Labonte was the man at Atlanta.
I was a Labonte guy but this was a hell of a finish even though he lost. Tip of the hat to both drivers.
Rest In Peace Bob
Miss the good race broadcasters.
One Of My Favorite Memories is Dale Battling Bobby Labonte for the Lead & the Win. The More they raced, the Louder I Cheered for Dale to Win. And When Dale Earnhardt beat Labonte by An Inch, I Went Crazy. It was That Race that Got Me hooked & It was that Race that I Became a Huge Fan Of Dale Earnhardt. From then On I Started Reading Every Book & magazine I Could find to Learn about The Earnhardt Family's Legacy. REST IN PEACE DALE! 12 Years Ago today.
I miss when espn showed old races
One of the greatest finishes of all time.
Hard to believe that this was over 20 years ago now...
RIP Bob Jenkins
I was there saw it live!!!! #3 forever!!
Earnhardt made a very smart move in going high in 3 and 4 and taking Bobby's line away from him.
I just have to say it. I used to be one of those douchebags who talked shit about Nascar and the people who watch it. But one day I caught this race on espn classic and became a believer. I can't even explain to my friends properly now why I like racing so much.... It's just dale man... it's just dale.
What a race and what a finish!! Thanks for posting this classic footage!!
Bobby Labonte was very good at creeping back up towards the leader with a few laps to go.
Anybody else see the back of Dales car jumping around coming off of 4? Bobby had the best car and would have smoked anybody else , lots of respect between these two.
What a finish! Dale's 75th and second-to-last victory.
This was the first NASCAR race I ever watched and I've been following it ever since. I became an Earnhardt fan after this finish. 3:20
Ha! This was the first race I ever watched, too. And what a great one it was for a bored 7-year-old (at the time) to watch.
This---and the next year by this team---both classic wins.
just got the 'dale' dvd, added bonus it has the full oct. 2000 talladega race. wow.
These production based cars were so much better than this NASCAR dream car of today, these were drivers cars, made about 3 or 400 more horse power, had to use the engine each manufacturer produced and being sold to the public at the time, now everybody gets to use a detuned version of the Chevy engine.
The car that Kevin Harvick got his first Winston cup start in
And i didn't knew Dale never liked Car. 51 when Harvick qualified Top 5 and won.
It’s really something crazy reading the comments here and some date back to 11 years ago... just wild. Bobby was my favorite driver and you gotta appreciate the respect he had for Dale by racing him so damn clean at the end he easily could have pushed him into the fence, but Bobby wasn’t that kind of driver, and Dale usually didn’t rough this Labonte up either... haha can’t say the same about how Dale raced Terry tho hahahaha
A year later, Kevin Harvick wins at this exact track in an identical finish to how Earnhardt won here.
Is that Ray Evernham also in the booth at 0:21?
Yep, he was on ESPN for all of 2000 iirc
Ray Evernham would fill-in for Ned Jarrett on the ABC televised races. Ned was already contracted to do the races on CBS and wasn't allowed to do the races on ABC.
Jeff Gordon fan throughout the 90s, and even when I hated Earnhardt then, I sorely miss him now. NASCAR just hasn't been the same since.
Anyone miss the way these cars used to sound
He was actually 49, he would have been 50 in April 2001.
@stormchaser34869 Marlin in the 40 Coors Light car is how most remember him though. I think between the 90's and about 2002 were the best most memorable paint schemes fro drivers
I'll wait on Kenseth for a few years, Bobby's reputation of racing clean is bigger than Matts
I was Their he was blowing by them like they were nothing. Never saw anybody to this day who was that good in a race car!!!!!🤘😎🤘
Was there with a labonte fan and I was a Jeff burton fan sitting in turn 4 stands n saw rear of cars go across line looked side by side n heard Earnhardt wins it over speaker. Was cold as sh&t with a wind of 25
I never have gotten how they couldn't tell who won this race until after they look at the scorin' monitors, but they could see who won the 2007 Daytona 500 & who won Darlington in 2003, oh well, this is one of the greatest races of all time, always will be, just Dale Earnhardt will always be the best there ever was in racin'
#3 forever!
That track was perfect
I remember this race like it was yesterday
7 cars on the lead lap? wow
bobby will always be my favorite I didn't like he got replaced by jj and Kyle bush tho
+thereal eht543 Hey Kyle is doing great things with that 18 car now. He just took home the championship, his first, Toyota's first, and the first Gibbs championship since Tony Stewart left the team.
ToaAntan Fake championship.
thereal eht543 you and me both!! Bobby had class and was always respectful and he was respected. That 18 car went from class to trash real fast.
He was my favorite growing up I wish he would have stayed with JGR I believe he would have been a nascar legend
And least Busch can drive
I remember that nice
Guy was still running for championships until his death .....1979 to 2001 always in it for a championship....if that’s not the best driver ever I don’t know what is
A lot of people don’t know the reason Dale Sr wore an open face helmet was so he could feel the draft better on his face. The man was an absolute master of drafting
I never ever watched NASCAR with the same wonder after the world lost Dale Earnhardt.
To me, he was the very spirit of racing; competition incarnate.
God, times were good...
10 years later and this just happens to come up in my randoms again, unreal.
this race is called earn-ing the win
the guy on the outside almost always wins the race
@Legometallica09 that finsh called an angel among us
@Legometallica09 which was beaten by Craven's win over Kurt Bush, who won by 0.002 seconds.
true not ALL the time but most of the time and also if he did wreck people on higher than 1.5 miles it was because they were blocking him on last lap or if they cut him off
Identical finish the next year too
gotta agree with your top 5 ty. got the 1st 4 on tape.
2:45 This Was Tie Carl Edwards & Jimmie Johnson
When racing was racing 😊
I was there that day and next year I was there when Kevin won in Dale's car sad year in 2001
Ray Evernham, other announcer.
Just like the reanactment!
@ 3:24 ray is smart to say the #3 car wins
This finish was the original moment of how Kevin Harvick could have made this same moment at Atlanta in 2001 by beating Jeff Gordon, wow.
still miss that 3 car, still hurts.
What about 99' Bristol, 90' Pepsi 400 or 94' Rockingham??? but your right its up there
Labonte should've got closer to him after getting off 4 to get that sidedraft
Did anyone else notice that there was only 7 cars on the lead lap?
crazyp2jimmy no wave around, no phantom cautions. go figure, a hell of a race and a hell of a finish.
EMPiiRE 18 different leaders in this race with like 30 lead changes. It would take an entire season now to get those stats with the way the cars work now lol
Only 7 cars on the lead lap because Skinner lapped them all. He was absolutely dominant that day.
I Was 3 Years Old I Went There
My birthday party was this day
yay
Back when Atlanta actually produced real racing
2020
Imagine if labonte win that race
2:40
How is Burton better than Bobby, Burton hasn't won the Brickyard or any of the big races. Plus he has no championships.
but i'm not saying that Kenseth isn't a clean driver, cause he is.
Same Thing Jimmie Johnson & Carl Edwards 2005
I was at this race also not the best of seat's
go ask all the drivers who they think is the cleanest driver in the garage and half will say Bobby Labonte; Tell me one time Bobby spunout someone on purpose?
i was talking right now
While Earnhardt won the race, Bobby won the championship =/
Yes
But Dale won 7 of them
I wish his son had better results like his dad did- hopefully his day is coming thou.
#ClassicNascar #NascarThrowback
I think he went to the high side to put on a show. He knew he had it.
Bobby Labonte disliked this. lol
Earnhardt did that on purpose.
If that was the other way around Earnhardt would have wrecked him
Defenitly Burton...Bobby's better than Kenseth
3:21