1992 Daytona 500 The Big One LIVE

[ToroRosso20]

This was a wreck that involved a bunch of really good racers...Earnhardt, Martin, R.Wallace, Elliott, Irvan, Petty, Jarrett, Marlin, and Waltrip,

[ToroRosso20]

@ToroRosso20 and Alan Kulwicki

[EricEbac22]

batallionfan888--

Did this crash bring out a red flag, or did they not throw red flags for big wrecks at this time?

[erasetoimprove]

@EricEbac22 red flags used to only come out if the track was blocked or if a driver was seriously injured. Normally you'd go entire seasons without seeing a crash-related red flag. NASCAR also tended to not throw cautions nearly as much too. I actually liked that though. These days it seems like NASCAR throws a yellow for every little thing, back in the 90's most races only had 3 to 6 cautions. It was better that way.

[TheReturnoflee]

CARS WERE SCADERED ALL OVER THE GRASS!

[altfactor]

"Only One Caution"....Famous Last Words!

[SuperHyperMario111]

I think the announcers jinxed it around 0:17.

[oldschool525]

If cars and drivers were like this today i still be watching it.

[Orangetree547]

I heard after this wreck, Junior Johnson refused to speak to Sterling Marlin and decided 1992 would be his last year in Johnson cars.

[C0LL1N]

there were so many other in car cams to show, like jarrett and martin

[nadeau1064]

My goodness, how on earth did Michael Waltrip get through that?

[BadBooking]

@nadeau1064 The engine would blow up just laps before the finish WHILE HE WAS LEADING! :(

[fanascar6]

nascar was great back then...dont like it now, its changed too much..ernie irvan caused more than his share of stupid wrecks.

[dolphinmagic24fan]

I wish cars still looked like this but raced like they do today.

[DewkChronic]

i remember this cuz spirling repaid them next year by winning in the 4 car and the year after that too.

[ROBLOXdude95]

@DewkChronic Dale Jarrett won '93. Sterling only won 94' and '95.

[setoguchifan16]

I noticed this...Richard Petty crashed in the first and last races of 1992

[KingCuervo88]

damn the in-car shot of martin is nuts...... look how much he's moving his head around

[bluorangefyre]

And that wreck involved drivers who, at the time, had won 17 Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup championships between them. Of course Earnhardt would go on to win two more afterwards, Kulwicki and Dale Jarrett one each afterwards.

[kingofrunescapepking]

lemme see here:

earnhardt had 5, petty 7, waltrip 3, wallace 1, and elliott 1

ok yeah good math on that one

[3intimid8or]

@bluorangefyre Yea, and the cup championships were won by using the whole season, not sandbagging and then going for the final 10 races. These guys won the championships honestly.

[romero2k]

damn I remember this race. Irvan ruined what was to be Juniors most dominant day ever at Daytona, I wasn't even a fan of his team at that time but I felt a little bad for the guy seeing both of his super cars mangled in the infield...

[Scrivener86]

Swervin' Irvan was a jackass. The guy had no concept of car control.

[SkimUSA]

It's nice to see how we remember how a STOCK CAR use to look, to remember some of these Drivers and to fast forward through the years seeing the driver changes, sponsor/paint scheme changes and car changes.

[davidallenroth]

the goldin era of nascar 90's

[damonwilliam3]

@davidallenroth late 80 early 90

[Xx75racer75xX]

@davidallenroth i so agree the best ever when underdogs could win anything against the best ie. alan kulwicki

[xxHockeyGuy91xx]

Ernie screwed by man Bill out of a championship thanks to this

[WW2obsession]

Uh.... Ernie screwed Bill out of a championship by being involved in the same crash he was involved in in the first race of the season? HOW?

[xxHockeyGuy91xx]

Bill was 10 pts behind at the end of the season, has nothing to do with Ernie. Had Bill finished 2 or 3 spots better in this race the championship would've been his.

[jwdogfst]

Ernie Irvan screwed everybody with his foolishness.

[day500champ08]

@xxHockeyGuy91xx Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda. Elliot has other races that he could have probably done better it. But, it's unfortunate he was caught up here.

[RIEKSONE]

@xxHockeyGuy91xx

dont forget 1994 at indy

[BadBooking]

@xxHockeyGuy91xx That wasn't Irvan's fault. Marlin hooked those two cars together, but that was because of aerodynamics. The biggest controversy in the race was that it was really hard to race even 2-wide, and there they went 3 wide just before halfway. Junior was legit pissed at Sterling Marlin, and after 1992, Sterling went bye-bye! Sterling flew to an 8th place in the 1993 500, then 94 and 95 he won it!

[Banger82]

also Dale Jarrett. He had a very underrated car that day, you seen what he would do a year later.

[Banger82]

SWERVIN IRVAN AT HIS BEST! How many times has this guy almost cost people their life, race, and he almost cost him his own life.

[xxHockeyGuy91xx]

if Bill hadnt got wrecked in this race, he would've won the championship.

[Tgunn0838]

Maybe so, but it was the first race of the year and strange things happen.

[rockypc24]

1992 was earnhardts off year

[snowddoogg]

only 1 win the 600 the 97 season was earnhardts winless season

[Banger82]

yeah, not for sure if he had anything for the fords or not (nascar gave everything to the fords that year, so they could keep up with earnhardt, and they gave them too much), but he could have been in contention at the end if he gets through the wreck.

[Longlakedreaming]

Actually if you knew the facts, NASCAR regulated cylinder heads in 1992 for both Ford and Chevy to make things more equal and Chevy had problems coming up to speed with their new SB2 heads. I suppose any year for you that Ford wins the Manufactures Cup is a year that NASCAR gave them too much?

[Banger82]

I do know the facts. Ford won 13 straight races, the last four races in '91 and the first 9 in '92 until Dale broke that trend in the 600. I won't say that Ford has been given too much in a lot of years, but in '92 they were given much. They were allowed to run with a lot more camber than other make as well.

[Longlakedreaming]

Camber was not regulated by make in NASCAR during 1992. I've got a vhs tape with flag-to-flag coverage of the Spring race at Martinsville. Both GM and Ford cars broke at the Hanes 500 due to excessive camber, as it was not regulated and up to the crew chief.

[Banger82]

Now damnit I know for a fact Junior Johnson was allowed more camber with his cars at Daytona. That's why they were dominate. One of them cars would have won that day had it not been for Swirvan. Elliott fans will tell you that.

[Longlakedreaming]

Negative camber is not a big deal at the large banked tracks with long straights, it's the short tracks and road racing courses that you dial up the negative camber. Again, NASCAR had no camber regulations in 1992 which is why you saw so many DNF's during the season by all the makes at the short tracks.

[Banger82]

Whatever, every Elliott fan knows that they ran a lot more camber during that race than anyone else. Many of them admit it. Him or Sterling would have won that race had it not beed for the 4.

[bluorangefyre]

And Ford was so dominant that Dale Earnhardt himself got behind the wheel of Mark Martin's car to, "See what the other guys have." I'm pretty sure it was '92, because he was rumored to be heading to Roush.

[nadeau1064]

I swear, when I first saw Junior and Vickers wreck in this year's 500, it reminded me so much of this crash.

[ciccone39]

Same here.

[ballplayer1799]

Man Irvan was terrible at causing wrecks.

[33skoalbandit]

actually he was GOOD at causing wrecks.

[mightycowhero]

bad move Ernie.

[wawwwaaa]

i wasn't nessesarily going on crashes, which is true. I loved this years daytona and fall dega, but if you look back at the '01 spring dega race (which had no crashes) and the fall '00 race, they were like 5-6 wide so many times

[ghostfan84]

ernie irvan was a wreckless bastard wasn't he

[Banger82]

yes

[Dwhaler07]

i would perfer watching ristrictor plate racing now more than back then

[wawwwaaa]

best rpr years: 2000-2005 after that, a little more boring even though rpr is the best racing in all of racing

[PYLrulz1984]

And thus why we call Ernie "Swirvin' Irvan". What an idiotic move. At a short track with a few laps to go, thats one thing, you dont have to worry about collecting 20 other cars running about a second behind you. At Daytona with 100+ laps to go, a BAD move.

I will also have to critize Bill Elliott though on this one, as, unless there is a different angle that can say otherwise, it looks like he didnt give Marlin enough room either going down the backstraight.

[kidd1023]

i agree with you. my grandfather loved ernie irvin but after seeing a few older races on youtube lol i'd have to say he was way to aggressive. i mean if this was the last lap then yea i could see going for it all but making that move less than halfway through the race is just dumb

[chrisuncleahmad]

What irony.

Marlin was three-wide with the #4 Kodak at Daytona, the same car he'd win back-to-back Daytona 500 races shortly after.

[e521soediv]

that was gonna almost look just like darrel waltrips pepsi 400 flip in 1991 when ernie got hit.

[e521soediv]

OMG i swear ken squier jinxed it when he said its been a beatiful race only etc.

[Banger82]

Ken was good for that. Just like he said in 1990, "Can anyone Cope with the Man in Black" at the Daytona 500 when Earnhardt had the lead going into turn 1 of the final lap.

[427BELAIR]

swervin' irvan again, went up across marlin's nose...

[e521soediv]

its been only 1 caution etc

[aptg95]

allison and shepherd came to the line in this about the same as they ran the last 3 laps

[aptg95]

everyone basically spun just a few got serious damage its looked like

[geteagle21]

"Swervin" Irvan always getting in the middle and causing huge wrecks. NASCAR in 1992 had to had been closest points battle. Kulwicki won the championship by a couple of points over Elliott. That's crazy!

[Randildo]

If that didnt happen i tell u davey wouldnt have won, i think the 2 Junior johnson cars were the class of the field.

[RCmack]

I agree. If that big wreck didn't happen, Bill Elliott and Sterling Marlin would have battled for the win.

[Randildo]

Didnt Bill go on a tear in the next 6 races? He should have won the 92 championship, hell you can say thiswas the difference

[RCmack]

Bill would have won the '92 Winston Cup if not for this wreck.

He won four consecutive races in March and led the points standings much of the '92 Cup season.

[BadBooking]

An easier conspiracy theory would have been: what if Kulwicki didn't lead that one lap?

Elliott did have a good year, but just like in 1985, he lost to a more consistent car.

[InvisibleTeeth]

...and Martin would've won the '90 cup if NASCAR didnt choose Earnhardt to win it.

Kulwicki was in this wreck too...so this race didnt determine much of anything.

[ck7813]

Kulwicki didn't get any damage and finished 4th (160 points earned), Elliott finished 27th (87 points earned). That is a difference of +73 for Kulwicki. Also, on the 1990 deal, Mark Martin got penalized after race #2, he recieved 134 points for "winning" that race, the same as a 10th place finish. Now I am not defending nascar, but how could they have known the championship would be decided by less than the margin he was penalized that early?? Today he would have gotten a 150 point penalty...

[Banger82]

yeah, they chose Earnhardt to win at the 2nd race of the season.... how stupid can you be? Hey, Dale wasn't the one with an illegal part.

[InvisibleTeeth]

Martin didn't have an illegal part either. It was a manifold that was bolted on and not welded on. It wasn't even something in the rulebook. It had no bearing on the car's performance and Jack Roush still maintains that they rightfully won the '90 championship.

[Banger82]

well, that is considered illegal. Why was it bolted on and not welded on? hmmm... That's why he beat Dale that day. That was the 2nd race of the year and he had plenty of time to make it up. They should have took more than that away from. Today would be a much heavier penalty. And he can say he rightfully won it all he wants, but that's not what objective people go by. Jack Roush is the most biased individual I have ever seen.

[Banger82]

Alan got caught up in people's messes too that year at the other races. Look at it from both ways

[wolves16]

Anything could have happened to them at any other point during the race.

[WSBT960]

Ernie said before the race he'd be more conservative....uh ok?

[vidEvWill]

Yeah, do as i say, not as i do.

[RazorRC3]

wow so much hate for Irvan here, dunno why. I still respected the man even if these incidents were accidents. Realize that these cars were much more heavier then they are now, they had 22 gallons fuel cells, less horsepower barely pushing 700, a bulky aero body, and most of all, slick and harden bias ply tires! Try driving on them in a 40 car field and i can assure you, you wish had traction control with them tires! These were real cars then and it took real drivers to race them!

[Monkeyball480]

WOW. A lot of legends were involved.

[itsalleternal]

I think there were 15 cars involved in total.

[elliottnumber9]

Congrats Sterling and Irvan. No titles. No Brickyard. No brains. They caused the wreck and everyone knows it. Elliott 1 title 2 500s 1 brickyard and winston million. Good night.

[burtonfan2]

well sterling has 11 wins and irvan has 18 whick is more than you

[mattomatto417]

Yes, let's act as though they NEVER accomplished anything.

It was an accident. One accident. Maybe we can try to not base a driver's career on a 5 minute YouTube video.. wow wouldn't that be fun!

[elliottnumber9]

Im not saying they didn't win races im saying they caused that wreck. Irvan always had top notch equipment and couldn't get it done and caused a shit load of wrecks in that time. And bye the way toolbox that is why your responding to me because your watching a 5 minute you tube video showing how they sucked!

[mattomatto417]

You just blatantly put them down saying how Bill Elliott has accomplished so many things, while Irvan and Marlin have not.

It's fine if you think they caused the wreck. I disagree, but that's ok too. What I'm saying is that any comparison among these three drivers' careers based on 5 minutes of video is irrelevant.

[Banger82]

facts are facts. I blame Irvan more than anyone. Irvan caused this wreck. Bill isn't no saint either, though. Just cause someone has a better resume' doesn't mean it never be there fault. That's just childish.

[elliottnumber9]

How many wins does sterling have in that car. I know. ZERO! Irvan is the only guy in nascar to be leading by almost a full lap at dover and some how find oil on the track and wreck. He blew more races than he ever won. I can appreciate what he went through and I felt bad however him and Sterling caused that wreck.

[SteelersFreak108]

You mean in the 4 car?

Well, he won TWO Daytona 500's in that car. Is that good enough for you?

[PYLrulz1984]

Marlin did that.

Irvan did win a 500 in the Kodak car, but only once (1991)

[burtonfan2]

um sterling won at daytona and talladega a few times

[JBird30761]

Wow, listen to all those top drivers involved! I really miss Ken Squier's commentary and I loved how excited he got when the crash happened.

[cheese2507]

Weve only had one coution............trouble-maj­or irony!!

[Zoomer30]

That was back in the day when Jerret would get on the TV and blame everyone except God and himself for a wreck, was a real whiner. Hes gotten a lot better.

[xsilverstudx]

thats amazing how long Irvan kept that car headed in the right direction

[elliottnumber9]

Elliott would have won 5 in a row to start that year if it wasn't for that moron Ernie Irvan and old man sterling.

[thebiff16]

How is Ernie Irvan a moron? But don't misunderstand me, I like Elliott too.

[DPFan15]

He only caused about every big one of the early 90s

[thebiff16]

Ernie Irvan was a great driver. He won the 1991 Daytona 500 and the 1992 Pepsi 400. And he almost won the Brickyard 400 a few times.

[Banger82]

Winning at Daytona doesn't make you a good driver. Anyone can get a good car out front there and win.

[lsells]

hehe....you forget that Sterling wasn't an old man then. He was like 34 or 35 then

[racingfanTS20]

Man, you really hate Ernie Irvan and Sterling Marlin. I guess you wished Irvan would've died in 94 and you sent hate messages to Marlin after the 01 500.

[elliottnumber9]

No, I don't wish he would have died, however he is the only driver I know that could find oil at dover when no one was in front of him, he is the only driver that could take the entire top 10 out at Daytona, and he is the only driver that could ruin things for Bill. As far as Marlin, people that love Earnhardt did that not me! I am not a 3 fan or a 20 fan. They like to cry to much for me when they get a taste of there on medicine!

[Banger82]

Sounds like someone is still bitter about Charlotte of '87 :)

[TasteeTrousers]

O that's right the pass in the grass, don't you have to be passing someone for that to happen. Earnhardt was in the lead, Elliott still could have wrecked him after that and didn't.

As for your comment about anyone getting out front there and leading, your right Micheal Waltrip! enough said. Another Earnhardt lover, o well I guess we all have Dale Jr. He is so awesome in a race car. WOW! best equipment 0 wins

[Banger82]

yeah, you would think, but that's what they call it, so deal with it. Everyone else does. I was actually referring to Waltrip too when I said that.. And Dale Jr. isn't in the best equipment right now, gordon and Johnson have that and the Toyotas were given everything last year.

[TasteeTrousers]

So kind of like how when DEI won oh let see 8 out of 10 restrictor plate races 5 years ago and Johnson and Gordon had about 15 wins between the 2 of them 2 years ago (All was well in Nascar because Chevy was winning, now toyota is and everyone like you is whining). Dale Jr has the best equipment him and Eury Jr can't make it go fast. Too Bad!

I geuss when "ROWDY" roughed up Jr last year you were o.k with it, yeah right! Earnhardt fans don't like the truth, Its o.k unless it happens to us!

[Banger82]

Nascar had to give Toyota everything or they would have pulled out of Nascar as qucik as someone would have pulled out of your tastee trousers. It's not rocket science, pal. Earnhardt probably should have chose Toyota, but he likes Chevy too much. And everyone knows Johnson and Gordon get everything, while Martin and Earnhardt get the cars with the bad parts. See California and Vegas.

Oh yeah about Rowdy? Looks like he got his "roughing up" at Daytona. And that's the truth! haha!

[TasteeTrousers]

Vegas and Cali? Earnhardt was running in the teens, had nothing to do with bad parts. Old Man Martin was running 4th at Atlanta and lost the car because of a tire, to much Camber

Gordon and Johnson are better drivers than Earnhardt with better crew chiefs.

As for Rowdy he is also more talented than Earnhardt, more wins, more exciting, less of a puppet.

I guess turning his back on his Dad's race team is what's best for Jr. Nation! SELL OUT!!!!!!!! Dat's Da Tuth, Tardy, Tar, Tar. Yambag!

[Banger82]

Yeah, he has bad parts. And he was working his way up through the middle. I will agree that Johnson definitely has the better crew chief. I mean the guys has been caught cheating all the time. He has to be good.

Earnhardt has more wins, and Kryle Busch is not exciting unless you like gay porn.

You're not relevant no more since you said he turned back on his dad's team, had he been given control or allowed to buy the team they wouldn't have had to merge with Ginassi cuz of Jr's sponsors.

[TasteeTrousers]

Relevence? Hi, you said earlier that Toyota would have pulled out of nacar had they not been "given" everything. Just like Dodge pulling out right?

More wins as in the past 4full seasons"Mr. Relevent".KB13 DJR3

O that's right poor Jr. cant get along with his step mom. Earnhardt Ganassi has more top 10's than Jr. this year!

Jr. fading like a rock to the back or complaining to Eury on his head set is exciting. He would have been great as an owner, if you like gay porn and mediocridy!

[Banger82]

Well they were given a lot. Open up your eyes Stevie Wonder! And dodge... they did just win a race other day. Oh now we are going with the past four seasons, make up your mind... You lack objectivity. Especially when you say Jr. can't get along with his step-mom. Nascar drivers have said she had no business being an owner. So that case is closed. I think he would be an awesome owner. He is a good owner in the Nationwide Series and he will be a great owner in Cup, soon.

[TasteeTrousers]

O.k. take last year for example Djr 1 win "Rowdy" 8. That case is closed.

The return season for Dodge they were given nothing and sucked till about mid way through the year. Joe gibbs has the only Toyota wins thus far because they have More Money just like Hendrick except DJR can't get it done! I didn't hear "Marks" like you complain the year Theresa had 7 wins as car owner! You lack Knowledge of the sport and only see through the eyes of an Earnhardt fan! PATHETIC

[Banger82]

lol, I got more knowledge in my finger than you do about the sport douche bag. You're a Earnhardt hater is all. Earnhardt haters are all the same, "all he could do was hit someone out of the way" boo-fucking-hoo, it's racing...

And for Gibbs to move to Toyota they got a lot handed to them, money from Toyota and better templates for them from Nascar. Open up your eyes.

[TasteeTrousers]

Now who lacks objectivity, I spoke of JR not Sr. I did not root for Sr. but I respect him and miss him in the sport, I despise Jr. He is a cry-baby and the only reason you like him is because of his daddy. The newer nascar fan like Jr because they see him in a jeans commercial.

If it's racing then you shouldn't complain that "Rowdy" kicks Jr. ass each week in a Toyota! Boo hoo the toyota's have everything, its racing...

Good gas mileage win last year ???? insert knowledgable finger up ass

[Banger82]

gas mileage is part of racing, too, dick. The greatdrivers can win that way.

Dale, Jr. never cries about anything. He's honest about everything. I like him because there is no one else like there worth liking.

[Longlakedreaming]

Earnhardt Jr isn't even in the top 5 of the best current drivers in NASCAR. Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Johnson and Gordon are all better drivers. I'd put Earnhardt at the tail end of the next group behind Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton. Earnhardt just doesn't show me enough at the 1.5 and 2.0 mile tracks to rate any higher. He's very good at the plate tracks and Richmond, but that's about it.

[Longlakedreaming]

Add Talladega to Daytona and you get Jimmy Spencer and Phil Parsons as well in the plate era.

How many cars did Earnhardt bump out of the way in 1987 for a cheap win anyway? I can think of at least two points races, Alan Kulwicki at the second Pocono race in the tunnel turn on the last lap and Sterling Marlin at Spring race at Bristol. I think there was might have been another one, but I don't have all the races from 1987 on tape.

[Banger82]

He won eleven races fair and square in 1987. Sterling was holding him up. Racing is racing. Take your tampon off.

[Longlakedreaming]

Dale Earnhardt had a reputation as a dirty driver with many NASCAR fans, male and female, and that's an established fact. And a lot of it started with his actions during the 1987 season. Earnhardt fans can never get over the fact that he will never be as universally respected as Richard Petty.

[Banger82]

He had a reputation as an agressive driver. The people that considered him as a dirty driver either is gay, or has a vagina. I think Earnhardt is more respected than Richard Petty, especially since he has died. Even the people that didn't like him or hated him hate it that he is gone. They miss seeing him out there causing excitement and some of the moves and manuevers he had. Today, racing is horrible. There is hardly any excitement. He was the last cowboy.

[Banger82]

I respect your opinion about Petty, respect mine about Earnhardt. A lot of Earnhardt fans don't care if he is universally respected more, because they know he is the best there ever was, ever is, and the best there ever will be.

[m0rbidh0rr0r]

This doesn't look like an aero package issue to me. Irvan was trying to get in the best position for drafting and thought he was clear... I say. As great as Ernie was he obviously made mistakes at times, live everyone.

[SimRacin14]

They had a certain aerodynamic package that year that made three wide tricky. Bonnett mentions it during the replays of this crash. "Two wide was tricky,three was going to be a certain wreck". Guys were spinning each other out in the 125s without contact,even.

[OA276]

Richard Petty's last daytona 500

[NAVGFan]

Davey Allison's avoid of this wreck would be the race-winning move.

[jrn29]

Yeah, these cars are much more bulky pushing more air making it harder to run three wide

[C0LL1N]

The cars are different now and can allow for easier 3 wide racing

[franticfury]

Pretty stupid for the leaders part. A Simple 3 wide down a strightaway, that caused a crash....they run 3 Wide all the time at Daytona and Talladega..

[Banger82]

They weren't as aerodynamically sound as they are now bud. And they went faster then, too.

[gth804f]

Thanks man I've heard a lot about this crash and have always wanted to see it. Swervin' Irvan at his best.

[floydfanTN]

I bet it wouldn't have been that big if Marlin hadn't of gone back in front of the field