Comebacks are a natural and often thrilling part of all sports with NASCAR being no exception. There have been some absolutely crazy times in NASCAR's history that drivers will seem to be in a no win situation and somehow squeak out success. In 2006 though Dale Jr. performed what is, to this day, my favorite act of comeback in NASCAR history at the Martinsville Speedway. This is "The Day Dale Jr. NEVER Gave Up!"
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49 comments
What’s your favorite comeback performance in NASCAR history?
@Vanessa Myers jammie? Is he named after pajamas or something
Dale Sr’s 2000 Winston 500, from 18th to 1st in less than 5 laps.
Denny Hamlin Texas 2019 Spring
Earnhardt 2000, Dega
The 1993 Coca Cola 600 is what I also think is Dale Earnhardt’s quintessential moment. A pit penalty put him a lap down earlier in the race, and he needed a caution to catch up, so he spun out Greg Sacks in order to bring it out. NASCAR didn’t like that and put him another lap down, and out of sheer spite and tenacity, Dale ended up overcoming the entire deficit under green, and went on to win the race anyway.
You should do a video on Jeff Gordon coming back to win at martinsville from 3 laps down
@ATL Clutch it wasn’t lap one but that was awesome too! Rusty hit him when he spun out and they ripped the whole back end off the car. I think they eventually figured out the rear Jack bolt was backing itself out which kept loosening the car up. The lap 1 wreck was the ’01 Winston which he came back to win in a backup car. Another great win as well.
@Nicholas Lashbrook Harry Gant beats both of them.
Doing in the free pass era isnt all that impressive. Doing before that is impressive. For example, Bill Elliott at Talladega in 85 down 2 laps and winning all under green is the most impressive ever. Also, Rusty at Dover in 93 coming from 2 down is an honorable mention as he went 2 down after half way.
@Christopher Pettit Earnhardt in the Coca Cola 600 in ’93(I think) coming from multiple laps down to win the race.
Same thing kenseth in Darlington
I legitimately thought I was gonna be Rick rolled judging by the title.
Same here and its even april…..so
@Dr. Warfare and it’s even april 1st
@SomeUsername and it’s even rickrolling season
Jeff Gordon coming from 3 laps down from doing martinsville in 2005 was nuts too
Harry Gant was more impressive back in the 1991 goodys 500.
Yeah it was
What about bill Elliot at talladega? 2 laps. Under green.
Dale Jr at Martinsville: *_remembered inspirational Dale Sr finishing Daytona after flipping_*
He’s more like his dad then people think lol he’s got a bit of the intimidator in him but he doesn’t like confrontation lol
Get out get out of my car!! Never forget those words lol.
Clint Bowyer would have done the same if the race was longer
@Whitty oof
I was gonna say this but, I’ll just like it instead.
Its amazing how dale jr ran the whole race with a beat up car
Harry Gant did something similar in 1991
@JJA1987 he even meantions it I love how dale jr is like a nascar historian lol
How is it amazing? If the car isnt damaged structurally it is fine
I remember watching this race. It’s still one of my favorite races of all time. I was pissed at Newman for most of that year.
Even back then Newman was Blocking Dbag
I remember watching this race as a kid. I found it so interesting how that car was so competitive while looking like it did
I remember back in 2005 Jeff Gordon went from 3 laps down to win that race could you do a video about that race? That was definitely one of my favorite Jeff Gordon moments being a Gordon fan.
Goddamn I miss seeing him on the track ❤️ raise hell and praise Dale!!!
In the spring of 2017, I went to my first and only Nascar race to date at Talladega Superspeedway. It was amazing because the mood in the crowd was largely set by how Jr. was doing. I was right with them though, hoping to see Jr. pull it off in person.
That was a damn impressive run, considering the damage! I totally don’t remember this and as a Jr fan, idk how I missed this one!
That was impressive… I also seem to remember a Daytona 500 where he was crashed, came back to top 5, got crashed again and crushed a fender or 2, came back to top 5, lost a cylinder or 2, came back, before getting caught up in another crash ending his day
I remember that race very well it was awesome to see him race a car in that kind of condition I remember it was either Larry Mac or DW who said there was only 2 drivers in the history of the sport who could drive a car in that bad of condition and both of their last names was Earnhardt, the other Earnhardt probably would have won in it
Tim Richmond imho is the best ever at driving to the absolute limit. The story of his broken sway bar at Sonoma only to continue for like 25 miles until it finally gave out, his performance in Atlanta with a flattening left rear tire and he drives around Atlanta at 180mph sideways through turns as if on a dirt track to finish 2nd….Richmond was on Dale’s level when it came to wheeling he just didnt have the full stats/longevity to back it up.
Dale Jr.s run at Martinsville was shades of his father. No matter how bet up the car was if it can fire up and run then you can drive it throw some duct tape on it and go.
I remember Jeff Gordon’s comeback after crashing in the first 1/3 of the Charlotte 04’ fall race then fought like hell to finish 2nd
As a Rusty Wallace fan looking for a driver following his retirement in 2005, this was the day I became a Dale Jr fan. I pulled for Dale until he retired in 2017.
I remember it like it was yesterday, the range of emotions was off the charts, absolute chaos lol
Ignoring his rookie year at Martinsville – He was always very good at this track and should’ve gotten multiple wins there
For the longest time (maybe for his career) his short track stats were better than the restrictor plate tracks. Obviously, wrecks factor in but most wouldn’t have guessed that.
@Backcountry14er’s He doesn’t get enough credit for how he ran at short tracks or some other tracks like Atlanta, Michigan, Phoenix, Kansas too name a few
I remember I was planning to go to the Coca Cola 600 in 2000. But we got there early and had time to watch the (then) Busch series race. I saw Mark Martin come back from nearly two laps down to finish 2nd and nearly win the race. I’m a Dale Jr fan but I was thoroughly impressed by Marks effort that day. Such a legend.
i watched this race on tv when i was 11 he was my favorite so i was disappointing to see him wreck but i saw he was getting faster and faster and i really wondered if he was going to win but i didnt get a chance to see the end of the race, Even recently i still think about this race a lot and figured i would stumble across a video like this someday