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The 2008 Amp Energy 500 maybe one of if not the most controversial races ever with possibly the most controversial finish ever to a NASCAR race. With the unpopular double line rule the race at the Talladega Superspeedway fans would see an underdog winner in Regan Smith lose their first win in a way that many saw unfair and possibly biased by popularity with the win ultimately going to Tony Stewart. So who got it? Stewart, Smith or another? Was this the most controversial NASCAR finish? Regan Smith's stolen win.
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36 comments
Who do you think is the rightful winner of this race?
Regan Smith.
Regan Smith truly won this race. We can’t change NASCAR’s official story, but we all know the truth. Stewart forced Smith down towards the bottleneck in the trioval. In that respect, DEI would have had one last victory as a team in 2008 instead of folding late in the season, shortly after their merger with Ginn Racing the previous year.
Regan Smith
Regan just like Junior was in the fall of 2015
@JJA1987don’t forget about Matty d in 20
Ben Rhodes did the same thing Tony Stewart did to Regan Smith, to Matt DiBenedetto last year in the Talladega Truck race, and Matty D wasn’t black flagged. That’s good that NASCAR learned from their mistake, but this is still B.S.
Regan Smith won that race. Stewart didn’t want to get wrecked so he shoved Smith below the yellow like to avoid being wrecked. End of debate.
Thank you. This is why NASCAR should demolish the stupid double yellow line rule.
I don’t think you’re wording this correctly, Smith went below the yellow line because Stewart threw an aggressive block, and Smith didn’t want to cause a wreck
Stewart is such a hypocrite if that happened to him he would cry and say blocking should not happen
@Evan Nuh-Koo-La that’s why the double yellow line is stupid. He shouldn’t have been black flagged.
So that’s why Carl Edwards got thrown into the fence the very next race
Penalizing somebody forgetting shove below the yellow line is like taking someone to jail for getting punched in the face
Denny crossing clear across the stupid yellow line at ‘dega and then stole Matty D’s. Thank you for mentioning it
Ya know what’s funny? Hamlin did the same thing to Kurt on the final lap of the 2011 Bud Shootout and was justly penalized.
If Regan doesn’t go below the yellow line, Stewart goes for a ride (probably airborne like Carl Edwards did the next year) and we have a major wreck. Regan should have won that race.
The only constant thing about NASCAR is that they’re never constant with decisions.
This is so true
Imagine believing anyone other than Regan smith won the 2008 Amp energy 500.
2015 Fall Talladega will always be the most controversial finish there for me. This 1 is definitely up there though. 01 should’ve been given the win.
I agree
The yellow line rule set a dangerous precedent that would come to being the very next race at Talladega, Even Regan said in the post rece interview “i guess i should’ve just held my line and wrecked him”
Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart both figured that out the next year.
IMO, I don’t think this was even about being fair for NASCAR. One of the biggest things NASCAR has been accused of over the years is having favoritism, and this was no exception. Two of their biggest drivers in the sport had gone winless up to this point: Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. Jeff had just got knocked out, so he was out of the question. NASCAR took advantage of the opportunity, and they gave Smoke the win. If that was Dale Jr. in the 01 car, the ruling would’ve been different.
That top 10 qualifying order is wild. I also forgot about Schrader in the 96 car and Terry Labonte driving the 45 car for Kyle Petty.
This race along with the 2002 Indy 500 & the Abu Dhabi GP from 2 years ago are the three most controversial finishes that I remember the most. When it comes to the 2002 Indy 500 specifically, I think Paul Tracy got screwed big time mainly because IRL did not want to see a CART driver come in & win their biggest race for the 2nd time in 3 years at the time (this was at a time in which “The Split” was still raging).
I am curious how this would be called if it were different drivers involved. (For example Stewart and Smith switched places)
Uncle Tony would’ve been pissed if a rookie roadhogged him to the yellow line
This and Nascar’s robbery of Kurt Busch’s win at Auto Club 2015 are two biggest asterisks in Nascar history imo
I remember that race pretty well. I’d say Tony Stewart forced Regan Smith below the yellow line, but Smith did not get back up in time before the start/finish line, so Tony Stewart won the race.
Tony Stewart should have been in the “Winless in 2008” conversation alongside Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick
And then the next spring, the moment Carl started to do the same move Tony did in this race, I had the feeling that Brad wouldn’t make room for Carl trying to muscle him under the yellow line. And he did not.
But you can’t deny it gave so much more meaning at darlington. Just the call to the finish was awesome
Absolutely stunned seeing that starting grid and it not being a Busch Race lol.
It’s pretty cool that in the same season just a couple years later, Smith and Menard both got their first career wins and Stewart won the championship.