via Getty
HAMPTON, GA – NOVEMBER 18: Dale Earnhardt celebrates his 4th NASCAR Winston Cup Championship after the Atlanta Journal 500, NASCAR Winston Cup race, Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 18, 1990 in Hampton, Georgia.. (Photo by Brian Cleary/Getty Images)
via Getty
HAMPTON, GA – NOVEMBER 18: Dale Earnhardt celebrates his 4th NASCAR Winston Cup Championship after the Atlanta Journal 500, NASCAR Winston Cup race, Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 18, 1990 in Hampton, Georgia.. (Photo by Brian Cleary/Getty Images)
Watching a comeback is very exciting when you see a player/driver do it. It becomes more enthralling when it’s done by your favorite person in the sport. Generally, all kinds of sports have a record of comebacks, however, NASCAR and Derby have a lot of things in common.
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The Talladega race in 2000 saw a somewhat similar outcome as that of the recent Kentucky Derby. The win by Dale Earnhardt at Talladega Superspeedway has a stunning resemblance to Rich Strike’s Kentucky win.
READ MORE: Bubba Wallace Voices His Frustration as Dover Fails to Bring Him Any NASCAR Luck
Rich Strike made a mammoth comeback in the recently concluded Louisville race. The Derby racer started his run from 20-horse behind, only to make a brilliant resurgence and beat the favorite Epicenter. It was not only Epicenter but also Zandon who was dueling in front with the former.
The overhead view makes Rich Strike's comeback for the upset @KentuckyDerby win look even more incredible. 😮 #KyDerby | @ChurchillDowns pic.twitter.com/iDfkGVZS0O
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 8, 2022
The win by Rich is regarded as the second biggest Kentucky Derby win of all time. The 80-1 upset took the Derby world by storm. The winner’s record has been applauded across sports and has been hailed as one of the very best.
How did Dale Earnhardt make the aforementioned comeback?
Earnhardt Sr. started the Cup Series race in 20th place in the 43-car field race in Louisville. The race recorded a total of 21 leaders at different times of the race. This was the only second time in NASCAR history when half of the total drivers lead at least a lap.
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"Here comes Earnhardt, Earnhardt is going for the lead!"
We take a look back at Dale Earnhardt's memorable win at @TALLADEGA in 2000. pic.twitter.com/j6xFB042Qq
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 30, 2021
Dale Earnhardt’s son Dale Earnhardt Jr also took part in the Winston 500 race and started 17 places ahead of his father. Dale Jr also led a total of 28 laps and was out in front with just four laps to go. However, Dale Sr. had other ideas.
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One of the most popular drivers in the country back then has started his run from 18th place. The famous no. 3 drivers bobbed and weaved his car to overtake all the 17cars ahead of him. With extreme pressure from behind by Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemechek right behind, Earnhardt Sr held his nerve and crossed the line 0.119 seconds ahead of Wallace to take his tenth career win at the Talladega Superspeedway event.
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