Race of the week- 1993 Die Hard 500 at Talladega

The 1993 Winston Cup season was marred by tragedies.  On April 1^st, defending Winston Cup champion Alan Kulwicki died due to an airplane crash.  The NASCAR community barely had time to grieve the loss of Kulwicki before another tragedy struck.  Just over three months later, on July 13, Davey Allison was pronounced dead due to head injuries he sustained in a helicopter accident the previous day.  Once again, the NASCAR community had to mourn another fallen driver.

Less than two weeks after the death of Allison, the Winston Cup Series visited the Talladega Super Speedway, the home track to the Allison family, as well as the ‘Alabama Gang’.  It was a somber mood throughout the garage area as the drivers prepared to take on the 2.66-mile speedway. 

The race itself provided everything you could ask for.  In fact, I was at this race, sitting, or standing, in the turn four grandstands.  As Dale Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan crossed the finish line, nobody knew which driver won at first.  It was that close, in fact, the margin of victory was 0.005 second.  It is tied with the 2007 Pepsi 400 (Jamie McMurray and Kyle Busch) as the second closest margin of victory since NASCAR began using the electronic scoring system in May of 1993. 

The exhilarating clip includes a tribute to Davey Allison.  Following the final race of the season in Atlanta, series champion Dale Earnhardt, as well as race winner Rusty Wallace paid tribute to both Kulwicki and Allison with a polish victory lane.  

Previously featured races:

• 1998 Daytona 500
• 1983 Carolina 500 at Rockingham
• 1986 Miller High Life 400 at Richmond
• 2001 Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta
• 1989 Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro
• 1990 Valleydale Meats 500 at Bristol
• 1999 Goody's 500 at Martinsville
• 2004 Samsung Radio Shack 500 at Texas
• 1963 Motor Trend 500 at Riverside
• 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500k at Phoenix
• 1977 Winston 500 at Talladega
• 1998 Exide Batteries 400 at Richmond
• 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington
• 1987 The Winston at Charlotte
• 2005 Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte
• 1985 Delaware 500 at Dover
• 2000 Pocono 500 at Pocono
• 1982 Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan
• 1991 Banquet 300 at Sonoma
• 1994 Slick 50 300 at New Hampshire
• 1984 Firecracker 400 at Daytona
• 2006 USG Sheetrock  400 at Chicagoland
• 1994 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis
• 2000 Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono
• 1988 Bud at the Glen at Watkins Glen
• 1991 Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan
  
• 1999 Goody's 500 at Bristol
• 1985 Southern 500 at Darlington
• 1986 Wrangler Indigo 400 at Richmond
• 2008 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire
• 1997 Miller 500 at Dover
• 2004 Banquet 400 at Kansas
• 1971 Miller High Life 500 at Ontario, CA
• 2002 UAW-GM Quality 500 at Charlotte
• 1987 Goody's 500 at Martinsville