A Las Vegas Motor Speedway Memory: Earnhardt Jr.’s Empty Fuel Tank Hands Keselowski the Victory in the 2014 Kobalt 400

Strategy has always been an important aspect of NASCAR racing, most recently with pit road calls. Extended lengths of races, improved tire wear, fuel saving techniques, and the emphasis on winning at all levels of the sport have forced teams to stretch their resources in hopes of earning the best possible finish. Drivers have learned to push fuel windows to their extreme and ask for two tires rather than four to improve their track position. Sometimes, these bold strategy moves work and put drivers in victory lane. However, most of the time, these calls lead to disappointment as a win slips away.

On March 9, 2014, two drivers familiar with each other experienced the highs and lows of strategy racing while battling for the win in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his team decided to stay on track during the fourth and final caution on lap 221, hoping to run 56 laps on a tank of Sunoco gasoline after his lap 211 green flag pit stop. The #88 already had a win from the season opening Daytona 500, which meant the team could try some unique strategy to grab another victory since they were already locked in NASCAR’s brand-new “win and you’re in” Chase format.

Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski, who drove for Earnhardt Jr. in the NASCAR Nationwide Series from 2008 to 2009, and his team opted to pit during the final caution. Keselowski’s crew put two fresh tires on the #2 Ford Fusion and returned their driver to the race in seventh spot. He had three drivers with little fuel in their racecars in front of him, including the #88, and three drivers with a full tank of gas. His fresher rubber was a distinct advantage for the 42-lap green flag run to conclude the event.

In the end, the battle for the win came down to Earnhardt Jr.’s fuel mileage gamble and Keselowski’s two fresh tires. The two drivers participated in a thrilling battle for the win underneath the Las Vegas sun. However, the victory came down to a last lap slip up for Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski’s ability to capitalize. One driver was left with a bad LVMS memory and the other experienced a happy moment at the 1.5-mile track.

Brad Keselowski started the 400-mile race in the second position while Dale Earnhardt Jr. started on the outside of Row 7 in the 14th spot. During the first half of the event, the two drivers maintained their spots in the Top 10 as they battled through a 106-lap green flag and three cautions in the first 160 laps of the event. On lap 196, though, Keselowski and Junior’s path towards victory in the race crossed for the first time.

Just four laps prior to lap 200, Keselowski started a round of green flag pit stops as the leader. His team gave him four fresh tires and returned him to the race track as other pit crews prepared for their own stops. As the next few laps passed, drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Paul Menard pitted for four tires to continue the cycle of stops. On lap 206, Earnhardt Jr. grabbed the lead for the second time in the race as his team pondered a potential strategy call much different from the rest of the field.

Due to the green flag character of the race, Steve Letarte, Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief, decided to keep his driver on track longer than the rest of the field during the round of stops. The team’s hope was that Junior could pit around lap 210 and have the race stay green to its conclusion. If that occurred, the reigning Daytona 500 champion would have a possibility of making it on fuel to the finish while his fellow competitors would definitely have to pit again.

The #88 led five laps before he came down pit road for his stop on lap 211. The stop was flawless from his crew and he returned to the track with only two drivers left to pit during the cycle: Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards. They pitted on lap 213, hoping to use the same strategy as Earnhardt Jr. in the late stages. After the cycle of stops, Keselowski returned to the lead knowing he would need to stop again and Junior cycled into the fifth position. However, after making all the strategy plans for green flag racing, the fourth and final caution waved on lap 221. Now, teams would have to work on another strategy decision to end the event.

Three drivers decided to stay on track during the caution while the rest of the field pitted. Earnhardt Jr., Edwards, and Hamlin, the three drivers who had pitted late during the green flag cycle, stayed out with enough fuel in their racecars according to the teams’ calculations to finish the 267-lap event. Behind them, three drivers prepared to restart in the fourth through sixth spots after adding just fuel to their racecars on pit road. In seventh for the restart was Keselowski. His crew chief, Paul Wolfe, had opted to give his driver two fresh tires, which cost the team some track position. Yet, they had fresher tires than everyone else in the race. For the next 42 laps, those pit road decisions would help determine the winner of the race.

On lap 226, the green flag waved for the final time and the mix of strategy calls caused a chaotic restart. As Earnhardt Jr. moved out to a five car length lead, drivers behind him battled two and three wide around LVMS. Keselowski ended up in second position on his two fresh tires at the completion of lap 226, but he was three-fourths of a second behind the leader. On lap 228, the #2 Ford dropped to third while Junior held the lead. The battle between the two drivers was far from over, though.

Despite losing the second spot, Keselowski maintained his momentum and returned to the runner-up position around lap 244 with just 23 laps left in the event. The next 10 laps proved to be crucial in deciding the race winner. While Earnhardt Jr. tried to save fuel at the front of the pack, the #2 Ford started chasing him down for the lead. On lap 253, the advantage moved underneath a second between the two drivers. Five laps later, the gap was only three tenths of a second and it appeared the two tire strategy call of Keselowski would prevail.

However, Earnhardt Jr. and his spotter, T.J. Majors, noticed Keselowski’s charge towards the lead and the #88 changed its racing line on track. For the next few laps, the North Carolina driver extended his lead by a few tenths as the end of the race neared. Finally, after saving fuel throughout the final run and monitoring his gap, Earnhardt Jr. took the white flag with Keselowski half a second behind him. The final lap ended up being very interesting for the two competitors.

Both drivers powered through turns 1 and 2 smoothly with the advantage between them remaining at half a second. On the backstretch, though, Earnhardt Jr. experienced a problem. The low amount of fuel in his racecar caused his engine to miss slightly exiting turn 2. The hiccup caused him to lose power and he moved towards the inside of the track, trying to slosh some fuel in the pickup. Meanwhile, Keselowski destroyed the half second between himself and the lead heading down the backstretch and cleared Junior entering turn 3. The power returned to Earnhardt Jr.’s car in the final turn, but it was too late. 

Keselowski powered away from the #88 and crossed the finish line first while Earnhardt Jr. managed to finish in second spot over a second back. Wolfe’s two-tire decision paid off with a much-needed victory after a tough 2013 season. On the other hand, Letarte’s gamble to keep his driver on track during the final caution resulted in a disappointing second place finish after Junior led at the white flag. Earnhardt Jr. wasn’t discouraged after the race, though, due to his chance to win the race and his win in the Daytona 500 just two weeks prior. 

“We took a gamble and we didn’t win the race, but it still worked in our favor to run second and gave us a chance to win," Earnhardt Jr. said after the race. Still, watching Keselowski celebrate on the frontstretch wasn’t what the #88 team had hoped for when making the late gamble. For the #2 team, the victory lane moment proved to be an early memory to carry throughout the rest of 2014.  

Keselowski ended the 2014 season with six total victories. He captured wins at Kentucky, New Hampshire, Richmond, Chicagoland, and Talladega in addition to his Las Vegas triumph to lead the series in the category. However, a 31st place finish at Martinsville in October derailed his championship hopes and he missed the first Championship 4 battle at Homestead-Miami Speedway by just a couple of points. Over the next three seasons, he won eight total races and finished fourth in the points last year after making the Championship 4 for the first time.

In the two races this season, the 2012 Cup champion has shown speed and been a contender for the race win. A crash in the Daytona 500 left him with a disappointing 32nd place finish, but he returned to the track last week and captured a runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. With a win to his credit at Las Vegas, the #2 Ford will be a car to watch for the 400-mile event tomorrow and it could be another excellent season for the Michigan native.

Despite missing out on the Las Vegas win, Earnhardt Jr.’s 2014 season ended as one of the best of his career. He added a season sweep of victories at Pocono and a Martinsville win to his Daytona 500 victory, giving him four total for the season. He ended up finishing eighth in the points after an excellent year compared to his previous seasons. A year later, he added three more victories to his career total including another Talladega win, a Daytona triumph, and a rainy victory at Phoenix. He finished 12th in the overall standings at the end of the year. Unfortunately, his win at Phoenix turned out to be the last of his career.

2016 started off inconsistent for the North Carolina driver and ended early for him. Crashes at Talladega and Michigan caused him to experience concussion-like symptoms, much like he experienced late in the 2012 season. After the Kentucky race in July of 2016, Earnhardt Jr. was forced out the car due to the severity of his medical issues. He missed the remainder of the season trying to heal from his head injuries. The two-time Daytona 500 champion returned for the 2017 Cup season, but he wasn’t in his usual form. He announced in April of last year that 2017 would be his final full-time season in the sport. He ended the disappointing year with only one Top 5 finish. He concluded his Cup career with a 25th at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the season finale.

For 2018, the 15-time Most Popular Driver award winner has stayed busy as he prepares for the future. He spent the week following the 60th Daytona 500 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, working the Winter Olympics for NBC Sports. When NBC begins broadcasting NASCAR races in a few months, he will be a prominent figure on TV talking about the sport. Also, he has plans for a DIY Network home renovation show and he will become a dad for the first time in May. Finally, he will be in the racecar for at least one more time this season. He will be piloting his own #88 at the fall Richmond race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for all his fans to see him back in a racecar.

Strategy gambles sometimes pay off for teams and sometimes they don’t. In 2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won his first race at Michigan driving for Hendrick Motorsports with just a few drops of fuel left in the tank. His team’s strategy decision had paid off. In 2014, though, their late race fuel mileage gamble didn’t end in a victory at Las Vegas. For Brad Keselowski and his team, the decision to take on two fresh tires allowed them to move up the leaderboard in the last run and steal the victory from Earnhardt Jr. Their late race battle and exciting final lap duel created a memorable Las Vegas Motor Speedway memory, one that will be remembered for years to come.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions: 4 for 18 laps

Lead Changes: 21

Margin of Victory: 1.530 seconds

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Brad Keselowski
2nd: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3rd: Paul Menard
4th: Joey Logano
5th: Carl Edwards

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Jimmie Johnson
7th: Ryan Newman
8th: Kasey Kahne
9th: Jeff Gordon
10th: Matt Kenseth
11th: Kyle Busch
12th: Denny Hamlin
14th: Martin Truex Jr.
16th: Austin Dillon
17th: Jeff Burton
19th: Kyle Larson
21st: Danica Patrick
26th: Kurt Busch
33rd: Tony Stewart
37th: Alex Bowman
41st: Kevin Harvick




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
racing-reference.info/race/2014_Kobalt_400/W
-Image:
www.cbssports.com/general/story/24475310/keselowski-edges-junior-on-last-lap-in-las-vegas
-Quote:
www.sportingnews.com/nascar/news/las-vegas-results-finish-brad-keselowski-wins-dale-earnhardt-jr-second-out-of-fuel/cb7zkq48ajv61r22e30mi4i87
-Video of Finish:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bxYOEXv5fg&t=67s
-Full Race:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6_l6x26bJs&t=12s

Interesting Stats from Kevin Harvick’s Memorable Second Victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the 2018 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

On Sunday, Kevin Harvick achieved a feat he had been trying to accomplish for nearly 17 years. For the second time in his career, the California driver captured the checkered flag and won at the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick had dominated the 500-mile race, much like he had in the previous four events at the speedway. However, Trevor Bayne’s blown engine on lap 297 in turn 1 brought out the final caution and changed the course of the event in the final stage.

Teams used the yellow flag period to make their final pit stops of the race. The #4 of Harvick led the field down pit road and quick work from his five person crew returned him to the lead for the restart with Brad Keselowski in second. On the final restart, Harvick powered away from the field and built up a substantial lead. He completed the last 21 laps under green and grabbed the win by a margin of 2.690 seconds.

The win featured some interesting statistical achievements for Harvick and his Ford teammates. His win in the second race of the season marks only the second time in his career that he has won the race following the Daytona 500. In 2014, the California driver started 14th in The Profit on CNBC 500k at Phoenix International Raceway. He grabbed the lead for the first time on lap 74 and ended up leading 224 laps in a dominating victory at his best track of the time. Later that year, he captured his first career Cup championship, which could be a good sign for 2018 since Atlanta was the second race of the campaign this year.

Finally, Ford as a manufacturer captured the Top 3 positions in Atlanta. Harvick led the Ford trio followed by Keselowski and Clint Bowyer. Joey Logano and Kurt Busch finished sixth and eighth, respectively, giving Ford five of the Top 10 finishers. Interestingly, Ford has the oldest body style of the three manufacturers in the series. Toyota introduced a new Camry last season and Chevrolet is now competing with the brand-new Camaro body. Despite the age on the Fusion, Ford drivers excelled in Georgia on Sunday.

Those two statistics are fascinating, but two others haven’t been given as much attention since Harvick’s victory. Let’s take a look at those stats now, starting with the unbelievable changes in NASCAR that have occurred since the California driver earned his first victory at AMS in 2001, nearly 17 years ago.

On March 11, 2001, Kevin Harvick’s life changed forever thanks to the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 at AMS in only his third start behind the wheel of Richard Childress Racing’s #29 Chevrolet. His rise to the Cup Series was not a normal path, though. Just a month prior to the AMS race, Dale Earnhardt, a seven-time champion and legendary figure in the sport, was killed in a last lap crash during the Daytona 500.

In the wake of an unimaginable tragedy, Richard Childress decided against completely shutting down the #3 team. He changed the team’s number to 29 and put Harvick, a full-time driver for his organization in the NASCAR Busch Series, in the newly numbered racecar. In his first two career races, Harvick managed an average finish of eleventh and came to Atlanta with some confidence. After 500 miles of hard-fought racing, he proved his abilities to the entire world.

With six laps to go, Harvick took the lead from Dale Jarrett and set his sights on an emotional victory. Behind him, though, a three-time champion mounted a charge for the lead: Jeff Gordon. Over the final few laps, the #29 held off the #24 of Gordon until turn 3 of the last lap. The Cup champion powered underneath Harvick exiting turn 4 using a shot of momentum from the corner. The two raced through the quadoval side by side and came across the finish line in a thrilling photo finish. The California kid beat the Cup champion by 0.006 seconds to capture his first career win.

Tears were shed on pit road as Harvick captured an unprecedented win. The same team who had lost a driver less than a month earlier was now heading to victory lane with their new driver in a bittersweet moment. And on the frontstretch, the California kid celebrated his victory while remembering the driver he tragically had to replace. As he rode around backwards in front of the fans, he held three fingers out the window as a tribute to the late Earnhardt. Truly, it was one of NASCAR’s greatest finishes and one of the most emotional ones as well.

Flashforward to February 25, 2018, just 14 days shy of the 17th anniversary of Harvick’s first victory. Harvick returned to AMS and captured only his second win at the track in 17 years of competition, despite his recent dominance. He celebrated with another emotional tribute to Dale Earnhardt on the frontstretch. Between those two wins, though, there are only a few similarities. Harvick himself, the track, and his victory celebration holding three fingers out the window are the only shared things from his first win at AMS in 2001 and his second win in 2018. Just listen to the differences for Harvick.

He drove a Chevrolet in 2001, but he piloted a Ford on Sunday. He won in the #29 in 2001 while he took the #4 to victory lane just a few days ago. He drove for Richard Childress Racing 17 years ago and now competes for Stewart-Haas Racing. Harvick had no career victories until he won in 2001 and Sunday’s victory was the 38th of his Cup career.

In 2001, he was a rookie and an unknown driver. Now, he is a Cup champion and one of the most recognized faces in NASCAR. 17 years ago, he led 18 laps on the way to victory and began his career as “The Closer,” a nickname he has earned through many late race wins. On Sunday, he led 181 laps in another dominating performance he has become known for delivering.

The differences for Harvick from 2001 to 2018 are more numerous than those I just listed, including in his personal life. But the amount of changes for him made me think about something else. How much has changed about NASCAR between the 2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 and the 2018 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500? I knew there was a lot, but I was amazed during my research about how much the sport has evolved from the drivers to the title sponsor to the racecars. Let’s analyze some of those incredible differences.

In 2001, Jimmie Johnson was a regular driver in the NBS who was winless in 43 career starts. The day before Harvick’s victory, he had finished ninth driving the #92 Chevrolet for Stanley Herzog. Now, the California driver is a NASCAR Hall of Fame lock with his 83 Cup wins and his record tying seven Cup championships, as of this writing. In the next couple of years, Johnson could be the record holder for championships with eight and be regarded as the greatest of all time in stock car racing.

In 2001, Jeff Gordon was the most recent winner at Las Vegas before heading to Atlanta where he lost in a photo finish to Harvick. The Vegas victory was the 53rd of his career and his first of the season as he chased his fourth championship. Now, Gordon is retired from racing and is a broadcaster for FOX Sports. He finished his career with 93 wins and four championships, which currently puts him at third all-time on the Cup Series win list and makes him a lock for the Hall of Fame as well.

Bobby Labonte was the reigning Cup Series champion after delivering Joe Gibbs Racing the title in 2000. The Texas driver entered Atlanta in 2001 with 16 career wins and a desire to win after narrowly losing the previous race at the Georgia track in a photo finish with Dale Earnhardt. Labonte struggled throughout the 2001 race and finished 33rd after engine woes ended his day . Now, he is a retired driver who works with FOX Sports as an analyst for their prerace coverage. He ended his career with 21 wins and the 2000 championship.

17 years ago, Tony Stewart was a nine-time race winner in NASCAR’s highest division and a championship favorite in just his third season. However, he didn’t have a championship on his record. He ended up finishing 27th in the Cracker Barrel 500 on that Sunday afternoon in 2001. Now, he is a retired team owner who, ironically, entered Harvick’s car in the race on Sunday. The Indiana driver also has three Cup championships and 49 wins on his Hall of Fame résumé. Pretty soon, the polarizing figure will find his name called in Charlotte.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was only in his second season behind the wheel of a Cup car. Rookie of the Year honors had eluded him in 2000 and he had no Most Popular Driver awards. Still, the North Carolina driver had two wins to his credit entering Atlanta in 2001 with a heavy heart in the wake of his father’s death. He ended up finishing 15th at the 1.5-mile Georgia speedway. Now, Junior is a recently retired NASCAR superstar who ran his last race in Cup in the 2017 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He ended his career with 26 victories and 15 Most Popular Driver awards as he transitions into the role of broadcaster for NBC Sports.

Six Hall of Fame drivers competed in the 2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 at AMS where Harvick captured the win. Rusty Wallace (Class of 2013), Dale Jarrett (Class of 2014), Bill Elliott (Class of 2015), Terry Labonte (Class of 2016), Mark Martin (Class of 2017), and Ron Hornaday Jr. (Class of 2018) all competed for the victory 17 years ago. Jarrett finished the highest of the group with a fourth-place effort followed by Labonte in fifth, Wallace in 12th, Elliott in 15th, Hornaday Jr. in 39th, and Martin in 41st. All six drivers are now retired with a few working in radio and TV while the others spend their time in other aspects of the sport.

Dave Blaney and Bill Elliott competed against Harvick at Atlanta back in 2001. Blaney, a notable figure in the sprint car racing world, finished 34th in his Bill Davis Racing Dodge at Atlanta. Elliott, the 1988 Cup champion, finished 15th in his quest for a victory at his home track. On Sunday, a Blaney and an Elliott competed against Harvick as well. But it was not Dave and Bill. It was Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. The two sons of former racers battled for the victory at AMS. Ryan came home in 12th in his second race driving for Roger Penske and Chase grabbed his first Top 10 driving the famous #9 his father piloted for most of his career, including 2001.

Tragically, two drivers in the 2001 Atlanta race have passed away in the 17 years since the event. Jason Leffler, who was battling for Rookie of the Year honors in the series driving for Chip Ganassi, finished 32nd in his first Atlanta visit. On June 12, 2013, Leffler died in a sprint car crash at the Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey. It was a tragic loss for the sport because of the impact “Lefturn” had made on his fellow competitors and the success he had achieved behind the wheel. Also, Bobby Hamilton captured a 22nd place finish in 2001 for his #55 owned by Andy Petree. On January 7, 2007, the truck champion lost his battle with head and neck cancer. Both drivers have been missed since their deaths because of the on and off-track impact they made.

Finally, Harvick’s 2001 win came in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series while driving a fourth generation Chevrolet Monte Carlo. His victory on Sunday came in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series while piloting a sixth generation Ford Fusion. The primary sponsor name has changed from Winston to Nextel to Sprint to Monster Energy in those 17 years. The sport has also moved through different body styles, including the fifth generation Car of Tomorrow and the current sixth generation race vehicle.

It’s amazing how much can change in 17 years. Drivers, teams, racecars, and sponsors have all changed in the time between Harvick’s first and second victories at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Despite all the shifts, the California newcomer back in 2001 has remained a figure in the sport and climbed to the top of NASCAR as a champion now. 17 years from now, I can only imagine how much will have shifted between Harvick’s second win at Atlanta and another driver’s victory at the historic speedway. Heck, it could be another Harvick in victory lane as his son, Keelan, could be behind the wheel of a Cup car.

The final interesting stat from Harvick’s victory Sunday deals with laps led and domination at the 1.5-mile track in recent years. Over the last five races at Atlanta, the 2014 Cup champion has led 915 laps. All those races have been with him behind the wheel of a Stewart-Haas Racing car. Plus, he has led at least 115 laps in all five events. Harvick led 195 in 2014, 116 in 2015, 131 in 2016, 292 in 2017, and 181 in 2018.

His success in every race intrigued me and made me think of a question. How does the rest of the field stack up when it comes to laps led in the last five Atlanta events? Below this paragraph, I recorded the total amount of laps each driver led in all five of those races. I was shocked to find some very interesting statistics from the data. Check out the data below and follow it to my analysis:

Total Laps Led in Last Five Atlanta Races

Kevin Harvick: 915

Jimmie Johnson: 146

Kurt Busch: 136

Matt Kenseth: 110

Joey Logano: 85

Denny Hamlin: 77

Martin Truex Jr.: 35

Kasey Kahne: 25

Ryan Newman: 20

Kyle Busch: 11

Kyle Larson: 7

Mike Bliss: 2

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 1

Brett Moffitt: 1

David Gilliland: 1

Clint Bowyer: 1

Joe Nemechek: 1

Carl Edwards: 1

Cole Whitt: 1

Only two drivers other than Harvick have led over 115 laps total in the last five AMS races: Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch. Johnson led 146 total in the last five trips to Georgia and Busch led 136 in those same races. Their laps led, however, can’t compare to Harvick’s. He has led 527% more laps than Johnson and 573% more than Busch, his current SHR teammate. Plus, in three of the five races on their own, Harvick led more laps than Johnson and Busch did combined in all five. For years, Phoenix was considered the California driver’s track. Now, Hampton, Georgia, and AMS has turned into Harvickton due to his incredible success at the speedway in recent years.

Despite leading all those laps and being “The Dominator” in those five races at Atlanta, Kevin Harvick struggled to be “The Closer” he had been labeled in the past few years. In the four races prior to Sunday’s event, he dominated and led many laps, but he couldn’t capture the victory due to a multitude of issues. On Sunday, though, he dominated and closed out the race in the lead after 500 miles. 

It was truly a victory 17 years in the making. Through all the changes in our sport between 2001 and 2018, Sunday was an opportunity to remember those differences as Harvick celebrated his victory. A chance to reminisce about NASCAR 17 years ago and a moment to remember where we’ve been. But also a chance to remember what’s still the same. The impact of the legendary Dale Earnhardt, who was honored in both races, and a California driver chasing the dream of being a winner in the Cup Series played a key role at AMS in 2001 and 2018.





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
racing-reference.info/race/2001_Cracker_Barrel_Old_Country_Store_500/W
racing-reference.info/race/2018_Folds_of_Honor_QuikTrip_500/W
racing-reference.info
-Images:
2001: happy4harvick.com/2013/11/29/kevin-harvick-wins-atlanta-2001/
2018: www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/harvick-reflects-after-atlanta-win-honors-dale-earnhardt-1009312/
-Full Races:
2001: www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Sd5vFo6iU&t=4s
2018: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZWS8P3oyOM