Coach’s Favorite Races: 2006 NASCAR UAW-Ford 500 Car News

You know you’re working in a nice (admittedly remote) office when an email for writers’ favorite breeds comes out and all responses arrive in under five minutes.

Around the world and in a lot of different eras, it is amazing to see the memories that stand out, whether they are individual performances or small details like the way a driver cocked his head in a corner. . There’s even a near-riot in NASCAR on our list.

First up is Jim Holder with this infamous NASCAR race. Prepare to take down a YouTube bunny maze if you click on the link.

Let us know which one was your favorite in the comments below.

2006 NASCAR UAW-Ford 500

“It is time to leave.”

It was a categorical statement backed up by my traveling companion hopping to his feet, picking up his things and walking towards the exit – an unusual response to the checkered flag waved nanoseconds before on what I now consider to be the biggest event I have ever had. never attended.

It had been a long and hot day in Talledega, especially for two bright-eyed Brits trying to squeeze as much NASCAR into a two-week hiatus as possible.

Unlike my mate, I had never watched a Superspeedway before, where cars pass in tight packs, just a few feet away and over a metal fence, over 200mph. It was pretty amazing.

So was watching the race with over 150,000 fans, of which around 80,000 were packed in the stands with us, and of which 79,998, in my opinion, pulled out their guns for the day. I preferred a corn dog in my hand, and we seemed to get along well with the Alabama crowd.

I soon learned that high speed races were like high speed failures, at least in the early laps the drivers bided their time while trying to gain ground, pick a line and hang in there- in. It was an extraordinary spectacle, reinforced by the fact that home favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr was at the forefront.

Bang, bang, bang. The sights and sounds of the cars banging through the air were intoxicating, the head battle never less than a hair’s breadth away. As the laps counted back, Earnhardt Jr led off his nemesis (and that of the mob), Jimmie Johnson, with teammate Brian Vickers behind, ready to ‘push’ him back into the attack, an incredible tactic whereby a following car literally uses the tow to close and hit the one ahead of you a few mph faster at 200 mph. With each round the atmosphere grew more intense, the crowd wished their man to continue and the excitement grew in anticipation of what we all knew was happening.