LET’S CALL IT A THROWBACK

Strictly Stock series, which eventually became the NASCAR Cup Series. Driving for team owner Raymond Parks, Byron won the inaugural eight-race Strictly Stock championship. Byron drove in several races on the 4.3-mile Beach and Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida, and won there in July of that year. In this photo, Byron is wheeling a 1939 Ford owned by Parks.

the No. 71 Nord Krauskopf Dodge, collected 11 victories, 32 top-five results, 38 top10 finishes and 13 pole positions en route to his sole premier series championship. The Catawba, North Carolina, native often mixed it up with top competitors, as he did here at North Carolina Motor Speedway alongside James Hamilton (48) and Bobby Allison (22) on March 8, 1970. Isaac finished seventh in the race.

owned by Harry Ranier, started from the pole at Talladega Superspeedway. The driver from Timmonsville, South Carolina, led 19 of the race’s 188 laps en route to the 80th of his 83-career victories. Yarborough held off Harry Gant by two car lengths, followed by Buddy Baker, Bobby Allison and Benny Parsons in a race that featured 75 lead changes.

No. 3 Chevrolet with 10 races remaining in the 1981 NASCAR Cup Series season. Childress ended his driving career, stepped away from his car and offered Earnhardt the ride. Earnhardt left RCR in 1982 and 1983 but returned in 1984 and won six Cup Series championships before his death in 2001. Here, Earnhardt is shown wheeling the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1981.

Bobby Allison keeps his No. 12 Stavola Brothers Racing Buick in front of the No.3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driven by Dale Earnhardt. Allison had on the Daytona 500 just two months earlier but only competed in 13 races that season. On June 19, 1988, the 1983 Cup Series champion was involved in a near-fatal crash at Pocono Raceway that ended his driving career.

Motor Speedway, Alan Kulwicki, owner and driver of the No. 7 Hooters Ford, won the series championship by a mere 10 points, the result of leading a lap and leading the most laps over race winner Bill Elliott. In this photo, Kulwicki leads Ricky Rudd, driving of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, while attempting to gain track position and as many points as possible.

Baker leads Donnie Allison (1), Richard Petty (43), Bobby Allison (15), Dale Earnhardt (2) and Darrell Waltrip (88) across the start-finish line at Michigan International Speedway on June 17, 1979. Baker went on to record the victory over Donnie Allison when the race finished under caution after an intense afternoon of 47 lead changes. Cale Yarborough finished third with Neil Bonnett fourth and Petty fifth.

Bailey (04), Richard Petty (43), Rex White (4) and Fred Lorenzen (28) were the early leaders during the fifth running of the Daytona 500. Among them, Lorenzen fared best by starting second and finishing second behind eventual race winner Tiny Lund. Petty finished sixth, followed by White in 14th, Bailey in 19th, Roberts in 21st with a blown engine and Foyt in 27th after a spin.

Motorsports No. 17 Chevrolet, is set for a final restart at Pocono Raceway on June 16, 1991. Waltrip went on to win that day, his second victory of the season along with a win coming earlier on April 21 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Dale Earnhardt, positioned directly behind Waltrip, finished second that day at Pocono. Waltrip led 34 of the race’s 200 laps, including the final 18.

Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 15, 2000, Dale Earnhardt, driving the No. 3 RCR Chevrolet, masterfully worked the draft and moved from 18th to first in the final six laps. Earnhardt got a push from Kenny Wallace and the two moved high and low to secure Earnhardt’s 76th and final victory of his career. Earnhardt raced alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr. before moving ahead to secure the memorable win.