Alexamateo
13th October 2012, 23:54
With Dale Earnhardt Jr., missing the race with a concussion,this is the first race without an Earnhardt in the starting lineup since the Southern 500 in 1979. That was Dale Sr.'s rookie year and he had a hard crash at Pocono and missed 4 races. Interestingly enough, his replacement, David Pearson, won that race.
The real curiosity is that this is more than likely the first NASCAR Cup series race ever with no native born North Carolinian in the starting lineup. To be sure, most drivers live there or have homes there, but no one in tonight's starting field was born there.
On edit: There were in the 1950's races sometimes scheduled in the same day in different parts of the country. Some of those were in California so they may very well have had no North Carolina drivers, but this is surely the first in modern times.
The real curiosity is that this is more than likely the first NASCAR Cup series race ever with no native born North Carolinian in the starting lineup. To be sure, most drivers live there or have homes there, but no one in tonight's starting field was born there.
On edit: There were in the 1950's races sometimes scheduled in the same day in different parts of the country. Some of those were in California so they may very well have had no North Carolina drivers, but this is surely the first in modern times.