CAR RACING
1. HARDTBREAK: Dale Earnhardt is killed when he hits the wall on the final lap at the ‘01 Daytona 500.
2. ‘DONNIEBROOK’: Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough go fisticuffs after a fender bender paves the way for a Richard Petty win at the Daytona 500 in ‘79.
3. DALE’S DAY: Twenty years of futility at Daytona are erased as Earnhardt takes the checkered flag in ‘98.
4. CHA CHA: In ‘76, Shirley “Cha Cha” Muldowney wins the Spring Nationals, becoming the first woman to win the pro class at an NHRA drag racing event.
5. PRESIDENTIAL PRAISE: On July 4, ‘84, Richard Petty wins his record 200th career race at the Firecracker 400, edging Cale Yarborough by a fender. President Reagan helps him celebrate in victory lane.
6. PETTY POINT: Lee Petty and Johnny Beauchamp appear to cross the finish line dead even at the inaugural Daytona in ‘59, but the victory goes to Petty.
7. CRASH OF ‘76: Legends Richard Petty and David Pearson crash on the last turn at Daytona in ‘76 and Pearson limps across the finish line in neutral.
8. STORYBOOK ENDING: Indiana-raised Jeff Gordon makes it a storybook ending when he wins the inaugural running of the Brickyard 400 in ‘94 at the Indy Speedway.
9. SUPER MARIO: Mario Andretti shakes off a fiery crash in practice to win Indy in ‘69 at a record 156.867 mph clip.
FOOTBALL (College)
1: RACE FOR GLORY: With the national title down to the final play, 4th-and-5 with 19 seconds left, Texas’ athletic Vince Young scrambles untouched for a TD as the No. 2 Longhorns stun No. 1 USC 41-38 in the ‘05 Rose Bowl.
2. THE PERFECT GAME: Oklahoma’s flashy Greg Pruitt and Nebraska’s flashier Johnny Rodgers head their ‘71 squads for the best edition of this tremendous rivalry. Nebraska prevails 35-31. “They can quit playing now,” observes Dave Kindred. “They have played the perfect game.”
3: STUFF ‘EM: Ohio State shocks Miami in double overtime at the ‘03 Fiesta Bowl. The Hurricanes twice appear to be on their way to a second consecutive national title and lead 24-17 in the first OT. But a Buckeye incomplete pass when facing a score-or-lose situation is ruled pass interference and Ohio State ties the game. In the second OT, they stuff Miami four straight times at the goal line for a 31-24 victory.
4: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: Glenn Davis’ No. 1 Army ties Johnny Lujack’s No. 2 Notre Dame 0-0 in a Yankee Stadium classic in ‘46.
5. SO MUCH FOR THE GOOD OL’ COLLEGE TRY: Has there ever been a more anti-climatic result than when the Fighting Irish “Tied one for the Gipper” in ‘66? Translation: with the ball and 1:15 left, Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian infamously plays it safe and runs out the clock, conceding a 10-10 tie against Michigan State.
6. ‘THE BAND IS ON THE FIELD’: In ‘82, Cal unleashes “The Play” — the only-in-Berkeley, zany, intuitive, inspired, oh-so-creative 57-yard rugby-like concoction that, despite the Stanford band and many a penalty flag on the field, ends with a battered trombone player and a win over John Elway’s stunned Cardinal.
7: HAIL FLUTIE: Boston College’s Doug Flutie, just 5-foot-10, heaves a desperation Hail Mary pass that stuns Bernie Kozar’s defending champion and No. I Miami team in the ‘84 Orange Bowl.
8: JUICE: No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 USC face off in ‘67. With the game tied in the fourth quarter, Bruin QB Gary Beban throws a TD pass, but UCLA misses the extra point. USC’s OJ Simpson then runs 64 yards for the winning score.
9: C6HO: Harvard hadn’t lost a game in two years, but in ‘21 little known Centre College (a tiny school of 300 in Kentucky) shocks the Crimson 6-0 and flaunts their triumph with the inventive code “C6H0.”
10. RAH-RAH!: In the ultimate inspirational pep talk immortalized on-screen by Ronald Reagan, legend has it that Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne implores his boys to grant George Gipp’s death-bed wish and “win one for the Gipper” against Army in ‘28. Notre Dame wins 12-6.
