Athlon Sports Football Bundle 2021 Racing

Before we look ahead to the 2021 NASCAR season, history demands that we look back to that day 20 years ago that changed the sport forever. The day we lost Dale Earnhardt. If you’re like me, you remember Feb. 18, 2001, like it was yesterday: A thrilling Daytona 500 culminating with Michael Waltrip’s unexpected sprint to the checkered flag, the last lap marred slightly by a seemingly innocuous wreck in the snarl of traffic behind Waltrip’s blue and yellow No. 15 Monte Carlo. Announcer Darrell Waltrip’s pause from celebrating his brother’s win to remark, “I hope Dale’s okay,” and the ominous way that events unfolded around Earnhardt’s stricken No. 3. The unhurried movement of the emergency vehicle away from the wreck site. The hours spent pondering the unthinkable, and then…

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Now that Jimmie Johnson has retired, the record of seven career NASCAR Cup championships appears safe for some time to come. The unpredictability of NASCAR’s 16-driver playoff format (which includes a four-driver, winner-take-all finale) reduces the chances of a dynasty developing like Johnson’s five straight titles from 2006-10. There’s no question Superman was the greatest driver of his era. Was he the best of all-time? Look to your right and judge for yourself which of this trio of seven-time champions — Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson — has the edge. *Petty raced before the modern era, where there were often 50-60 races in a full season.…

Kyle Busch: He’s the only active driver with multiple Cup titles (2015, 2019). But Busch turns 36 this year, is adjusting to a new crew chief and has maybe a decade of full-time competition left. Going 5-for-10 in any environment is tough; in NASCAR’s current format, it’s nearly impossible. Consider that Busch made the Championship 4 five times from 2015-19 and went 2-for-5. 40 percent still wouldn’t be good enough to get it done. Joey Logano: Logano has four Championship 4 appearances, and he has an outstanding track record at Phoenix Raceway, site of the championship race. But he’s just 1-for-4 thus far in seven years running the format. At that pace, he’d catch the Petty-Earnhardt-Johnson trio at the ripe old age of 73. Chase Elliott: Elliott won his first…

Kevin Harvick turned 45 years old in the offseason, usually a tipping point in a modern-day driver’s career. If he wins the 2021 title, Harvick will be less than a week short of setting the record as the oldest champion; Bobby Allison was 45 years, 11 months old when he won it in November 1983. Last season, Harvick set a modern-era record for a driver age 44 years old or older with nine victories to give him 58 for his career. This time around, the challenge gets even more daunting. Here’s a look at the eight drivers above Harvick on the all-time win list and their victory totals after age 45. Richard Petty, 200 wins After 45: 5 wins Best Points Finish: 4th, 1983 David Pearson, 105 wins After 45:…

Michael Jordan, who has joined forces with Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace to create 23XI Racing, may be the most famous athlete to attempt a NASCAR crossover after a successful career — but this isn’t the first time someone’s tried it. A wide variety of successful athletes and coaches from stick-and-ball sports and other disciplines have attempted NASCAR ownership through the years. Unfortunately, most of them never got off the ground: NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown, MLB Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and NFL head coach Dennis Green are just a few “wannabe” owners who couldn’t close the deal. With Joe Gibbs being the notable exception, Jordan is walking into a trend line of athletes with brand recognition, high expectations — and a long list of failed race shops.…