It’s been an interesting week, as many of the NASCAR pundits are already calling Kyle Busch the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion.
True, that after picking up win number seven at Chicagoland Speedway, young Mr. Busch is very much a favorable candidate for the title once the tour reaches Homestead in November.
But to call him the champ this early brings back memories of another driver who seemed invincible as NASCAR hit its summer stride, but who saw his championship hopes slip away in a post-Labor Day slide. In fact, that driver, a red headed Georgian by the name of Bill Elliott, had won the same number of races as Busch by this time in his big season.
The year was 1985.
Bill Elliott and his Harry Melling owned team served notice to the competition at Daytona in February that they would be a force that year.
First Bill sat on the pole with a then record speed of 205.114 mph. Then he went on to lead 136 of 200 laps in a show of dominating force that hadn’t been seen at Daytona in years.
After two bad luck runs at Richmond and Rockingham, Elliott silenced all doubters with another win at Atlanta, followed by a third at Darlington.
But, by far, Elliott fired the biggest shot at Talladega in May.
After starting on the pole, Elliott held the point early, until his Ford began trailing smoke. An oil line had come loose, and the Elliott team spent two laps in the pits fixing it.
What happened next is, without a doubt, the greatest comeback in NASCAR history.
As leader Cale Yarborough led the field around at 200 mph, Elliott made up both laps without the aid of a caution flag, to put himself back on the lead lap.
As many watched in disbelief, Elliott then put the icing on the cake. He came around everyone again, and took the lead.
Elliott won the race going away. Nobody had ever seen anything like it, and likely never will again at Talladega.
From there, Elliott seemed unstoppable. He picked up wins at Dover and Pocono, and then recorded win number seven of the year at Michigan on June 16.
Just as Kyle Busch this year, everyone felt that Elliott had the championship in the bag.
Elliott’s performances only cemented that belief, as he won two more times, leading to Labor Day weekend, and the Southern 500, where his victory over Yarborough’s ailing Ford gave him a million dollar payday after his earlier wins at Daytona and Talladega.
With a 206-point lead, the pundits were quick to name Elliott the presumptive champ.
But it didn’t work out that way.
The win at Darlington signaled the beginning of a slide for the Elliott team. Four races in a row saw Elliott finish outside of the top ten, including a 30th place effort at North Wilkesboro.
Meanwhile, Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson were lurking in the shadows, watching for their opportunity.
Waltrip and Johnson were two of the wiliest competitors of all time in NASCAR, and when Elliott faltered, they charged.
Waltrip finished second in three of the four events that followed Darlington, and took the points lead from the Georgia driver at North Wilkesboro. He also won at Rockingham, while Elliott finished fourth.
Elliott rebounded with a big win at Atlanta, closing the gap to only 20 points with the final race of the season at Riverside International Raceway looming ahead.
With both drivers having seen success at the historic California road course, the season finale promised to be a fierce battle between the two.
But it didn’t happen. Transmission woes left Elliott 23 laps down, while Waltrip scampered to a fifth place finish and his third championship.
Elliott’s 11 wins that season still proved it to be his most successful, despite missing the championship. Despite the pundits’ predictions, he proved that nothing in life is certain.
With the second half of the 2008 Cup season, we can see if young Mr. Busch can continue his winning ways.
But remember the lesson that was learned back in 1985. It’s an old one, summed up best by a legend from another sport.
It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.
Brandon Reed is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Contact him at brandon@mainstreetnews.com.
