Rock the Country Music Festival is coming back; will end the 2025 tour in Anderson County – Independent Mail
Rock the Country Music Festival is coming back; will end the 2025 tour in Anderson County Independent Mailsource
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Talladega Superspeedway is known for big crashes, high speeds and wild crowds. But did you know that it was also the scene of one of NASCAR’s wildest stories?
Back in 1986, Talladega was packed with more than 105,000 fans ready to watch racers such as Dale Earnhardt, Michael Waltrip and Richard Petty battle on the 2.66 mile-long track as they chased down points in the Winston Cup Series.
Bill Elliott was on the pole after clocking in at more than 209 miles per hour in qualifying. As he and the other drivers were getting into their cars, making last minute checks and adjustments, awaiting the call of “Gentlemen, start your engines,” our story comes into focus.
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That is when 20-year-old Darion Crowder of Birmingham, Ala., leapt into action. According to witnesses, Crowder — who was not wearing a shirt at the time — climbed over two fences separating the infield crowd and the racetrack and made his way toward the pits.
He then entered the 1986 Pontiac Trans-Am pace car that was sitting empty on the track and found that the keys were left inside. Crowder didn’t let this opportunity slip through his fingers — he fired up the car and took off, topping 100 miles per hour in the back stretch.
It was at this point in time that officials noticed that there was something amiss and alerted the broadcast team.
Once Crowder stopped the car, authorities tried to enter the vehicle with a spare set of keys, something that Crowder was fighting off by using the car’s power door locks. His stalling tactic didn’t last long, and he was pulled from the car by his hair shortly after stopping.
He was taken to jail and held on a $10,000 bond and was faced with a litany of charges including unauthorized use of a vehicle, resisting arrest and others. But DUI was not one of the charges.
It is often told that Crowder was drunk during this escapade, but that has never been proven. In fact, many believe that Crowder had actually entered the Speedway without a ticket, didn’t have anything to drink at all and was in fact test-driving a motorcycle he was thinking of purchasing when he made the detour into the race.
History is a bit unclear on what happened with Crowder in this case, with most records pointing to a plea deal reached out of court.
Wood is host of Taste of Country Mornings with Wood and Nicole, which can be heard every morning from 6-10AM CT on the Taste of Country app, on local affiliates where available and online at tasteofcountry.com.
It’s pretty common for NASCAR rides to switch designs week to week, but back in the ’90s, when the cars had to be actually painted versus wrapped like today, rides stuck with designs for weeks at a time.
Some of these paint jobs never would see the light of day in today’s world. Let’s run down some some classic NASCAR sponsor paint jobs as well as some forgotten ones.
Gallery Credit: Wood
Champion NASCAR racer Kevin Harvick is selling his spectacular estate in North Carolina, and pictures show a jaw-dropping property worthy of one of the world’s top drivers.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
The largest NASCAR driver home includes an indoor aquarium and more than 19,000 square feet of living on 415 acres. The No. 10 home on this list of the 10 most expensive is hardly a postage stamp by comparison.
Taste of Country recently compiled the priciest NASCAR driver homes, and while a few famous names make the list, a few not-quite-as-famous names do, too. Dale Jr., Denny Hamlin, Danica Patrick and the Busch brothers are a few of the drivers to look for on this list of mega-mansions. See pictures of all 10 and a full home tour of the No. 1 house.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
Written by: realcountryvariety.com
Rock the Country Music Festival is coming back; will end the 2025 tour in Anderson County Independent Mailsource
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