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Crown Jewel (NASCAR)

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Historic and prestigious races in NASCAR are often called Crown Jewels. Most commonly these races are the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500. NASCAR also recognizes the Brickyard 400 as a Crown Jewel. During the Winston Million program, the Winston 500 at Talladega was included, but most modern sources do not include it as a Crown Jewel race. Some media members and drivers argue that the Bristol Night Race is a Crown Jewel event as well.

From 1985 to 1997, NASCAR Cup Series sponsor Winston (cigarette) offered a one-million-dollar bonus to any driver who won three out of the four races in a single season.

Winning all Crown Jewel races is sometimes referred to as a Grand Slam. Nine drivers have completed a Grand Slam, including Jeff Gordon, Bobby Allison, and Jimmie Johnson, who have accomplished the feat three different times.

History

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In 1984, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company announced at the Waldorf Astoria New York during the annual year end awards banquet two new events that would define NASCAR for years to come. The first was an invitation only, "all-star" exhibition race called The Winston (now known as the NASCAR All-Star Race). The other announcement was that they were formally elevating the sport's four majors (sometimes referred to as the "crown jewels") into a formal Grand Slam with a cash prize bonus, known as the Winston Million. The long established and recognized major events were as follows:

Prior to 1985, no driver had ever won all four races in the same season. Only once had a driver won three out of the four races: David Pearson in 1976. LeeRoy Yarbrough won Daytona, Charlotte, and Darlington in 1969, prior to the introduction of Talladega Superspeedway.

Winston Million

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From 1985 to 1997, R. J. Reynolds and brand sponsor Winston offered a US$1 million bonus to any driver who won three out of the four races (a "Small Slam") in a single calendar year season. If there was no million-dollar winner, a $100,000 consolation bonus would be given to the first driver to win two of the four races.

If a driver went into the Coca-Cola 600 or the Southern 500 with a chance to win the million, the race was advertised as the "Winston Million Running of the Coca-Cola 600" or the "Winston Million Running of the Southern 500". From 1994 to 1996, the program was advertised as the "Winston Select Million", as R. J. Reynolds elected to promote Winston's "Select" brand of cigarettes.

Initial success

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In the Winston Million program's first year (1985), Bill Elliott captured the million-dollar bonus, and the victory thrust him into superstardom. He dominated the season-opening Daytona 500, then won the Winston 500 at an all-time NASCAR record speed. He remarkably came back from two laps down, having lost the laps due to having to pit due to a broken oil fitting, and he subsequently made the laps up under green. After suffering mechanical problems at Charlotte, Elliott captured the million dollar bonus at Darlington, taking command after Cale Yarborough lost power steering.

Elliott became known as "Million Dollar Bill" and appeared on the September 9, 1985 cover of Sports Illustrated.

Frustration

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The relative ease with which Elliott had won the Winston Million led many to believe that the bonus would be awarded fairly often in subsequent seasons. This would ultimately prove untrue, as the award was difficult to win, and at times, it was difficult to even have a driver in contention to win.

  • In 1989, Darrell Waltrip became the first driver since Elliott to have a chance at the Million, after he won at Daytona and Charlotte. He was never a factor at Darlington, though, hitting the notorious Turn 4 (now Turn 2) wall during the Southern 500 (a race he had not won in his career at the time). Waltrip settled for the $100,000 consolation prize.
  • In 1990, Dale Earnhardt was leading the Daytona 500 on the final lap when he cut a tire and failed to win the race. He went on to win at Talladega and Darlington, meaning that he would have claimed the bonus had he held on to win at Daytona.
  • In 1992, rain cut the Southern 500 short, robbing Davey Allison of a chance to clinch both the Million and the Career Grand Slam. He had been in contention much of the race, but finished fifth after a late pit stop shuffle. That race ended on fuel strategy as Waltrip stayed out on the track and was leading when rain stopped the race on lap 293. With the win, Waltrip finished off a Career Grand Slam.
  • In 1996, Dale Jarrett had a chance to win the Million. He won at Daytona and Charlotte, and had finished just 0.22 seconds shy of winning at Talladega (coming in second to Sterling Marlin), but hit the wall early in the notoriously narrow Turn 3 at Darlington, which led to a 14th-place finish.

Final running

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It would not be until 1997, the program's final year of existence, that the Million was won again. Jeff Gordon won the season-opening Daytona 500, but finished fifth in the Winston 500. He had to win the Coca-Cola 600 to keep his Winston Million opportunity alive, which he did. Gordon clinched the Winston Million by winning the Southern 500, holding off a hard-charging Jeff Burton on the final lap. The two cars touched coming around Turn 4 to take the white flag side-by-side, with Gordon holding on to win his third of four consecutive Southern 500 wins, a record in NASCAR majors. A Brinks truck led him around the victory lap, spewing bags of Winston play money.

Winston Million race winners/results (1985–1997)

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Season Daytona Talladega Charlotte Darlington Notes
1985 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Darrell Waltrip Bill Elliott Elliott won Winston Million
1986 Geoff Bodine Bobby Allison Dale Earnhardt Tim Richmond
1987 Bill Elliott Davey Allison Kyle Petty Dale Earnhardt
1988 Bobby Allison Phil Parsons Darrell Waltrip Bill Elliott
1989 Darrell Waltrip Davey Allison Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt Waltrip won $100,000 bonus
1990 Derrike Cope Dale Earnhardt Rusty Wallace Dale Earnhardt Earnhardt won $100,000 bonus
1991 Ernie Irvan Harry Gant Davey Allison Harry Gant Gant won $100,000 bonus
1992 Davey Allison Davey Allison Dale Earnhardt Darrell Waltrip Allison won $100,000 bonus, Waltrip has Career Grand Slam
1993 Dale Jarrett Ernie Irvan Dale Earnhardt Mark Martin
1994 Sterling Marlin Dale Earnhardt Jeff Gordon Bill Elliott
1995 Sterling Marlin Mark Martin Bobby Labonte Jeff Gordon
1996 Dale Jarrett Sterling Marlin Dale Jarrett Jeff Gordon Jarrett won $100,000 bonus
1997 Jeff Gordon Mark Martin Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Gordon won Winston Million

Winston No Bull 5

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In 1998, in preparations for the 50th anniversary of NASCAR, R. J. Reynolds decided to revamp and reintroduce the million dollar award program. Several factors contributed to the change. After thirteen seasons, the Winston Million had been won only twice, and several times, no driver won even two events. R. J. Reynolds, along with NASCAR, the drivers, and fans, wanted a new format for the award, which allowed it to be won more often and have more drivers involved.

The four established crown jewels on the circuit were experiencing worthy competition. In 1994, the inaugural Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was held, and for several years, actually dethroned the Daytona 500 as the richest race of the season. The events at Richmond International Raceway were also fast becoming fan and driver favorites. In addition, several new venues were introduced to the schedule, all of which were offering large base purses.

The new program for 1998, titled the No Bull 5 (after a Winston marketing campaign) consisted of three legs of the original Grand Slam (Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500) along with the Brickyard 400. The race at Talladega used for the program, however, was switched from the spring race to the October race. As a result, that event changed sponsorship names and became referred to as the Winston 500.[1] The rules were as follows:

  • The drivers who finished in the top 5 of a No Bull 5 race qualified themselves for the bonus at the next No Bull 5 race.
  • If one of those five drivers went on to win that next No Bull 5 race, he won a $1 million bonus.
  • Five fans were chosen for each No Bull 5 race, and were paired with each of the five qualified drivers. If the driver won the bonus, the lucky fan paired with him also won $1 million.

During the No Bull 5 races, the No Bull 5 eligible drivers raced with special paint jobs. The number on the roof and the rear spoiler was painted day-glow orange because many cars were painted red, and a day-glow "$" was affixed to the passenger window along with a red dot on the windshield in races prior to 2001. Other special decals were sometimes present. This allowed fans to quickly identify and follow the progress of the five eligible drivers. The only exception was the 1998 Daytona 500 where eligible drivers had silver numbers instead of the orange.

In subsequent seasons, the races chosen for the No Bull 5 program varied. The Brickyard 400 was dropped after only one year, replaced by the Las Vegas 400. Eventually the Daytona 500 was replaced with the Pepsi 400, and the Southern 500 was replaced by the fall event at Richmond.

In its five-year span, which totalled twenty-five races, 125 eligible driver spots, and 124 eligible fans (one fan qualified twice, winning neither), the million dollar bonus was won thirteen times. Jeff Gordon won it a record four times. Including his 1997 Winston Million victory, Gordon won a total of $5 million from the bonus program.

Winston No Bull 5 winners/results

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The top five finishers in each race listed qualified to race for the bonus in the next No-Bull 5 race. For the first No-Bull 5 race, the 1998 Daytona 500, the top five finishers from the 1997 DieHard 500 were used.

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

Crown Jewel races

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NASCAR Crown Jewel races generally include the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, along with the Brickyard 400, which has been considered by many to be a Crown Jewel event since its inception in 1994.[2][3] Despite being included in the Winston Million, Talladega is not included as a Crown Jewel race in modern sources.[4][5][6] Some drivers and media members consider the Bristol Night Race as a fifth Crown Jewel event.[7][8]

Crown Jewel statistics by driver

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The table below includes drivers with at least five Crown Jewel race wins in at least three different Crown Jewel races. For the purposes of this table, Crown Jewel races include the spring Talladega race prior to the adoption of the Brickyard 400 in 1994, and does not include the Bristol Night Race.[9][6]

Career Crown Jewel wins

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Driver Daytona
1959–Present 		Talladega
1970-1993 		Charlotte
1960–Present 		Indianapolis
1994–Present 		Darlington
1950–Present 		Race Wins Grand Slams
Jeff Gordon 3: 1997, 1999, 2005 3: 1994, 1997, 1998 5: 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014 6: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2007 17 3
Bobby Allison 3: 1978, 1982, 1988 3: 1979, 1981, 1986 3: 1971, 1981, 1984 4: 1971, 1972, 1975, 1983 13 3
Jimmie Johnson 2: 2006, 2013 4: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2014 4: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012 2: 2004, 2012 12 3
Richard Petty 7: 1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981 1: 1983 2: 1975, 1977 1: 1967 11 1
Cale Yarborough 4: 1968, 1977, 1983, 1984 2: 1978, 1984 5: 1968, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1982 11
David Pearson 1: 1976 3: 1972, 1973, 1974 3: 1961, 1974, 1976 3: 1976, 1977, 1979 10 1
Dale Earnhardt 1: 1998 1: 1990 3: 1986, 1992, 1993 1: 1995 3: 1987, 1989, 1990 9 1
Darrell Waltrip 1: 1989 2: 1977, 1982 5: 1978, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989 1: 1992 9 1
Buddy Baker 1: 1980 3: 1975, 1976, 1980 3: 1968, 1972, 1973 1: 1970 8 1
Kevin Harvick* 1: 2007 2: 2011, 2013 3: 2003, 2019, 2020 2: 2014, 2020 8 1
Bill Elliott 2: 1985, 1987 1: 1985 1: 2002 3: 1985, 1988, 1994 7
Denny Hamlin 3: 2016, 2019, 2020 1: 2022 3: 2010, 2017, 2021 7
Dale Jarrett 3: 1993, 1996, 2000 1: 1996 2: 1996, 1999 6

Crown Jewel race results

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Formation (1950–1984)

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The first running of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in 1950 was the first NASCAR race on a large speedway. It has become known as NASCAR's "oldest superspeedway race".[citation needed] The Talladega event was originally known as the Alabama 500 in 1970, becoming the Winston 500 from 1971 to 1997. It has been scheduled in April or May since its inception. With the addition of this race, it became possible to win all four majors in a season to complete a Grand Slam, although that feat has never been accomplished. The Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 have held relatively constant dates since their inaugural race, with the Daytona 500 always held in February and the Coca-Cola 600 always scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.

Season Daytona Talladega Charlotte Darlington Notes
1950 Not held Not held Not held Johnny Mantz Inaugural Southern 500
1951 Herb Thomas
1952 Fonty Flock
1953 Buck Baker
1954 Herb Thomas
1955 Herb Thomas
1956 Curtis Turner
1957 Speedy Thompson
1958 Fireball Roberts
1959 Lee Petty Jim Reed Inaugural Daytona 500
1960 Junior Johnson Joe Lee Johnson Buck Baker Inaugural World 600
1961 Marvin Panch David Pearson Nelson Stacy
1962 Fireball Roberts Nelson Stacy Larry Frank
1963 Tiny Lund Fred Lorenzen Fireball Roberts
1964 Richard Petty Jim Paschal Buck Baker
1965 Fred Lorenzen Fred Lorenzen Ned Jarrett
1966 Richard Petty Marvin Panch Darel Dieringer
1967 Mario Andretti Jim Paschal Richard Petty
1968 Cale Yarborough Buddy Baker Cale Yarborough
1969 LeeRoy Yarbrough LeeRoy Yarbrough LeeRoy Yarbrough Yarbrough became first driver to win three Crown Jewels in a single season
1970 Pete Hamilton Pete Hamilton Donnie Allison Buddy Baker Inaugural Alabama 500
Single-year Grand Slam became possible
1971 Richard Petty Donnie Allison Bobby Allison Bobby Allison
1972 A. J. Foyt David Pearson Buddy Baker Bobby Allison
1973 Richard Petty David Pearson Buddy Baker Cale Yarborough
1974 Richard Petty David Pearson David Pearson Cale Yarborough
1975 Benny Parsons Buddy Baker Richard Petty Bobby Allison
1976 David Pearson Buddy Baker David Pearson David Pearson Pearson became the first driver to complete a Grand Slam
and second driver to win three Crown Jewel races in a season.
1977 Cale Yarborough Darrell Waltrip Richard Petty David Pearson
1978 Bobby Allison Cale Yarborough Darrell Waltrip Cale Yarborough
1979 Richard Petty Bobby Allison Darrell Waltrip David Pearson Allison completes Grand Slam
1980 Buddy Baker Buddy Baker Benny Parsons Terry Labonte Baker completes Grand Slam
1981 Richard Petty Bobby Allison Bobby Allison Neil Bonnett
1982 Bobby Allison Darrell Waltrip Neil Bonnett Cale Yarborough
1983 Cale Yarborough Richard Petty Neil Bonnett Bobby Allison Petty completes Grand Slam
1984 Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough Bobby Allison Harry Gant

Winston Million era (1985–1997)

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The Brickyard 400 event was established in 1994, held in early August during the time between the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500. It has supplanted the spring Talladega race as a Crown Jewel.[9][6]

Season Daytona Talladega Charlotte Indianapolis Darlington Notes
1985 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Darrell Waltrip Not held Bill Elliott Elliott becomes third driver to win three Crown Jewel races in a season.
1986 Geoff Bodine Bobby Allison Dale Earnhardt Tim Richmond
1987 Bill Elliott Davey Allison Kyle Petty Dale Earnhardt
1988 Bobby Allison Phil Parsons Darrell Waltrip Bill Elliott
1989 Darrell Waltrip Davey Allison Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt
1990 Derrike Cope Dale Earnhardt Rusty Wallace Dale Earnhardt
1991 Ernie Irvan Harry Gant Davey Allison Harry Gant
1992 Davey Allison Davey Allison Dale Earnhardt Darrell Waltrip Waltrip completes Grand Slam
1993 Dale Jarrett Ernie Irvan Dale Earnhardt Mark Martin
1994 Sterling Marlin Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Bill Elliott Inaugural Brickyard 400
1995 Sterling Marlin Bobby Labonte Dale Earnhardt Jeff Gordon
1996 Dale Jarrett Dale Jarrett Dale Jarrett Jeff Gordon
1997 Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Ricky Rudd Jeff Gordon Gordon completes Grand Slam and becomes third driver to win three Crown Jewel races in a season.

Crown Jewel era (1998–present)

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The Southern 500 was moved to November for 2004, and removed from the schedule. The linear spring race (Rebel 400) became a major from 2015 to 2020, first on Mother's Day weekend in May from 2005 to 2013, held on Saturday night. It was held in April in 2014. The lineal Rebel moved to Labor Day weekend in 2015 and served as a major until 2019. Following the restoration of the lineal Southern 500 as two May races in 2020 ("The Real Heroes 400" and "Toyota 500km") from the suspension of the schedule in March 2020, the lineal Southern 500 was moved to September in 2021. The Brickyard 400 was moved up a week to late July in 2007 and moved to the weekend after the Southern 500 in September for 2018 and 2019. It then moved to Independence Day weekend in 2020, in place of the Coke Zero 400, which was held the week before the Southern 500. From 2021 to 2023, Indianapolis became a road course race. With the move, NASCAR, the media, and drivers no longer referred to the event as a Crown Jewel during the time. However, when comparing NASCAR's majors to majors in other sports (three-year old horse racing and men's, women's and over-50 men's golf), Indianapolis became NASCAR's major event equivalent of the U.S. Open, PGA Championship, and The Open Championship in all three divisions of golf or the Breeder's Cup Classic in horse racing where the major championship is held at a different venue each year.[4][5] In this comparison, the Indianapolis round returned to the oval in 2024.[10] The Speedway and NASCAR intend to alternate every few years between the oval and road course, comparing the round to a golf major.

Season Daytona Charlotte Indianapolis Darlington Notes
1998 Dale Earnhardt Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon Earnhardt completes Grand Slam
1999 Jeff Gordon Jeff Burton Dale Jarrett Jeff Burton
2000 Dale Jarrett Matt Kenseth Bobby Labonte Bobby Labonte
2001 Michael Waltrip Jeff Burton Jeff Gordon Ward Burton
2002 Ward Burton Mark Martin Bill Elliott Jeff Gordon
2003 Michael Waltrip Jimmie Johnson Kevin Harvick Terry Labonte
2004 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jimmie Johnson Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson
2005 Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Tony Stewart Greg Biffle
2006 Jimmie Johnson Kasey Kahne Jimmie Johnson Greg Biffle Johnson completes Grand Slam
2007 Kevin Harvick Casey Mears Tony Stewart Jeff Gordon
2008 Ryan Newman Kasey Kahne Jimmie Johnson Kyle Busch
2009 Matt Kenseth David Reutimann Jimmie Johnson Mark Martin
2010 Jamie McMurray Kurt Busch Jamie McMurray Denny Hamlin
2011 Trevor Bayne Kevin Harvick Paul Menard Regan Smith
2012 Matt Kenseth Kasey Kahne Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Johnson
2013 Jimmie Johnson Kevin Harvick Ryan Newman Matt Kenseth
2014 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jimmie Johnson Jeff Gordon Kevin Harvick Harvick completes Grand Slam
2015 Joey Logano Carl Edwards Kyle Busch Carl Edwards
2016 Denny Hamlin Martin Truex Jr. Kyle Busch Martin Truex Jr.
2017 Kurt Busch Austin Dillon Kasey Kahne Denny Hamlin
2018 Austin Dillon Kyle Busch Brad Keselowski Brad Keselowski
2019 Denny Hamlin Martin Truex Jr. Kevin Harvick Erik Jones Last year of lineal Rebel 500 as major.
2020 Denny Hamlin Brad Keselowski Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick (Sun)
Denny Hamlin (Wed)		 Lineal Southern 500 returned in May 2020 as two races.
2021 Michael McDowell Kyle Larson A. J. Allmendinger Denny Hamlin Indianapolis alternation moved to road course. Lineal Southern 500 returned to September.
2022 Austin Cindric Denny Hamlin Tyler Reddick Erik Jones
2023 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ryan Blaney Michael McDowell Kyle Larson
2024 William Byron Christopher Bell Kyle Larson Chase Briscoe Indianapolis alternation between oval and road course flipped to oval.
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Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash Program

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Main article: Dash 4 Cash

A similar program to the No Bull 5 occurs in the Xfinity Series, which began in 2009 under the series' Nationwide Insurance sponsorship. At a race prior to the first race in the program will be designated the top four finishers for the first race in the bonus. Those drivers in the first race in the program are eligible for a $100,000 bonus. Fans will select one of those four drivers, and a lucky fan will also win $100,000. The highest championship driver (as of 2011) finisher in the race, eligible for points in the Xfinity race, wins the bonus and automatically qualify's for the next event. The next three highest finishers eligible for points in the series also get a chance to race for the bonus at the next Dash4Cash race.

Starting in 2015, the 30th anniversary of the million dollar cash bonus, Comcast (the new sponsor of the second-tier series), announced modifications to the five-race program, including a million dollar bonus.[11] Unlike past years where the races were typically assigned to conflicting weekends to prevent Sprint Cup drivers from participating under pre-2011 rules, the four races are Dover, the Lilly Diabetes 250 (Indianapolis), Food City 250 (Bristol), and Darlington. As usual, the top four finishers at Charlotte participate in the program starting at Dover.

The rules are the same, but Xfinity drivers will have a chance to qualify for the Dash 4 Cash at Charlotte. After that, that next four races are Dover, Indianapolis, Bristol, and Darlington. If a driver wins the first three cash prizes, and then wins outright Darlington, the driver's winnings in the bonus program will be augmented to one million dollars. The driver must claim the Dover, Indianapolis, and Bristol bonuses, finish first overall in the Darlington race, and earn the 47 (or 48 if the driver leads the most laps) points for the win at Darlington to claim the $600,000 bonus.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Winston No Bull 5 replaces Winston Million". Motorsport Network. October 10, 1997. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  2. ^ "NASCAR: Who could sweep the Crown Jewel races?". beyondtheflag.com. 22 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Active drivers with the most crown-jewel victories". NASCAR.
  4. ^ a b "DRIVERS WITH THE MOST CROWN JEWEL RACE WINS". NASCAR.com. 7 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b "ACTIVE DRIVERS WITH CROWN-JEWEL VICTORIES". NASCAR.com. 2022-02-20.
  6. ^ a b c https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/sports/nascar/2024/07/23/what-is-a-nascar-crown-jewel-race-is-hailie-deegan-returning/74503754007/ [bare URL]
  7. ^ Brichfield, Jeff (2020-09-19). "Bristol Night Race deserves recognition as 'Crown Jewel'". Johnson City Press. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  8. ^ Harrison, Brad (2021-09-20). "2-Headed Monster: Should Bristol Host the Championship Race?". Frontstretch. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  9. ^ a b https://www.nascar.com/gallery/drivers-with-the-most-crown-jewel-race-wins/ [bare URL]
  10. ^ https://www.espn.com/racing/story/_/id/40575216/indianapolis-oval-return-restores-crown-jewel-nascar-schedule [bare URL]
  11. ^ Kraft, RJ (April 3, 2018). "Dash 4 Cash: Format explained, recapping each Xfinity Series race". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
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