Calling Their Shots


The Babe points out where "That saucy little number with the killer gams" is sitting

In Nascar's long history, more than just Denny Hamlin have "called" or "guaranteed" victories in upcoming races.  Here's a look at the most-memorable:

1948: Jim Roper guarantees that if he wins Nascar's first Strictly-Stock race, he'll be remembered as the winner of Nascar's first Strictly-Stock race.

1953: Jocko Flocko promises a crippled young chimpanzee that, if he'll get out of that veterinarian's office and walk again, he'll win at Hickory.

1962: Junior Johnson teaches a parrot to say "We're gonna win!", believed to be the first-ever Nascar Tweet.

1967: Richard Petty shows up at a racetrack, thus guaranteeing him a victory.

1979: Kyle Petty vows that, after winning his first race of any kind (an ARCA race at Daytona), he will devote more time to what really matters--country music and pro wrestling.

1986: Bill Elliott is asked "Do you think you've got a shot to win today?" by a newspaper reporter.  While his response was printed as "Yes", his ACTUAL response was "Damned if I know".

1990: Dale Earnhardt Sr. privately vows to win the Daytona 500, prophetically adding "…unless some nobody from Washington state beats us."

1995: Jeff Gordon promises not only to win, but to do so in a way that will cause most of Nascar's fans to loathe him for the next dozen years.

2011: Tony Stewart doesn't come through when he guarantees that his team doesn't belong in the Chase.