Conspiracy theorists in NASCAR point to something known as “The Call” as a way to explain the many too-good-to-be-true moments in NASCAR history, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s commanding victory at Daytona in the first race back at the track after his father was killed there.

“The Call,” as detailed in an article in the now-defunct magazine American Thunder, is a theory that NASCAR often allows certain competitors to have an unfair advantage -- a larger engine, say, or a smaller restrictor plate -- in order for them to achieve a poetic victory that will generate a huge amount of media attention.

According to conspiracy theorists, “The Call” comes in three basic categories:

“The Sponsor Call” holds that a driver who shares a corporate sponsor with a particular race or track will thus be allowed to perform well in that race. Examples of this include: Jeff Gordon’s 2004 victory in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona during a race in which he drove a car with a special Pepsi paint scheme. Pepsi promised a free 2-liter bottle of its new Pepsi Edge if Gordon won. Another example is Jimmie Johnson’s repeated success at Lowe’s Motorspeedway in Charlotte behind the wheel of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet.

“The Heart Warmer” alleges NASCAR favors particular drivers when a victory would strike a particular emotional chord, such as a return from an injury or some other off-track tragedy. Examples of this include Earnhardt Jr.’s win at Daytona, the victory for Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson the week after a plane crash killed seven members of the Hendrick Motorsports family, and Ricky Craven’s 1998 win in front of his hometown fans at New Hampshire International Raceway after sitting out a dozen races due to a concussion.

“The History Maker” posits that when a driver has a chance to post a particularly historic victory in a prominent setting, NASCAR helps him along. Examples of this include Richard Petty, a huge Republican supporter, scoring his 200th and last career victory during a July 4th race at Daytona in front of President Ronald Reagan, the first time a sitting president had been in attendance for a Cup race. Others point to Dale Earnhardt finally winning the Daytona 500 in 1998 on his 20th attempt.

Coincidence or the Call?

July 3, 2004 - Jeff Gordon comes to Daytona for the Pepsi 400 with a special Pepsi Cola paint scheme and as spokesman for the corporate giant’s latest massive product launch. If Gordon wins the Pepsi 400 in the Pepsi Chevy then fans across America get a free 2-liter bottle of new low-sugar/low-cal Pepsi Edge. He starts from the pole and leads the most laps en route to the victory. In the Pepsi 400 Victory Lane he takes a swig of Pepsi at a track that sells only Pepsi products. Sweet. But was it too sweet?

For the first time in NASCAR history, a sitting U.S. President attends a Winston Cup race at Daytona on July 4, 1984 for the Pepsi 400. The King, Richard Petty, is going for his 200th career win. Petty and Cale Yarborough duke it out throughout the event and cross the finish line door-to-door. The winner is Petty by inches. The third place car of Harry Gant is so far behind that the grandstands are half empty by the time he crosses the start-finish line. After the race it is pointed out that both Petty and Yarborough are staunch Republicans. Eyewitnesses swear they saw Ronald Reagan give "The King" a subtle wink during the congratulatory handshake. Was it a Right Wing conspiracy?

July 4, 2001 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. returned to the Daytona International Speedway for the first time since his father’s death and put on a show never before seen in the age of restrictor plate racing. He passed three and four cars at a time all by himself throughout the night. He destroyed the competition to nab the most emotional win of his still-young career. Was the fix in for Jr.?


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See also:

• America's Fastest-Growing Sport
• Bootlegging Roots
• NASCAR History
• Organization
• Television
• The Birth of NASCAR
• The Daytona 500
• The Growth of the Sport