And that's why it isn't the Winston Cup anymore...

(Laudatories for Dean Shawn)
Benny Parsons has made his last left turn as the 1973 Winston Cup Champion died of lung cancer at the age of 65, despite not having smoked a cigarette since 1978, 9 days after fellow NASCAR champion Bobby Hamilton died of cancer. Forget the restrictor plates and HANS systems – maybe the gearheads ought to look at the exhaust. By his count, he completed 134,870 laps, which seems like a monumental testament to futility, but NASCAR was impressed enough to name him one of the top 50 drivers in history. He also won the 1968 and 1969 Automobile Racing Club of America championships, 1975 Daytona 500, 1980 World 600 and was the first driver to top 200 miles per hour in qualifying. All told, he drove in 526 races, winning 21, pretty weak by Ricky Bobby standards.

Shawn’s Team One and Dawn’s Go For the Light, It’s Right There, Damn It, anticipated the pit stop and take 10 points to share third, although they got a scare from…