CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Chase Elliott has seen the picture somewhere — it's hanging in their family shop, Bill Elliott confirms — of his shaking hands with Alan Kulwicki following the 1992 season finale.
The photo symbolizes a golden era for NASCAR and shows one driver losing with grace and accepting that the best man won. That '92 closer is a benchmark race for NASCAR in that a nail-biting season came to an end during an emotional passing of the torch.
Richard Petty retired that day, using Jeff Gordon's first Cup race to mark his farewell, all while six drivers showed up at Atlanta Motor Speedway in contention for the Winston Cup title.