When the “No Bull 5” Made Fans Into Winners

Prizes are the name of the game in auto racing, where drivers win trophies, titles, and money. Car owners win much of the same and depending on the accomplishment, crew members get rings or bonuses. Not too long ago, even certain fans could take home a big check.

Yes, that’s right. Fans just like you. And it all came about because of NASCAR Cup Series title sponsor Winston and a marketing innovator. After all, Winston did a masterful job with NASCAR for its entire 30-plus year association as the official brand.

The first big prize that Winston dangled in front of the competitors was the Winston Million in 1985. True, Bill Elliott did win it in year one but the requirements made it unlikely to be claimed regularly.

To win the million dollars, a driver had to be the winner at three out of four “crown jewel” events: Daytona International Speedway in February, Talladega Superspeedway in April, Charlotte Motor Speedway in May and Darlington Raceway in September. So if the first three were all won by a different driver, game over. For the rest of the year, it was a moot point.

Which, as it turned out, was most years. The next time a driver had an opportunity to win it was in 1992, when Davey Allison won Daytona and Talladega. That gave him two shots at the big check but he didn’t win either.

Then Dale Jarrett won Daytona and Charlotte in 1996 but an early wreck at Darlington ended that effort as well. By the time Jeff Gordon won the million in 1997, the program was already on the chopping block in favor of something that would enable multiple competitors to claim the big bucks.

The new prize would be called the No Bull 5. It would consist of five predetermined races each season. The top five finishers from each No Bull 5 race would be the eligible drivers at the next one. Should any of those five win, they’d cash a million dollar check.

But there was another new dimension to the program. Each eligible driver would be paired with a randomly selected fan who would then be present at the race. If the driver they were paired with won, the fan would also get a million dollars of their own. All fans had to do was enter their name into the contest and they could be selected.

The first race was the 1998 Daytona 500 and pole winner Bobby Labonte nearly claimed it, finishing second behind Dale Earnhardt. If you look at the footage of the finish, you’ll notice that while the number on the side of Labonte’s car is its…