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Historic and prestigious races in NASCAR are often calledCrown Jewels. Most commonly these races are theDaytona 500,Coca-Cola 600, andSouthern 500. NASCAR also recognizes theBrickyard 400 as a Crown Jewel. During the Winston Million program, theWinston 500 at Talladega was included, but most modern sources do not include it as a Crown Jewel race. Some media members and drivers argue that theBristol Night Race is a Crown Jewel event as well.
From 1985 to 1997, NASCAR Cup Series sponsorWinston (cigarette) offered a one-million-dollar bonus to any driver who won three out of the four races in a single season.
Winning all Crown Jewel races is sometimes referred to as aGrand Slam. Nine drivers have completed a Grand Slam, includingJeff Gordon,Bobby Allison, andJimmie Johnson, who have accomplished the feat three different times.
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In 1984,R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company announced at theWaldorf Astoria New York during the annual year end awards banquet two new events that would define NASCAR for years to come. The first was an invitation only, "all-star" exhibition race called The Winston (now known as theNASCAR All-Star Race). The other announcement was that they were formally elevating the sport's four majors (sometimes referred to as the "crown jewels") into a formal Grand Slam with a cash prize bonus, known as theWinston Million. The long established and recognized major events were as follows:
Prior to 1985, no driver had ever won all four races in the same season. Only once had a driver won three out of the four races:David Pearson in 1976.LeeRoy Yarbrough won Daytona, Charlotte, and Darlington in 1969, prior to the introduction of Talladega Superspeedway.
From 1985 to 1997,R. J. Reynolds and brand sponsorWinston offered aUS$1 million bonus to any driver who won three out of the four races (a "Small Slam") in a single calendar year season. If there was no million-dollar winner, a $100,000 consolation bonus would be given to the first driver to win two of the four races.
If a driver went into the Coca-Cola 600 or the Southern 500 with a chance to win the million, the race was advertised as the "Winston Million Running of the Coca-Cola 600" or the "Winston Million Running of the Southern 500". From 1994 to 1996, the program was advertised as the "Winston Select Million", as R. J. Reynolds elected to promote Winston's "Select" brand of cigarettes.
In the Winston Million program's first year (1985),Bill Elliott captured the million-dollar bonus, and the victory thrust him into superstardom. He dominated the season-opening Daytona 500, then won the Winston 500 at an all-time NASCAR record speed. He remarkably came back from two laps down, having lost the laps due to having to pit due to a broken oil fitting, and he subsequently made the laps up under green. After suffering mechanical problems at Charlotte, Elliott captured the million dollar bonus at Darlington, taking command afterCale Yarborough lost power steering.
Elliott became known as "Million Dollar Bill" and appeared on the September 9, 1985 cover ofSports Illustrated.
The relative ease with which Elliott had won the Winston Million led many to believe that the bonus would be awarded fairly often in subsequent seasons. This would ultimately prove untrue, as the award was difficult to win, and at times, it was difficult to even have a driver in contention to win.
It would not be until 1997, the program's final year of existence, that the Million was won again.Jeff Gordon won the season-openingDaytona 500, but finished fifth in theWinston 500. He had to win theCoca-Cola 600 to keep his Winston Million opportunity alive, which he did. Gordon clinched the Winston Million by winning theSouthern 500, holding off a hard-chargingJeff Burton on the final lap. The two cars touched coming around Turn 4 to take the white flag side-by-side, with Gordon holding on to win his third of four consecutive Southern 500 wins, a record in NASCAR majors. ABrinks truck led him around the victory lap, spewingbags of Winstonplay money.
| Season | Daytona | Talladega | Charlotte | Darlington | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott | Darrell Waltrip | Bill Elliott | Elliott won Winston Million |
| 1986 | Geoff Bodine | Bobby Allison | Dale Earnhardt | Tim Richmond | |
| 1987 | Bill Elliott | Davey Allison | Kyle Petty | Dale Earnhardt | |
| 1988 | Bobby Allison | Phil Parsons | Darrell Waltrip | Bill Elliott | |
| 1989 | Darrell Waltrip | Davey Allison | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt | Waltrip won $100,000 bonus |
| 1990 | Derrike Cope | Dale Earnhardt | Rusty Wallace | Dale Earnhardt | Earnhardt won $100,000 bonus |
| 1991 | Ernie Irvan | Harry Gant | Davey Allison | Harry Gant | Gant won $100,000 bonus |
| 1992 | Davey Allison | Davey Allison | Dale Earnhardt | Darrell Waltrip | Allison won $100,000 bonus, Waltrip has Career Grand Slam |
| 1993 | Dale Jarrett | Ernie Irvan | Dale Earnhardt | Mark Martin | |
| 1994 | Sterling Marlin | Dale Earnhardt | Jeff Gordon | Bill Elliott | |
| 1995 | Sterling Marlin | Mark Martin | Bobby Labonte | Jeff Gordon | |
| 1996 | Dale Jarrett | Sterling Marlin | Dale Jarrett | Jeff Gordon | Jarrett won $100,000 bonus |
| 1997 | Jeff Gordon | Mark Martin | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon | Gordon won Winston Million |
In 1998, in preparations for the 50th anniversary of NASCAR, R. J. Reynolds decided to revamp and reintroduce the million dollar award program. Several factors contributed to the change. After thirteen seasons, the Winston Million had been won only twice, and several times, no driver won even two events. R. J. Reynolds, along with NASCAR, the drivers, and fans, wanted a new format for the award, which allowed it to be won more often and have more drivers involved.
The four established crown jewels on the circuit were experiencing worthy competition. In1994, the inauguralBrickyard 400 at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway was held, and for several years, actually dethroned the Daytona 500 as the richest race of the season. The events atRichmond International Raceway were also fast becoming fan and driver favorites. In addition, several new venues were introduced to the schedule, all of which were offering large base purses.
The new program for 1998, titled theNo Bull 5 (after a Winston marketing campaign) consisted of three legs of the original Grand Slam (Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500) along with the Brickyard 400. The race at Talladega used for the program, however, was switched from the spring race to the October race. As a result, that event changed sponsorship names and became referred to as theWinston 500.[1] The rules were as follows:
During the No Bull 5 races, the No Bull 5 eligible drivers raced with special paint jobs. The number on the roof and the rear spoiler was painted day-glow orange because many cars were painted red, and a day-glow "$" was affixed to the passenger window along with a red dot on the windshield in races prior to 2001. Other special decals were sometimes present. This allowed fans to quickly identify and follow the progress of the five eligible drivers. The only exception was the 1998 Daytona 500 where eligible drivers had silver numbers instead of the orange.
In subsequent seasons, the races chosen for the No Bull 5 program varied. The Brickyard 400 was dropped after only one year, replaced by theLas Vegas 400. Eventually the Daytona 500 was replaced with thePepsi 400, and the Southern 500 was replaced by the fall event atRichmond.
In its five-year span, which totalled twenty-five races, 125 eligible driver spots, and 124 eligible fans (one fan qualified twice, winning neither), the million dollar bonus was won thirteen times. Jeff Gordon won it a record four times. Including his 1997 Winston Million victory, Gordon won a total of $5 million from the bonus program.
The top five finishers in each race listed qualified to race for the bonus in the next No-Bull 5 race. For the first No-Bull 5 race, the 1998 Daytona 500, the top five finishers from the 1997DieHard 500 were used.
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
NASCAR Crown Jewel races generally include the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, along with theBrickyard 400, which has been considered by many to be a Crown Jewel event since its inception in 1994.[2][3] Despite being included in the Winston Million, Talladega is not included as a Crown Jewel race in modern sources.[4][5][6] Some drivers and media members consider the Bristol Night Race as a fifth Crown Jewel event.[7][8]
The table below includes drivers with at least five Crown Jewel race wins in at least three different Crown Jewel races. For the purposes of this table, Crown Jewel races include the spring Talladega race prior to the adoption of the Brickyard 400 in 1994, and does not include the Bristol Night Race.[9][6]
| Driver | Daytona 1959–Present | Talladega 1970-1993 | Charlotte 1960–Present | Indianapolis 1994–Present | Darlington 1950–Present | Race Wins | Grand Slams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Gordon | 3: 1997, 1999, 2005 | 3: 1994, 1997, 1998 | 5: 1994, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2014 | 6: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2007 | 17 | 3 | |
| Bobby Allison | 3: 1978, 1982, 1988 | 3: 1979, 1981, 1986 | 3: 1971, 1981, 1984 | 4: 1971, 1972, 1975, 1983 | 13 | 3 | |
| Jimmie Johnson | 2: 2006, 2013 | 4: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2014 | 4: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012 | 2: 2004, 2012 | 12 | 3 | |
| Richard Petty | 7: 1964, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1981 | 1: 1983 | 2: 1975, 1977 | 1: 1967 | 11 | 1 | |
| Cale Yarborough | 4: 1968, 1977, 1983, 1984 | 2: 1978, 1984 | 5: 1968, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1982 | 11 | |||
| David Pearson | 1: 1976 | 3: 1972, 1973, 1974 | 3: 1961, 1974, 1976 | 3: 1976, 1977, 1979 | 10 | 1 | |
| Dale Earnhardt | 1: 1998 | 1: 1990 | 3: 1986, 1992, 1993 | 1: 1995 | 3: 1987, 1989, 1990 | 9 | 1 |
| Darrell Waltrip | 1: 1989 | 2: 1977, 1982 | 5: 1978, 1979, 1985, 1988, 1989 | 1: 1992 | 9 | 1 | |
| Buddy Baker | 1: 1980 | 3: 1975, 1976, 1980 | 3: 1968, 1972, 1973 | 1: 1970 | 8 | 1 | |
| Kevin Harvick* | 1: 2007 | 2: 2011, 2013 | 3: 2003, 2019, 2020 | 2: 2014, 2020 | 8 | 1 | |
| Bill Elliott | 2: 1985, 1987 | 1: 1985 | 1: 2002 | 3: 1985, 1988, 1994 | 7 | ||
| Denny Hamlin | 3: 2016, 2019, 2020 | 1: 2022 | 3: 2010, 2017, 2021 | 7 | |||
| Dale Jarrett | 3: 1993, 1996, 2000 | 1: 1996 | 2: 1996, 1999 | 6 |
The first running of the Southern 500 atDarlington Raceway in 1950 was the first NASCAR race on a large speedway. It has become known as NASCAR's "oldest superspeedway race".[citation needed] The Talladega event was originally known as the Alabama 500 in 1970, becoming theWinston 500 from 1971 to 1997. It has been scheduled in April or May since its inception. With the addition of this race, it became possible to win all four majors in a season to complete a Grand Slam, although that feat has never been accomplished. The Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 have held relatively constant dates since their inaugural race, with the Daytona 500 always held in February and the Coca-Cola 600 always scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.
TheBrickyard 400 event was established in 1994, held in early August during the time between theCoca-Cola 600 and theSouthern 500. It has supplanted the spring Talladega race as a Crown Jewel.[9][6]
| Season | Daytona | Talladega | Charlotte | Indianapolis | Darlington | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott | Darrell Waltrip | Not held | Bill Elliott | Elliott becomes third driver to win three Crown Jewel races in a season. |
| 1986 | Geoff Bodine | Bobby Allison | Dale Earnhardt | Tim Richmond | ||
| 1987 | Bill Elliott | Davey Allison | Kyle Petty | Dale Earnhardt | ||
| 1988 | Bobby Allison | Phil Parsons | Darrell Waltrip | Bill Elliott | ||
| 1989 | Darrell Waltrip | Davey Allison | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt | ||
| 1990 | Derrike Cope | Dale Earnhardt | Rusty Wallace | Dale Earnhardt | ||
| 1991 | Ernie Irvan | Harry Gant | Davey Allison | Harry Gant | ||
| 1992 | Davey Allison | Davey Allison | Dale Earnhardt | Darrell Waltrip | Waltrip completes Grand Slam | |
| 1993 | Dale Jarrett | Ernie Irvan | Dale Earnhardt | Mark Martin | ||
| 1994 | Sterling Marlin | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon | Bill Elliott | InauguralBrickyard 400 | |
| 1995 | Sterling Marlin | Bobby Labonte | Dale Earnhardt | Jeff Gordon | ||
| 1996 | Dale Jarrett | Dale Jarrett | Dale Jarrett | Jeff Gordon | ||
| 1997 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon | Ricky Rudd | Jeff Gordon | Gordon completes Grand Slam and becomes fourth driver to win three Crown Jewel races in a season. |
The Southern 500 was moved to November for 2004, and removed from the schedule. It then moved toIndependence Day weekend in 2020, in place of theCoke Zero 400, which was held the week before the Southern 500. From 2021 to 2023, Indianapolis became a road course race. With the move, NASCAR, the media, and drivers no longer referred to the event as a Crown Jewel during the time. However, when comparing NASCAR's majors to majors in other sports (three-year old horse racing andmen's,women's andover-50 men's golf), Indianapolis became NASCAR's major event equivalent of theU.S. Open,PGA Championship, andThe Open Championship in all three divisions of golf or theBreeder's Cup Classic in horse racing where the major championship is held at a different venue each year.[4][5] In this comparison, the Indianapolis round returned to the oval in 2024.[10]
A similar program to the No Bull 5 occurs in theXfinity Series, which began in 2009 under the series' Nationwide Insurance sponsorship. At a race prior to the first race in the program will be designated the top four finishers for the first race in the bonus. Those drivers in the first race in the program are eligible for a $100,000 bonus. Fans will select one of those four drivers, and a lucky fan will also win $100,000. The highest championship driver (as of 2011) finisher in the race, eligible for points in the Xfinity race, wins the bonus and automatically qualify's for the next event. The next three highest finishers eligible for points in the series also get a chance to race for the bonus at the next Dash4Cash race.
Starting in 2015, the 30th anniversary of the million dollar cash bonus, Comcast (the new sponsor of the second-tier series), announced modifications to the five-race program, including a million dollar bonus.[11] Unlike past years where the races were typically assigned to conflicting weekends to prevent Sprint Cup drivers from participating under pre-2011 rules, the four races are Dover, the Lilly Diabetes 250 (Indianapolis), Food City 250 (Bristol), and Darlington. As usual, the top four finishers at Charlotte participate in the program starting at Dover.
The rules are the same, but Xfinity drivers will have a chance to qualify for the Dash 4 Cash at Charlotte. After that, that next four races are Dover, Indianapolis, Bristol, and Darlington. If a driver wins the first three cash prizes, and then wins outright Darlington, the driver's winnings in the bonus program will be augmented to one million dollars. The driver must claim the Dover, Indianapolis, and Bristol bonuses, finish first overall in the Darlington race, and earn the 47 (or 48 if the driver leads the most laps) points for the win at Darlington to claim the $600,000 bonus.
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