ShareThisSterling Marlin was back in victory lane last weekend, and Rusty Wallace was close behind.
Of course Kevin Harvick got most of the pub for his Nationwide Series win on Saturday, and Kyle Busch grabbed the spotlight for his Sprint Cup checker on Sunday.
But in the old-timers race at Bristol, it was Marlin who took the win over Wallace and reminded me just how much fun it would be if NASCAR had its own senior tour.
When the 12-car race was done it received rave reviews from the competitors, and by all accounts the fans enjoyed the 35-lap exhibition.
And what's not to enjoy?
Anyone who followed NASCAR before it became a Madison Avenue sport has to love seeing guys like Cale Yarborough and Harry Gant behind the wheel, even if they aren't going quite as fast as they used to.
Is there a market for this kind of competition?
I think so.
I obviously don't expect a 36-race schedule complete with tire tests and restrictor plate programs and all the trappings that go with the high tech, high-pressure world of post-Petty NASCAR. But maybe a 50-lap event would be a welcome addition to a race weekend at places like Charlotte, Darlington and, of course, Bristol. Heck, just make it a 10-race season and crown a champion at the end.
You could even use an off week in the Cup series to have a race at a track NASCAR has abandoned, such as North Wilkesboro. You might have to mow the asphalt but "Winston Cup" signs are still up, giving it a throwback feel.
One of the drawing cards could be meet and greet sessions with the legends prior to the race. Then when it's done, select fans could be brought to victory lane to take part in the winner's celebration.
NASCAR is still more fan-friendly than most sports, but it's nothing like it used to be. There was a time when fans could mingle with competitors almost until it was time for the green flag to drop.
The NASCAR Senior Tour would bring those days back. Not only would fans get to chat up drivers, they'd get to chat up hall of fame drivers.
I'd pay good money to see Bobby and Donnie Allison and Yarborough mix it up on the track again -- even if they didn't get in a fight at the end of the day like they did way back in 1979.
And I'm guessing Buddy Baker still knows his way around the track -- any track.
Certainly NASCAR has produced a new generation of superstars. One doesn't have to look far to find fans wearing caps and jackets that sport the numbers and sponsors of Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., etc.
Yet to have the chance to see Richard Petty, Yarborough and Baker go three-wide in a corner, well, it doesn't get much better than that.
In all likelihood we'll have to settle for the occasional old-timers race at places like Bristol. Organizing and executing a senior tour would be a major undertaking, and a 10-race (or even a five-race) schedule might become more like work for the icons that have long since paid their dues in the sport.
Still, wishing doesn't cost anything -- nor does thinking out loud.
That being the case, I wish I could think of a way to really make it happen.
(Contact Scott Adamson of the Anderson Independent-Mail in Anderson, S.C., at adamsons(at)independentmail.com.)
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