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NASCAR, like many other sports, is home to some bizarre superstitions. Drivers and team owners cling to quirky beliefs and practices, hoping for good fortune. Some of these superstitions are recent, while others originated during the sport's early days.
Few drivers have peculiar rituals to bring good fortune, while others follow simple age-old superstitions to avoid bad luck. From Sterling Marlin's Daytona 500-winning bologna sandwiches to Davey Allison's movie-watching ritual, present-day driver Kyle Larson also holds on to a tiny lucky charm.
Similar to athletes in other sports, NASCAR team owners and drivers avoid the universally unlucky number 13. The color green is also avoided due to the death of Gaston Chevrolet in a green car, among other superstitions.
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Let's dive into five weird superstitions in the world of American stock car racing.
5 bizarre superstitions in NASCAR
#5 Kyle Larson's ladybug
The 2021 NASCAR Cup champion Kyle Larson has always had a ladybug image on his car, a lucky charm passed on to him by his father.
The ladybug story originated with three-time Indy 500 winner Johnny Rutherford. Before his third Indy victory, a ladybug landed on him, which he considered a lucky charm. Impressed by this story, Larson's dad has placed a ladybug on Kyle's car since his early days in racing.
Kyle Larson has continued the tradition, placing a ladybug image on his name above the window. During his recent Indy 500 attempt, he posted a ladybug picture on Instagram after qualifying for the event.
#4 Peanut Shells
The mystery and bad omen surrounding peanut shells dates back to the early days of stock car racing, and continues to linger in the NASCAR garage.
Back in the day, peanuts were a popular snack, and the crowd would munch on them in the grandstands. The shells would drop underneath the stands and sometimes into the racing cars parked below. Hence, whenever a fatal crash occurred, the peanut shells strewn across the scene of the accident were deemed a symbol of misfortune.
#3 $50 bills
The story surrounding the $50 bills is disputed and originated when Joe Weatherly was tragically killed in an accident at Riverside International Raceway in 1964, with two $50 bills reportedly found in his breast pocket.
Even the legendary Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress were superstitious about the $50 bill. Tony Stewart once mischievously handed one to the 7x champion in his car at Martinsville, only to be clotheslined by Childress while Earnhardt stared in a panic. Stewart admitted that he too refrains from touching $50 bills.
#2 Dale Earnhardt's lucky penny
While the NASCAR legend was superstitious about $50 bills, it was a lucky penny that brought him the greatest victory of his career.
Wessa Miller, a 6-year-old Dale Earnhardt fan, got to meet the NASCAR legend through the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the 1998 Daytona 500. She gifted him a penny, which he glued onto his dashboard for good luck.
After 20 years of trying, the lucky charm brought Dale Earnhardt the elusive Daytona 500 victory. The car at the Richard Childress Racing Museum still has the penny in it.
#1 Talladega Superspeedway
When the founding father of NASCAR, "Big Bill France," was looking to construct the biggest oval in the sport, he turned to Talladega, Alabama.
According to folklore, the land on which the 2.66-mile Superspeedway stands was inhabited by the Abihka Tribe in the 19th century. When the tribe was forced to leave, a Creek shaman supposedly cursed the land and anyone who occupied it.
Bobby Isaac once parked his car midway through a race in 1973 at Talladega, claiming that a voice told him to do so, and retired from full-time top-level competition. Davey Allison's tragic death in a helicopter crash in the infield at Talladega also left a profound impact.
The 2.66-mile oval is home to some of the most notorious crashes in NASCAR. From Bobby Allison's famed crash in 1987, Dale Earnhardt and Carl Edwards have also been involved in some memorable wrecks at the track.
