Next year’s 500 will mark a pair of key anniversaries. It will have been 50 years since the 1976 500, which featured arguably the most dramatic finish in NASCAR history, and 25 years since Dale Earnhardt’s death on the final lap of the 2001 500.

After Sept. 11, NASCAR picked back up the following week at Dover Motor Speedway. Racers pressed forward, refusing to let anyone drive them away. They kept New Hampshire on the schedule in defiance of terror, defiance of weather, an exclamation point on a season that wrote and rewrote the history books.

Harvick began his NASCAR career five years after Gordon had his first Busch Series (now O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) race in 1990. While Harvick secured his maiden Cup Series win in 1994, it wasn't until 2001 that Harvick could match the feat.