The 1993 Daytona 500, run 30 years ago today, is first and foremost a love story.
Yes, it was the Dale and Dale Show. Yes, it was the victory that sparked Dale Jarrett's climb toward the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Yes, it was the first Cup Series win for second-year team owner Joe Gibbs, also a future Hall of Famer, who has since added 199 more of them. Yes, it was all of that and more. But yes, it was also a love story. After all, it did happen on Valentine's Day.
To fully appreciate that day, we must put it within the context of the era.