On August 27, 2011, Joshua Greene partied way too hard. While tens of thousands of NASCAR fans were tailgating in Bristol, Tennessee ahead of the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the 27-year-old Parkersburg, West Virginia man decided to streak through a crowded parking lot.
"I'm walking up through here and here he comes. He backed up and stopped in front of the band, waving and spinning in circles and stuff," witness Tim Lee told WCYB.
After a brief chase, Bristol police caught up with Greene in a neighborhood. And, that's when the cops checked Greene's car and discovered a surprise raccoon.
"We also [found that] he and a companion were in possession of a raccoon," Matt Austin, a Bristol police officer, told WCYB.
Not exactly equipped to deal with wild forest mammals, Bristol PD ended called up the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to deal with the raccoon issue.
"He said his girlfriend rescued it from a park, but as far as where it actually came from, we couldn't really say for sure," Austin said.
Greene ended up getting charged with public intoxication and indecent exposure, along with a couple additional charges filed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. His story was a viral sensation, even made it on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (back before he was The Tonight Show host).
"A man in Tennessee was arrested for stuffing a raccoon in his car, driving to a NASCAR track and going streaking," Fallon said during his monologue. "Or as rednecks call, the trifecta. You did it rascal!...I'm just going on out on a limb here: Mullet?" Sorry, Jimmy. No dice on the mullet. But, Mr. Greene was rocking a pretty gnarly neck tattoo.
So, what's the moral of this story, you ask? Always mix in a water.
What Happened at the 2011 Bristol Night Race?
John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR
You probably got so caught up in that streaker story that you may have forgotten that it came during the weekend of a NASCAR Cup Series race. While Joshua Greene was sitting in his jail cell, NASCAR's finest were competing in the 2011 Irwin Tools Night Race. Kyle Busch came in as the defending winner, but it was Brad Keselowski who would ultimately see the checkered flag, racking up his fourth career Cup win.
"The night race at Bristol!" Keselowski excitedly proclaimed after the race. "This is the race that Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt win. It's the race of champions. I can't believe it. There are races that pay more. There are races that might have a little more prestige, but this is the coolest damn one of them all. We won it!"
The Team Penske driver's win at Bristol secured him a wild card spot in the NASCAR playoffs, marking his first time competing in the Chase for the Cup. Keselowski was actually a huge factor throughout the playoffs until the race at Martinsville, when a wreck dashed his championship hopes. He would finish fifth in the standings. Of course, we all know that Keselowski would make his successful title run the following year. Who can forget his celebration with the giant beer?
