Have you ever had something pop into your head and struggled to remember if it actually happened? You’re not sure if it was something that the clump of brain matter in your noggin just cooked it up on its own.
Well, that was me with the time Tony Danza rolled a go-kart while racing Rusty Wallace, but sure enough, it happened exactly 21 years ago.
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So, you may recall — or have perhaps blocked it out like some kind of childhood trauma — but Tony Danza, the star of shows like “Taxi” and “Who’s The Boss?“, had a daytime talk show that ran from 2004 to 2006.
It was called “The Tony Danza Show,” which was also the name of a 1997 sitcom that ran for just five episodes.
It was not stellar. Unless your idea of stellar is hearing Tony talk about his daughter’s spelling test at school or making linguine and clams, in which case it kicked ass.
However, on one fateful day — May 9, 2005 — the show aired what is by far the most memorable moment of its entire run.
Danza had NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace on the show, and of course, being a cookie-cutter daytime talk show, they decided to have the two race go-karts.
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Had that gone off without a hitch, it would’ve been forgotten.
But there was a big, barrel-rolling hitch that made it very memorable.
You’d think a guy with taxi-driving experience would be a bit better behind the wheel.
For years, I had this memory of seeing the promo for this, but I would wonder, “Did that happen or did I imagine it?”
Of course, I hoped it was real because it is so hilarious. Also, I’d be really concerned if my wandering brain, when left to its own devices, started writing its own Tony Danza/NASCAR crossover fan fiction.
Fortunately, Tony came out of that one unscathed, and even more fortunately, the internet has kept it alive for over two decades.
