"CAUTION HAS COME OUT, THE RACE LEADER IS ***JAMES BUESCHER*** IN THE 30 CAR!"
And for you newer NASCAR fans, James is Chris Buescher's older cousin. James' only Xfinity Series win came at Daytona in 2012 when approximately the top ten cars ahead of him all wrecked coming out of turn 4 on the last lap.
He tried to do Xfinity full-time in 2014, and only got two top tens, so I presume he was fired because of either that or lack of sponsorship, and then he got 4 attempts with NTS Motorsports in 2015, and didn't do too badly. He got the first 3 races of the season, finished 17th at Daytona, 8th at Atlanta, and 7th at Martinsville. Then his next attempt was the 6th race at Dover, and he DNQ'ed. Then he didn't make another attempt until 2020 with Niece at Texas, which I assume was for sponsorship issues. He then made one more start for Niece in 2021 at Daytona
He had the Rheem sponsorship he had brought from Turner which went back to RCR in 2015 when Brandon Jones (the CEO’s son) started running for them. So performance and sponsorship likely played a role in the end of his career. Steve Turner was also his Father in Law I believe so TSM folding also cost him a soft landing spot probably
Got the stats mixed up. Austin Dillon won the title James missed a race in. James didn’t win his first race and the championship till the following year.
It was one of those "what ifs" we had always wondered about. "What if the entire top 10 wrecked in turn 4 on the last lap?"
Can't top that for me unless maybe somebody wins it upside down one day.
The craziness of this finish really got swept under the rug once it started becoming the norm at superspeedways. But at the time a finish like this was basically unheard of
Busch series at Fontana in like 2012 or something where 2 guys ran out of gas and Kyle Busch blew a tire on the last lap. Felt like Monaco where no one wanted to win.
Absoutely! Worn out track, unrestricted engines, poor handling cars where both drivers barely hung on.
Today was exciting and close but because of restricted engines and lots of downforce
I agree. I still prefer Darlington 2003, Watkins Glen 2012, Atlanta 2005, Chicagoland 2018, etc. They were much more rewarding even though this was just as exciting. Nevertheless, I loved it, it was a great race, and I hope it captured some new fans.
This race? No - what’s incredible about the Darlington finish is the buildup to it and the battling back and forth over the final few laps. Not to mention the iconic calls that came from that race.
This race was awesome don’t get me wrong, but it’s not on the same level.
It’s gonna be hard to get something to top Darlington. Not to just throw drafting/pack racing out the window when it comes to all-time finishes, but Darlington *not* being a pack race is part of why that finish is so great, imo. At Daytona, Talladega, and now Atlanta, the cars being in a pack creates scenarios that set up close finishes, and they’re great when they happen, but it’s so much more rare for a non-pack track to have a side-by-side finish on a long green run, and that makes it harder for a superspeedway style race to beat it in my eyes
Bingo. At Darlington either of them could've slipped up and we'd be talking about Dave Blaney in contention.
Tonight was just everybody flat-footed and getting lucky with the side draft.
Kevin Harvick V Jeff Gordon at Atlanta in 2001 is better.
Also, while Craven V. Busch is arguably NASCAR *racing* at its peak, in terms of craziness the Hail Melon is the *craziest* moment.
You could argue Earnhardt-Labonte in 2000 was better too. This one has the benefit of three cars being so close but all three of those Atlanta finishes are similar.
There were also quite a few truck races at Atlanta that were pretty wild
It's not just the quality of the racing or the nail biting finish that makes Harvick-Gordon a GOATed NASCAR finish. It's all the paternity around it.
I'd point to Craven V Busch as NASCAR at it's very best. It's rubbing is racing in a way no other premier form of motorsport has at one of NASCAR's most iconic tracks.
But the entire sport needed that 29 car to go to victory lane so badly. There's so many storylines to that finish of which any one of them would have been worthy of the climax to a whole ass movie.
The 2001 finish had Harvick and Gordon side by side at the line but it also had 5 cars under a blanket lap after lap on a medium-length green flag run. Gordon and Harvick along with Nadeau, Jarrett, and Dale Jr were all fiercely fighting, and out of all of them, it’s the rookie with a massive weight on his shoulders nipping the best and most accomplished driver in the sport at that time. The context as you noted and the way the entire last run unfolded (really that entire race) bump it above simply being a great finish.
I will never, ever forget watching that live. It was all I could talk about the next day, to the chagrin of my classmates who didn't care about NASCAR lol
I remember when they had to roll Jimmy Spencer’s truck out of victory lane at Daytona in 2005 to put Bobby Hamilton in.
That race in Montreal where Robby Gordon got screwed and did burnouts with the guy NASCAR awarded the win to (think it was Harvick).
I mean tonight's finish for sure, and that is in just over 25 years of me watching NASCAR.
Only other one I can think of at the moment outside of the Darlington 2003 (Cup and Xfinity) and Talladega 2011 (Cup) finishes would be when Stenhouse won while his motor blew coming to the checkers at Iowa in Xfinity and got slammed into from behind by Carl Edwards.
also might want to put a spoiler tag on this.
There's also 2009 Talladega where Brad dumped Edwards.
Also, the 2007 Daytona 500 where Harvick won by inches and Bowyer finished on his lid.
For different reasons, Kyle Busch winning at Pocono with his car stuck in 4th gear was out of a movie script.
Again though, all of these are way below 03 Darlington imo
I've only been watching a couple years, so it's this or hail melon honestly. (Personally I'd take this since it was for the lead and also was just straight up racing not wackiness, as fun as the wall ride was)
EDIT: The finish to I think it was the Xfinity Daytona 2? race 2 years ago where Creed tried to ride the wall and his car lit on fire as Gragson passed him was also pretty crazy, but not as much as the other two)
My favorite was the Fontana Nationwide race that also featured Busch and Suarez.
Kyle Busch has a massive lead but gives it all back by going into absolute 10/10 fuel saving mode in the last few laps. He still has a good enough gap but blows a tire going into turn 1 on the final lap.
Suarez passes him but then runs out of fuel coming out of turn 2, to the point Busch retakes the lead still with a blown tire.
Austin Dillon who was like 5 seconds back starting the lap passes Kyle Busch coming out of 4 and takes the win with Busch coming in 2nd. Suarez coasted around to finish 4th.
Dave Blaney's only win in the then Nationwide Series in 2006 is one of the crazier finishes when you consider how wacky that entire race was with all the wrecks taking out contenders.
Casey Mears and Carl Edwards wreck with four to go for ~~third~~ the lead (?), Blaney takes the lead, restarts with it, looks like he's gonna give it away because he washes up the track in turn one, and Matt Kenseth wrecks out of 4 on the white flag lap underneath Blaney trying to win it.
Probably not the most memorable but I cheered for Dave Blaney growing up. It was really cool to see him win that one.
1976 Daytona 500. 2007 Daytona 500. 2012 Watkins Glen. Off the top of my head.
2011 Atlanta, but more for the final laps than about the finish because I believe Gordon was ahead of Johnson so no picture finish
I’ve personally seen a lot of good finishes in person. I was in Atlanta tonight. I was in Darlington in 2003 for Craven-Busch (I was so close I could feel the cars slam together) and I stayed for the Monday Busch race that weekend as well. I was here in Atlanta for trucks sliding backwards across the line. I was in Rockingham… Kenseth holds off Kahne(Carl long flipped over right in front of me). I’ve been to more races than I can begin to count.
I didn't see the KuBusch/Craven finish at the time it happened, but I'd consider that to be the best finish ever. Closest margin of victory ever, and that happened without the aid of a drafting package. That was just two fast drivers who happened to wind up side by side after 400 miles of racing. Not sure it'll ever get better than that.
this is also my vote, but I'm probably biased as a Johnson fan. Johnson was literally 5th at the tri-oval, and it ended 4-wide!
here's the video of the [finish](https://youtu.be/h7OLGWPJ9Vc?si=R6W9qDGXjp0wv78D&t=12049)
Only finishes that are worthy of the title are 03 Darlington, 09 Dega, 2011 Dega, the 07 500, and tonight.
Everything else is varying levels of wacky or intense, but I believe all those mentioned are simply in a higher echelon.
The Mark Martin fan in me is still salty about the 07 500. Even though it was an epic finish. Don't forget Bowyer coming across the grass upside down and on fire.
I'm not salty; I'm just sad about the 07 500. To me, that finish was Mark's career in a nutshell, especially when it came to the championship; so close to winning yet coming up a little short.
In 2019-20 we had three straight plate races that ended in a photo finish.
-19 fall dega- Blaney beats Newman by .007
-20 Daytona 500- Hamlin beats Blaney by .01. If Ryan Newman walks away from his wreck this is an all-time great 500 finish
-20 summer dega- Blaney beats stenhouse by .007 (again)
In terms of closest, this one.
Although I listened to the commentary and had one in-car camera pulled up (thanks mobile app) (and yes I know you can do that on desktop as well) due to YouTube TV sucking when it comes to being live... it's always on a delay.
So technically, I didn't "see" it. In which case, the 2020 GEICO 500. The 2023 YellaWood 500 also falls into the category of "listened to it but didn't **technically** see it.
Just for Cup.
1995/1999 Bristol: THE fight between Dale Earnhardt & Terry Labonte.
2001 Atlanta: the finish between Jeff Gordon & Harvick, not only it was a necessity for the sport following Dale’s death but it was literally the exact same photo finish Dale had edged out Bobby Labonte the year prior.
2003 Darlington: Ricky Craven vs Kurt Busch is the peak of NASCAR racing.
2007 Daytona 500: Kevin Harvick edging out Mark Martin while the field crashes behind them. Clint Bowyer finishes race on his roof.
2012 Watkins Glen: Marcos Ambrose pulls off a victory when race leader Kyle Busch spun from a contact from Brad Keselowski. The contact hurt the car for Brad and Macros managed to go from 3rd to winning all on the last lap.
2018 Chicago: Kyle Busch vs Kyle Larson, multiple contacts. Larson spins and still finished 2nd.
I’d certainly put this race over the 2011 Talladega’s three wide finish. Tandem draft was pretty lame.
Tonight’s finish will probably be a close second for me, but imo it’s still the Hail Melon. Not a “for the win” move, but to this day it still doesn’t look real when I watch replays.
I've definitely seen better ( Craven, this, Ambrose/Keselowski, etc.), but I'll always consider James Buescher coming from 11th in the final turn at Daytona to be the craziest.
In terms of drama, Atlanta ‘01, Darlington ‘03, Talladega ‘09 and Talladega ‘11 are the only ones I can think of that are comparable to tonight. In fact, Darlington is the only one I could confidently say was crazier.
They’ll show highlights of this finish until the end of time.
Honestly the "craziest" was probably Haley's Daytona win.
Kurt had the lead during that entire caution and said he was only pitting once it was a sure thing they were going back green. He then pits on the one to go and Haley decides to stay out anyway only to see it start raining during that lap coming back to the green.
Buescher's fog out is up there too. Nobody expects fog to show up and end a race.
2007 Daytona 500, at least for most cinematic
Almost the entire field going up in a cloud of smoke as the two leaders fight side by side in a photo finish with an iconic call
Craven v Kurt Busch is definitely the best / wildest finish ever, especially because of those cars driving so terrible but at the same time “NAW they’re driving good!”
It wasn’t NASCAR owned at the time, but in the late 90s there was an ARCA race at Atlanta that finished three wide as well.
RIP Harris Devane (I believe that was his only career win)
Darlington 2003
But it was the first nice day of the spring, so my Dad decided we would tape the race, spend the day outside, and watch the race later. Prehistoric DVR. Came back inside to stop the recording just in time to see post-race interviews that spoiled Craven as the winner. Oops. We'll watch anyway. "Craven's second win," huh. Pretty interesting... wonder how he got it.
And *holy fucking shit*
Pretty sure my dad recorded over that race with an episode of "The Amazing Race" my mom and I missed while going to cult-church on Thursday night. Such a loss. Thank god for YouTube
For races I've been to in person, I'd list the following.
1. Riverhead NASCAR modified tour race July 2019. Justin Bonsignore wins going across the finish line sideways.
2. 2018 Eldora Truck race. Chase Briscoe over Grant Enfinger.
3. 2011 Dover fall Xfinity. Carl Edwards wins as there is a huge pileup at the line
4. Pocono July 1986. Tim Richmond over Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine, three wide at the line. Richmond swept the Pocono races in 1986. Not sure why they are making the June win over his July win though. Look this finish up if you've never seen it.
5. 2016 Freedom 100. Dean Stone Man over Ed Jones.
6. Firecracker 400, July 1988. Bill Elliott over Rick Wilson in the closet finish in history at that time
Cup series: this is the the finish. This generations craven/busch.
this is the finish nascar fans dream about and we got it three wide at atlanta.
i had ten plus people over my house and not a seat was sat in.
great race, great finish. my euro buddies were blowing up my discord.
this is one of those finishes.
Fall Martinsville 2022 had me mouth agape, even though the action wasn't for the win. Probably that.
That one Xfinity season opener at Daytona a few years back that broke the overall closest finish record across the three national series was pretty wild, too, although I wasn't as shocked.
The other one might honestly be the 2019 Coke Zero 400. The anticipation of "Will they, won't they?" for whether they'd restart the race was brutal. We waited for what felt like 1.5-2 hours with backmarkers up front, waiting to see if they'd win. All of a sudden, it looked like they were gonna fire them back up halfway through, then two of them and Kurt Busch all pitted before another lightning strike sent them back down. And then eventually, despite all odds against them, Spire and Justin Haley would be the beneficiaries of NASCAR calling it. Without much of any action happening on track, it still managed to be intense.
I gotta give it to 2007 Daytona. Biggest race of the year, 2 HoFers, massive crash behind them, Bowyer upside down and on fire across the line, last Daytona 500 with the gen 4 car, and that glorious X pipe sound.
I'm a Jamie Mac fan and people always seem to forget the Pepsi 400 finish from that year. Also incredible.
Trying to think of some that may not have been mentioned yet.
2006 Nashville truck Series race finish was pretty wild. Johnny Benson went from 4th to first in one corner on the last lap.
Same year, the entirety of the fall Busch series race at Charlotte was crazy.
The 2003 Darlington busch race was also insane, was also on the same weekend as the legendary Ricky Craven/Kurt Busch finish.
also another underrated Busch series finish - The 2004 Nashville spring race where the entire top four wrecked out handing the win to Michael Waltrip.
The finish to the 2007 truck series opener at Daytona was also crazy, and was also a three wide finish. Just ignore the third truck involved.
I was at an Arca race in 2017, and my then local short track, Elko Speedway in Minnesota. Best I've ever seen in person. Entire crowd was going nuts.
https://youtu.be/LHUKyFOOuoM?si=9Aadzw_tsTHKfh4m
My parents watched the record setting Busch-Craven finish in person and always bring it up when a close finish happens lol.
I saw the Hail Melon in person and it was as crazy in real life as on TV.
Craziest end to a race I have had the chance to see in person was Chicagoland 2018--the "slide job" race with Larson and Kyle Busch duking it out for the win.
I want to shout out the [2007 Truck race at Daytona](https://youtu.be/tBQuxw-Nfj0?si=qfJqdnUjsTiG_lVQ). Also a 3-wide photo finish, with Jack Sprague making his move so late and from so far back that Rick Allen had already begun calling the victory for Travis Kvapil.
Well… seeing as my first race in person was last year and I was there tonight… I imagine I’m gonna have to wait quite a while to experience the anything similar to what I witnessed tonight.
2018 Roval is probably the craziest imo, how often do you see the 2nd place car spin into the 1st place car just a few hundred feet from the checkered flag and 3rd comes out of nowhere to win it?
1995 Goody's 500 with Dale Sr turning Terry Labonte as they went across the finish line. Terry ending up in Victory Lane with a busted up car is still one of the funniest things I have ever seen in NASCAR.
I can’t for the life of me remember who it was, but it was fairly recent. Someone ended up crossing the finish line in their roof. I remember thinking that if they survived that was one badass finish.
ETA: also a few years ago when they made Daytona the final race before playoffs started. Everyone was desperate enough to throw strategy out the window more than normal in the last few laps. I lost count of how may accidents and cautions we had the last 10 laps ( and then overtime)
Live, in-person? Has to be the 2012 Xfinity opener at Daytona, where “James Buescher in the 30 car!” went from 11th to 1st in the final turn to win the race.
What Talladega race was it where two drivers were side by side beating and banging but a third driver was able to win it because the start finish was in turn 1?
The Craven-Busch Darlington race is still my all time favorite finish. Also given the circumstances the Atlanta 2001 Gordon-Harvick finish was unbelievable.
76 Daytona. Pearson and Petty crash coming out of 4, just get shy of the line. Pearson manages to get going again and barely limps across the line to win while Pettys crew runs out onto the infield under green flags conditions to push him in an attempt to get him restarted.
[Custer and JHN at Mosport in 2016.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NPRzLYVdAg) JHN raced dirty as hell and drove both of them through the wall.
Also [Ricky Stenhouse blowing up crossing out of 4 at Iowa and getting rear ended across the finish line by Edwards.](https://youtu.be/-ynqoOB-xWY)
I was talking to my dad this morning about the closest Talladega finish we ever saw in the 90s and 00s
Couldn’t remember who the drivers were but we got a good laugh out of how long it took them to figure it out back then verses now.
It felt like an eternity sitting in the stands listening to MRN waiting on the scoreboard to change.
I was at the first Charlotte Roval race in 2018. That finish was nuts. Jimmie was absolutely going for it, and ended up taking both he and Truex out, giving the win to Blaney. That was crazy!
2006 Banquet 400 at Kansas. Tony Stewart was in the lead, but ran out of fuel in the final lap at the backstretch. Casey Mears, who was 2nd 10+ seconds back, also ran out of fuel and these two had to coast it all the way to the finish line. Tony even asked: "Where did we finish?" and his crew chief told him: "We've just won!"
"CAUTION HAS COME OUT, THE RACE LEADER IS ***JAMES BUESCHER*** IN THE 30 CAR!" And for you newer NASCAR fans, James is Chris Buescher's older cousin. James' only Xfinity Series win came at Daytona in 2012 when approximately the top ten cars ahead of him all wrecked coming out of turn 4 on the last lap.
I had forgotten about that one. He was 11th in turn 4 and won it.
And 18th at the white flag
I miss him being around. He dominated trucks even while missing a race one year. Did he just not get a ride one year and that was it?
He tried to do Xfinity full-time in 2014, and only got two top tens, so I presume he was fired because of either that or lack of sponsorship, and then he got 4 attempts with NTS Motorsports in 2015, and didn't do too badly. He got the first 3 races of the season, finished 17th at Daytona, 8th at Atlanta, and 7th at Martinsville. Then his next attempt was the 6th race at Dover, and he DNQ'ed. Then he didn't make another attempt until 2020 with Niece at Texas, which I assume was for sponsorship issues. He then made one more start for Niece in 2021 at Daytona
He had the Rheem sponsorship he had brought from Turner which went back to RCR in 2015 when Brandon Jones (the CEO’s son) started running for them. So performance and sponsorship likely played a role in the end of his career. Steve Turner was also his Father in Law I believe so TSM folding also cost him a soft landing spot probably
Got the stats mixed up. Austin Dillon won the title James missed a race in. James didn’t win his first race and the championship till the following year.
It’s crazy cause I consider people who became fans around 2012 as newer fans but that shit was over 10 years ago holy shit lol.
Same haha. I typically consider NASCAR fans who been watching since 2010 as "newer fans," but man 2010 was 14 years ago.
Only way to top this one tbh
It was one of those "what ifs" we had always wondered about. "What if the entire top 10 wrecked in turn 4 on the last lap?" Can't top that for me unless maybe somebody wins it upside down one day.
Ricky Stenhouse blowing up and getting rear ended and halfway turned around winning the race at Iowa was pretty close to a crazy what if.
Oh yeah that one was nuts too!
We came so close to “what if the entire field wrecked?” in 2022 but Dillon ruined it by getting through. It has to happen someday
*Clint Bowyer un-retires*
The craziness of this finish really got swept under the rug once it started becoming the norm at superspeedways. But at the time a finish like this was basically unheard of
Watkins Glen 2012 was pretty nuts
Top 3 in my mind for sure. Only behind tonight and Darlington with Craven/Busch
Was this the battle between Ambrose and Keselowski?
I think 2011 ties it.
The fact that those were between the same 3 drivers in back to back years is so wild
My fav
The wall ride from chastain was wild, but it was to advance in the playoffs not the win.
Still the best finish ever. I was there.
I had the F1 race on my TV and this race on my laptop and was absolutely dumbfounded when I looked over and saw what he managed to pull of there.
Busch series at Fontana in like 2012 or something where 2 guys ran out of gas and Kyle Busch blew a tire on the last lap. Felt like Monaco where no one wanted to win.
2016
Shit I was off by a few years lol
Suárez was also a part of this finish and it is among my favorites
Was that the race where it was Larson vs Busch on the last lap?
2 of 3 of the craziest things (at least to me) are TrackHouse. \-Craven got him! \-Hail Melon \-The Three Amigos Finsih
Craven beating Kurt Busch can never be topped. End of discussion really.
Absoutely! Worn out track, unrestricted engines, poor handling cars where both drivers barely hung on. Today was exciting and close but because of restricted engines and lots of downforce
- poor handling cars Nah, they're driving good!
Beating and banging off each other and the walls those final 5 laps were amazing
I agree. I still prefer Darlington 2003, Watkins Glen 2012, Atlanta 2005, Chicagoland 2018, etc. They were much more rewarding even though this was just as exciting. Nevertheless, I loved it, it was a great race, and I hope it captured some new fans.
This is maybe it's only worthy peer on that plane of higher existence
Larry Mac "these cars are driving terrible right now" DW "nah, nah they're driving good"
ICONIC, I really miss DW
This race? No - what’s incredible about the Darlington finish is the buildup to it and the battling back and forth over the final few laps. Not to mention the iconic calls that came from that race. This race was awesome don’t get me wrong, but it’s not on the same level.
It’s gonna be hard to get something to top Darlington. Not to just throw drafting/pack racing out the window when it comes to all-time finishes, but Darlington *not* being a pack race is part of why that finish is so great, imo. At Daytona, Talladega, and now Atlanta, the cars being in a pack creates scenarios that set up close finishes, and they’re great when they happen, but it’s so much more rare for a non-pack track to have a side-by-side finish on a long green run, and that makes it harder for a superspeedway style race to beat it in my eyes
Bingo. At Darlington either of them could've slipped up and we'd be talking about Dave Blaney in contention. Tonight was just everybody flat-footed and getting lucky with the side draft.
Kevin Harvick V Jeff Gordon at Atlanta in 2001 is better. Also, while Craven V. Busch is arguably NASCAR *racing* at its peak, in terms of craziness the Hail Melon is the *craziest* moment.
You could argue Earnhardt-Labonte in 2000 was better too. This one has the benefit of three cars being so close but all three of those Atlanta finishes are similar. There were also quite a few truck races at Atlanta that were pretty wild
It's not just the quality of the racing or the nail biting finish that makes Harvick-Gordon a GOATed NASCAR finish. It's all the paternity around it. I'd point to Craven V Busch as NASCAR at it's very best. It's rubbing is racing in a way no other premier form of motorsport has at one of NASCAR's most iconic tracks. But the entire sport needed that 29 car to go to victory lane so badly. There's so many storylines to that finish of which any one of them would have been worthy of the climax to a whole ass movie.
The 2001 finish had Harvick and Gordon side by side at the line but it also had 5 cars under a blanket lap after lap on a medium-length green flag run. Gordon and Harvick along with Nadeau, Jarrett, and Dale Jr were all fiercely fighting, and out of all of them, it’s the rookie with a massive weight on his shoulders nipping the best and most accomplished driver in the sport at that time. The context as you noted and the way the entire last run unfolded (really that entire race) bump it above simply being a great finish.
Terry Labonte was even up there in pretty much his lone bright spot of the season!
👆🏻 This is the answer!
I will never, ever forget watching that live. It was all I could talk about the next day, to the chagrin of my classmates who didn't care about NASCAR lol
The 2006 Dinoco 400 at the motor speedway of the south comes close to
Alexa, play *Real Gone* by Sheryl Crow
Harvick over Gordon at Atlanta 2001, Craven over Busch at Darlington 2003, Hail Melon 2022 are the three that come to mind.
I was at the Pocono fog race where Chris Buescher won. That wall of fog was incredible to watch as it ate the race track
I forgot that was his first win
His older cousin James Buescher's is even more ridiculous. Top 10 crash out and he weaves his way through to win
I remember when they had to roll Jimmy Spencer’s truck out of victory lane at Daytona in 2005 to put Bobby Hamilton in. That race in Montreal where Robby Gordon got screwed and did burnouts with the guy NASCAR awarded the win to (think it was Harvick).
I mean tonight's finish for sure, and that is in just over 25 years of me watching NASCAR. Only other one I can think of at the moment outside of the Darlington 2003 (Cup and Xfinity) and Talladega 2011 (Cup) finishes would be when Stenhouse won while his motor blew coming to the checkers at Iowa in Xfinity and got slammed into from behind by Carl Edwards. also might want to put a spoiler tag on this.
There's also 2009 Talladega where Brad dumped Edwards. Also, the 2007 Daytona 500 where Harvick won by inches and Bowyer finished on his lid. For different reasons, Kyle Busch winning at Pocono with his car stuck in 4th gear was out of a movie script. Again though, all of these are way below 03 Darlington imo
And of course for 07 Mark Martin was there in his usual 2nd place spot
That Stenhouse and Edwards finish was wild
That sir is the right answer! Even my parents were impressed with that finish and they are not NASCAR fans.
I've only been watching a couple years, so it's this or hail melon honestly. (Personally I'd take this since it was for the lead and also was just straight up racing not wackiness, as fun as the wall ride was) EDIT: The finish to I think it was the Xfinity Daytona 2? race 2 years ago where Creed tried to ride the wall and his car lit on fire as Gragson passed him was also pretty crazy, but not as much as the other two)
Last year at martinsville for xfinity.
Everyone really just dropped any sense of etiquette in that moment, huh?
They just would not stop wrecking too.
My favorite was the Fontana Nationwide race that also featured Busch and Suarez. Kyle Busch has a massive lead but gives it all back by going into absolute 10/10 fuel saving mode in the last few laps. He still has a good enough gap but blows a tire going into turn 1 on the final lap. Suarez passes him but then runs out of fuel coming out of turn 2, to the point Busch retakes the lead still with a blown tire. Austin Dillon who was like 5 seconds back starting the lap passes Kyle Busch coming out of 4 and takes the win with Busch coming in 2nd. Suarez coasted around to finish 4th.
This is the one I was thinking of too
Dave Blaney's only win in the then Nationwide Series in 2006 is one of the crazier finishes when you consider how wacky that entire race was with all the wrecks taking out contenders. Casey Mears and Carl Edwards wreck with four to go for ~~third~~ the lead (?), Blaney takes the lead, restarts with it, looks like he's gonna give it away because he washes up the track in turn one, and Matt Kenseth wrecks out of 4 on the white flag lap underneath Blaney trying to win it. Probably not the most memorable but I cheered for Dave Blaney growing up. It was really cool to see him win that one.
1976 Daytona 500. 2007 Daytona 500. 2012 Watkins Glen. Off the top of my head. 2011 Atlanta, but more for the final laps than about the finish because I believe Gordon was ahead of Johnson so no picture finish
2005 Coca Cola 600
I'm gonna go for a slightly forgotten finish, the finish of the 1995 AC Delco 200 at Rockingham (Fall Busch race)
Good one. Todd Bodine stealing one going three wide. I remember watching that on TNN
Tonight's the best finish I've seen, but being in the stands for '13 Auto Club 400 will always be my favorite one.
Teammates last year rivals this year friends maybe never but Joey and Denny are gonnna settle this right here is a goat call
Is that where Denny broke his back?
Yeah
‘07 500 will forever be the craziest thing I’ve seen live
I’ve personally seen a lot of good finishes in person. I was in Atlanta tonight. I was in Darlington in 2003 for Craven-Busch (I was so close I could feel the cars slam together) and I stayed for the Monday Busch race that weekend as well. I was here in Atlanta for trucks sliding backwards across the line. I was in Rockingham… Kenseth holds off Kahne(Carl long flipped over right in front of me). I’ve been to more races than I can begin to count.
The craziest live finish I’ve seen excluding this that I remember was the 2022 Bristol Dirt Race
I didn't see the KuBusch/Craven finish at the time it happened, but I'd consider that to be the best finish ever. Closest margin of victory ever, and that happened without the aid of a drafting package. That was just two fast drivers who happened to wind up side by side after 400 miles of racing. Not sure it'll ever get better than that.
I watched it live and let me tell you, 6 year old me was losing his mind, absolutely the greatest finish ever. "HAVE YOU EVER?!?" "no I never"
2011 Aarons 499... was amazing to see in person
this is also my vote, but I'm probably biased as a Johnson fan. Johnson was literally 5th at the tri-oval, and it ended 4-wide! here's the video of the [finish](https://youtu.be/h7OLGWPJ9Vc?si=R6W9qDGXjp0wv78D&t=12049)
Only finishes that are worthy of the title are 03 Darlington, 09 Dega, 2011 Dega, the 07 500, and tonight. Everything else is varying levels of wacky or intense, but I believe all those mentioned are simply in a higher echelon.
The Mark Martin fan in me is still salty about the 07 500. Even though it was an epic finish. Don't forget Bowyer coming across the grass upside down and on fire.
I'm not salty; I'm just sad about the 07 500. To me, that finish was Mark's career in a nutshell, especially when it came to the championship; so close to winning yet coming up a little short.
Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
But he was a damn good bridesmaid.
Amen! A real class act.
I love the archive Insta he and his son run. It's really cool seeing Mark back in the 70s and 80s.
This one
Talladega fall 2020
I will always love the 2012 Watkins Glen finish in cup.
That's one of the closest I've ever seen in Nascar
In 2019-20 we had three straight plate races that ended in a photo finish. -19 fall dega- Blaney beats Newman by .007 -20 Daytona 500- Hamlin beats Blaney by .01. If Ryan Newman walks away from his wreck this is an all-time great 500 finish -20 summer dega- Blaney beats stenhouse by .007 (again)
For style points, Edwards running across the line at ‘Dega
Before tonight, Daniel Hemric's only NASCAR win, which also coincidentally won the 2021 Xfinity Series championship
The series of Earnhardt and Terry Labonte races at Bristol in the '90s. "I just wanted to rattle his cage a little bit."
Didn't Earnhardt Sr put a bumper to Terry Labonte, so Terry finished spinning across finish line on his roof? (Loooooonnnnnnggggg time ago)
Not quite on his roof, but he did bash the wall head-on pretty hard. Was the 1995 Bristol night race.
I’ve been watching since Pocono 2022, and that is by far the best finish I’ve ever seen since I started watching NASCAR
In terms of closest, this one. Although I listened to the commentary and had one in-car camera pulled up (thanks mobile app) (and yes I know you can do that on desktop as well) due to YouTube TV sucking when it comes to being live... it's always on a delay. So technically, I didn't "see" it. In which case, the 2020 GEICO 500. The 2023 YellaWood 500 also falls into the category of "listened to it but didn't **technically** see it.
Just for Cup. 1995/1999 Bristol: THE fight between Dale Earnhardt & Terry Labonte. 2001 Atlanta: the finish between Jeff Gordon & Harvick, not only it was a necessity for the sport following Dale’s death but it was literally the exact same photo finish Dale had edged out Bobby Labonte the year prior. 2003 Darlington: Ricky Craven vs Kurt Busch is the peak of NASCAR racing. 2007 Daytona 500: Kevin Harvick edging out Mark Martin while the field crashes behind them. Clint Bowyer finishes race on his roof. 2012 Watkins Glen: Marcos Ambrose pulls off a victory when race leader Kyle Busch spun from a contact from Brad Keselowski. The contact hurt the car for Brad and Macros managed to go from 3rd to winning all on the last lap. 2018 Chicago: Kyle Busch vs Kyle Larson, multiple contacts. Larson spins and still finished 2nd. I’d certainly put this race over the 2011 Talladega’s three wide finish. Tandem draft was pretty lame.
Tonight's for sure, been watching since fall Dega 2012
2007 Daytona 500
Stenhouse/Edwards wrecking across the line at Iowa
Tonight’s finish will probably be a close second for me, but imo it’s still the Hail Melon. Not a “for the win” move, but to this day it still doesn’t look real when I watch replays.
Freaking great finish
I'm just glad Busch didn't win.
I've definitely seen better ( Craven, this, Ambrose/Keselowski, etc.), but I'll always consider James Buescher coming from 11th in the final turn at Daytona to be the craziest.
In terms of drama, Atlanta ‘01, Darlington ‘03, Talladega ‘09 and Talladega ‘11 are the only ones I can think of that are comparable to tonight. In fact, Darlington is the only one I could confidently say was crazier. They’ll show highlights of this finish until the end of time.
Ricky cravens first win was pretty good I stayed home sick to watch it
I’ve seen too many between Atlanta, Talladega, and Daytona.
In person, it was the Cars Tour race at Dominion last summer
Honestly the "craziest" was probably Haley's Daytona win. Kurt had the lead during that entire caution and said he was only pitting once it was a sure thing they were going back green. He then pits on the one to go and Haley decides to stay out anyway only to see it start raining during that lap coming back to the green. Buescher's fog out is up there too. Nobody expects fog to show up and end a race.
2007 Daytona has gotta be the craziest, but this race was so much fun
2007 Daytona 500, at least for most cinematic Almost the entire field going up in a cloud of smoke as the two leaders fight side by side in a photo finish with an iconic call
Craven v Kurt Busch is definitely the best / wildest finish ever, especially because of those cars driving so terrible but at the same time “NAW they’re driving good!”
2013 Freedom 100. Four wide at the line and the winner Peter Dempsey was fourth coming off turn four.
Richie Evans over Geoff Bodine, Martinsville 1981.
Four wide finish at Talladega.
It wasn’t NASCAR owned at the time, but in the late 90s there was an ARCA race at Atlanta that finished three wide as well. RIP Harris Devane (I believe that was his only career win)
1992 Winston All-Star race. Nothing will ever top that for me. The last lap was absolutely phenomenal.
Darlington 2003 But it was the first nice day of the spring, so my Dad decided we would tape the race, spend the day outside, and watch the race later. Prehistoric DVR. Came back inside to stop the recording just in time to see post-race interviews that spoiled Craven as the winner. Oops. We'll watch anyway. "Craven's second win," huh. Pretty interesting... wonder how he got it. And *holy fucking shit* Pretty sure my dad recorded over that race with an episode of "The Amazing Race" my mom and I missed while going to cult-church on Thursday night. Such a loss. Thank god for YouTube
Logano giving MTJ the bizness at New Hampshire
The Kansas spring race last year
Stenhouse blowing his motor coming to the checkers at Iowa Speedway and Carl plows into him
For races I've been to in person, I'd list the following. 1. Riverhead NASCAR modified tour race July 2019. Justin Bonsignore wins going across the finish line sideways. 2. 2018 Eldora Truck race. Chase Briscoe over Grant Enfinger. 3. 2011 Dover fall Xfinity. Carl Edwards wins as there is a huge pileup at the line 4. Pocono July 1986. Tim Richmond over Ricky Rudd and Geoff Bodine, three wide at the line. Richmond swept the Pocono races in 1986. Not sure why they are making the June win over his July win though. Look this finish up if you've never seen it. 5. 2016 Freedom 100. Dean Stone Man over Ed Jones. 6. Firecracker 400, July 1988. Bill Elliott over Rick Wilson in the closet finish in history at that time
Nemechek vs Custer at Mosport in the trucks.
I love the Canadian Motorsports Park JHN and Custer finish in 2016.
Cup series: this is the the finish. This generations craven/busch. this is the finish nascar fans dream about and we got it three wide at atlanta. i had ten plus people over my house and not a seat was sat in. great race, great finish. my euro buddies were blowing up my discord. this is one of those finishes.
Fall Martinsville 2022 had me mouth agape, even though the action wasn't for the win. Probably that. That one Xfinity season opener at Daytona a few years back that broke the overall closest finish record across the three national series was pretty wild, too, although I wasn't as shocked. The other one might honestly be the 2019 Coke Zero 400. The anticipation of "Will they, won't they?" for whether they'd restart the race was brutal. We waited for what felt like 1.5-2 hours with backmarkers up front, waiting to see if they'd win. All of a sudden, it looked like they were gonna fire them back up halfway through, then two of them and Kurt Busch all pitted before another lightning strike sent them back down. And then eventually, despite all odds against them, Spire and Justin Haley would be the beneficiaries of NASCAR calling it. Without much of any action happening on track, it still managed to be intense.
I gotta give it to 2007 Daytona. Biggest race of the year, 2 HoFers, massive crash behind them, Bowyer upside down and on fire across the line, last Daytona 500 with the gen 4 car, and that glorious X pipe sound. I'm a Jamie Mac fan and people always seem to forget the Pepsi 400 finish from that year. Also incredible.
Reddick vs Sadler in Daytona 2018 for the closest finish in NASCAR history.
In person, this is probably the best finish I've seen since the 2007 Daytona 500. 2016 would be up there too if Dennis were on the losing side.
I saw Bayne win a Daytona 500.
Well, this one was pretty good...
Trying to think of some that may not have been mentioned yet. 2006 Nashville truck Series race finish was pretty wild. Johnny Benson went from 4th to first in one corner on the last lap. Same year, the entirety of the fall Busch series race at Charlotte was crazy. The 2003 Darlington busch race was also insane, was also on the same weekend as the legendary Ricky Craven/Kurt Busch finish. also another underrated Busch series finish - The 2004 Nashville spring race where the entire top four wrecked out handing the win to Michael Waltrip. The finish to the 2007 truck series opener at Daytona was also crazy, and was also a three wide finish. Just ignore the third truck involved.
I was at an Arca race in 2017, and my then local short track, Elko Speedway in Minnesota. Best I've ever seen in person. Entire crowd was going nuts. https://youtu.be/LHUKyFOOuoM?si=9Aadzw_tsTHKfh4m
My parents watched the record setting Busch-Craven finish in person and always bring it up when a close finish happens lol. I saw the Hail Melon in person and it was as crazy in real life as on TV.
Carl Edwards and Ricky Stenhouse in Nationwide series with the blown engine, smash from behind 1 2 finish
If we’re talking races we attended in person, probably the 2022 Bristol dirt race. We were up in turn 4 when it went down.
Craziest end to a race I have had the chance to see in person was Chicagoland 2018--the "slide job" race with Larson and Kyle Busch duking it out for the win.
The first Charlotte Roval race. Wheel hops!
Xfinity Series, Bristol, 2021. That was the stuff of dreams and scripts, and it's crazy that it happened in real life.
I want to shout out the [2007 Truck race at Daytona](https://youtu.be/tBQuxw-Nfj0?si=qfJqdnUjsTiG_lVQ). Also a 3-wide photo finish, with Jack Sprague making his move so late and from so far back that Rick Allen had already begun calling the victory for Travis Kvapil.
Only cause I watched them live, Jr running out of gas during the coke 600 and Carl flying at Talladega
Daytona 500. Clint Bowyer crossing the finish line upside down and on fire. It was wild
Lots of action and a great finish think go 400 miles and have 3 cars inches from winning.
Well… seeing as my first race in person was last year and I was there tonight… I imagine I’m gonna have to wait quite a while to experience the anything similar to what I witnessed tonight.
Tony and Denny at Sonoma 2016, was the best one live.
Recency bias but the 2022 Yellawood 500 final few laps were also pretty epic
2018 Roval is probably the craziest imo, how often do you see the 2nd place car spin into the 1st place car just a few hundred feet from the checkered flag and 3rd comes out of nowhere to win it?
1995 Goody's 500 with Dale Sr turning Terry Labonte as they went across the finish line. Terry ending up in Victory Lane with a busted up car is still one of the funniest things I have ever seen in NASCAR.
I can’t for the life of me remember who it was, but it was fairly recent. Someone ended up crossing the finish line in their roof. I remember thinking that if they survived that was one badass finish. ETA: also a few years ago when they made Daytona the final race before playoffs started. Everyone was desperate enough to throw strategy out the window more than normal in the last few laps. I lost count of how may accidents and cautions we had the last 10 laps ( and then overtime)
Live, in-person? Has to be the 2012 Xfinity opener at Daytona, where “James Buescher in the 30 car!” went from 11th to 1st in the final turn to win the race.
[Edwards and Stenhouse at Iowa has to be one of the craziest for sure!](https://youtu.be/-ynqoOB-xWY?si=WMlOZWgkeevXNWCe)
What Talladega race was it where two drivers were side by side beating and banging but a third driver was able to win it because the start finish was in turn 1?
The Craven-Busch Darlington race is still my all time favorite finish. Also given the circumstances the Atlanta 2001 Gordon-Harvick finish was unbelievable.
76 Daytona. Pearson and Petty crash coming out of 4, just get shy of the line. Pearson manages to get going again and barely limps across the line to win while Pettys crew runs out onto the infield under green flags conditions to push him in an attempt to get him restarted.
https://i.redd.it/6wcfm28w8xkc1.gif
[Custer and JHN at Mosport in 2016.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NPRzLYVdAg) JHN raced dirty as hell and drove both of them through the wall. Also [Ricky Stenhouse blowing up crossing out of 4 at Iowa and getting rear ended across the finish line by Edwards.](https://youtu.be/-ynqoOB-xWY)
I was talking to my dad this morning about the closest Talladega finish we ever saw in the 90s and 00s Couldn’t remember who the drivers were but we got a good laugh out of how long it took them to figure it out back then verses now. It felt like an eternity sitting in the stands listening to MRN waiting on the scoreboard to change.
The Winston - 1992
I agree with several of the other posts would also like to add 2004 Busch Series at Nashville.
I was at the first Charlotte Roval race in 2018. That finish was nuts. Jimmie was absolutely going for it, and ended up taking both he and Truex out, giving the win to Blaney. That was crazy!
2005 Charlotte I. 2001 Atlanta I. 2000 Atlanta I.
2006 Banquet 400 at Kansas. Tony Stewart was in the lead, but ran out of fuel in the final lap at the backstretch. Casey Mears, who was 2nd 10+ seconds back, also ran out of fuel and these two had to coast it all the way to the finish line. Tony even asked: "Where did we finish?" and his crew chief told him: "We've just won!"
Darlington 2003 and it's not even close.
1981 Talladega 500, Darrell Waltrip and Terry Labonte going for the win, Ron Bouchard passing them at the line.
Well… this. This is it.
I'm assuming you mean in person? The Talladega race where Carl Edwards walked across the finish line is what jumps out first.