NASCAR: Counting Down The 10 Closest Finishes Of All-Time

Feb 21, 2016; Daytona Beach, FL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) beats NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Martin Truex Jr. (78) to win the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

NASCAR’s 2016 Daytona 500 provided the closest finish in the history of the event. However that wasn’t the closest finish in NASCAR history, see where this year’s Daytona 500 falls on the top-10 list.

NASCAR is a fickle sport.

Sometimes NASCAR produces some boring and forgettable races and sometimes NASCAR produces finishes like what we all witnessed in the 2016 Daytona 500 between Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin. The finish between Hamlin and Truex Jr. was the closest in Daytona 500 history, which is a pretty impressive feat.

While the finish was the best in the history of the Daytona 500, it wasn’t necessarily the best in the history of the sport. In this article you will find the 10 closest finishes in NASCAR history since the invent of electronic scoring in 1993. We have also thrown in a couple of finishes that just missed the top-10 as an added bonus.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Honorable Mention

No. 13 – Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton (Talladega, October 23, 2011) 0.018 seconds

With three laps to go in Talladega Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer broke away from the pack and had themselves a sizeable lead with less than a lap to go. Bowyer waited until the end before making his move and when he did Burton was not able to keep him in the second position. Bowyer went onto win the race but he didn’t win it by much.

No. 12 – Greg Biffle and Mark Martin (Homestead, November 20. 2005) 0.017 seconds

It was a night where Tony Stewart won the 2005 NASCAR championship and it was also a night where Greg Biffle and Mark Martin had what used to be the 10th closest finish in NASCAR history, the 2016 Daytona 500 booted it from that spot. There were times with a few laps to go where it looked like Biffle was in complete control but Martin kept battling and he almost pulled it off.

No. 11 – Kevin Harvick and Jamie McMurray

Talladega, April 25, 2010 (0.011 seconds)

Kevin Harvick entered this event have not win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in more than 100 races. On this particular afternoon in Talladega, Harvick could do no wrong. For the last couple of laps Harvick was glued to the back of the No. 1 machine of McMurray. This not only helped push them ahead of the rest of the field but it allowed for Harvick to wait until the last moment to make his move. The move that Harvick made was timed perfectly and the result was a win for the future NASCAR champion.

No. 10 – Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne

Rockingham, February 22, 2004 (0.010 seconds)

Oh the good old days when NASCAR raced at ‘The Rock.’

Of all of the finishes on this list, this one might be one of the least exciting. The close finish kind of came out of nowhere because Kasey Kahne did not get a good run on Matt Kenseth until they were coming down for the checkered flag. Regardless, that run did indeed happen and the result was one of the closest finishes in the history of NASCAR.

Although Kahne didn’t get the job done on this day in 2004, there would be plenty of days in the future where he would pull off the win.

No. 9 – Dale Earnhardt and Bobby Labonte

Atlanta, March 12, 2000 (0.010 seconds)

It should come as no surprise that one of these finishes includes seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt. When you were as good as Earnhardt was and you won as many races as he did, it only comes natural to assume that at least one of those races might have been a close one.

One of the things that makes a great finish great is the live call that happens for the finish during the race. The live call for this finish added to it because even the announcers were not sure who won the race. Nothing sucks the air out of a close finish more than your mind not being sure who won and the answer casually knowing who did at the line because then it no longer feels like the finish was as close as it appeared to be.

This was a great finish and a great call.

No. 8 – Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.

Daytona 500, February 21, 2016 (0.010 seconds)

In the final two laps of this race there was a lot going on.

For a lap or so it was all three commentators talking about how Denny Hamlin wasn’t going to have enough to challenge for the win. Then it turned into the shock in their voices as Hamlin powered to the front. That shock turned to fear as Matt Kenseth went sideways and almost wrecked the field. That fear turned to excitement as Truex Jr. took Hamlin door-to-door towards the checkered flag.

Plus, to top it all off, this took place during the Daytona 500. This is not No. 1 on the list for the closest races in NASCAR history but it is the closest finish in the history of the Daytona 500.

No. 7 – Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards

Good Sam 500 in Phoenix, March 13, 2016 (0.010 seconds)

The 2016 NASCAR season got off to a bang with two of the first four races resulting in finishes that are on this list.

The Phoenix finish not only makes the list of series best, but it is also the closest finish in the history of the track. Kevin Harvick is no stranger to close finishes as you will see him a few times on this list.

The finish in Phoenix was one that almost didn’t happen. A caution came out with 6 laps left in the race after Kasey Kahne had a tire issue. Before the caution Harvick has a 1.99 second lead on Dale Earnhardt Jr. and was cruising to a victory. The caution bunched the field back up, allowed Edwards to get tires when Harvick stayed out and produced one heck of a finish.

In the end though Edwards should have known that he couldn’t beat Harvick in Phoenix, the guy pretty much owns the place.

No. 6- Jimmy Spencer and Ernie Irvan

Daytona, July 2, 1994 (o.008 seconds)

Electronic scoring came into NASCAR in 1993 and then in 1994 NASCAR was given it’s second-closest finish (at the time) in the history of the sport.

Spencer beating Irvan in Daytona in 1994 was simply one of those perfect Daytona passes. Irvan led the last couple of laps with Spencer sitting behind him looking for the perfect opportunity to make the pass. On the last lap Spencer saw that opportunity and made the most of it which of course resulted in Spencer winning the race.

The No. 6 spot on this list is not the only spot in which we will be seeing Spencer either.

No. 5 – Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon

Atlanta, March 11, 2001 (o.006 seconds)

Emotions where high in this race as the laps wound down.

Kevin Harvick was looking to win in only the third race of his NASCAR career. On top of all that, Harvick was looking to win in Dale Earnhardt’s car, less than a month removed from the passing of the NASCAR legend. This finish on this afternoon was one of those storybook deals for everyone involved except for Gordon.

However, things might have been different for Gordon had the lapped car not been where it was at the end of the race. However, it was there and we will never know what might have been if it wasn’t.

No. 4 – Dale Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan

Talladega, July 25, 1993 (0.005 seconds)

Neither of these drivers are a stranger to close finishes as they have both already appeared in this list having been in other close finishes.

On this particular day they produced the closest finish in NASCAR history (at the time) and a finish that remain is the top-five more than 20 years later. One of the other cool things about this finish is that it came the same season in which NASCAR introduced electronic scoring for the first time.

NASCAR often times seems to luck into these situations where they will make a rule change or introduce something new and it will come into play right away. At least in this situation, what came into play was something positive.

No. 3 – Jamie McMurray and Kyle Busch

Daytona, July 7, 2007 (0.005 seconds)

In life you should never count your chicken before they hatch and in NASCAR you should never award a race to a driver until they actually take the checkered flag.

In 2007 at Daytona Kyle Busch was leading the final laps with Jamie McMurray snug to his outside. While Busch maintained the lead, McMurray made it clear that he wasn’t going away. However, the call of the race made it seem as though Busch was in complete control since his brother was behind him and he had the inside line and appeared to have a faster car.

None of that seemed to matter though to McMurray who surged ahead at the checkered flag and ended up winning the race.

No. 2 – Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer

Talladega, April 7, 2011 (0.002 seconds)

The finish at Talladega in 2011 is easily one of the best finishes in NASCAR history.

The last 10 laps of the race provided some truly great racing as the tandems switched back and forth and jockeyed for position on the track. The last lap of the race saw you think that three different drivers were going to win at three different moments because the race was that close.

In the end the most unlikely driver pulled off the win with a move that you have to watch twice to believe that he was able to pull off. There were a few times in those final laps that it looked like the entire field could have wrecked but all of the drivers up front did a great job of making it work.

This win might not be one of the biggest for Jimmie Johnson but it certainly was one of the most exciting in his NASCAR career.

No. 1 – Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch

Darlington, March 16, 2003 (0.002 seconds)

The top spot on the list belongs to Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven.

When you ask for the closest finish in NASCAR history, this is often the first finish that fans think of even though it’s technically tied with the previous finish on this list. One of the great things about this finish was the fact that both drivers looked like they were driving junk on the final laps of this race.

Neither Busch or Craven appeared to have the best handling cars as this race was coming to a close but in all honesty none of that mattered. The call for this race was on point, the two cars bouncing off of each other coming to the line made it even better. All-in-all this could be the perfect definition of what a perfect finish in NASCAR should look like.

Which of the finishes on this list is your favorite? Be sure to let us know my commenting below. You can also reach out to us via our various social media platforms.