JR Hildebrand at Indy and the 13 Most Incredible Finishes in Motorsports History

As J. R. Hildebrand entered the Final Turn of the 95th Indianapolis 500, victory was assured.

Until it wasn't.

Hildebrand crashed into the wall as he tried to avoid lapped traffic, leading to one of the most incredible finishes in motorsports history.

Dan Wheldon was the beneficiary of Hildebrand's rookie mistake; he won his second Indianapolis 500. His first victory in IndyCar Series' marquee race came in 2005.

With Hildebrand's gaffe in mind, here is a list of 13 of the most exciting finishes that motorsports fans have ever witnessed.

2011 Indianapolis 500

Result:

Dan Wheldon overtook J. R. Hildebrand on the Final Lap after the rookie crashed into the wall on the Final Turn.

Why It's Incredible:

The story changed from a 23 year old winning the Indianapolis 500 in his first try, to a 23-year-old rookie making a huge mistake that cost him the biggest race on the schedule.

And it all happened in the blink of an eye.

The thought that had to weigh on Hildebrand's mind following that unthinkable finish was whether or not he'd come that close to winning the Indianapolis 500 ever again.

He is a talented young driver, but there have been plenty of great drivers who have never won it. He might have let his best chance slip away, with the Finish Line within his grasp.

2011 Aaron's 499

Result:

Jimmie Johnson edged Clint Bowyer by two-thousandths of a second (.002) to claim victory at Talladega Superspeedway.

Why It's Incredible:

Heading into the Final Lap, there were at least six drivers with a chance to win. The result is tied for the closest finish in NASCAR history and came in a race that saw 88 lead changes (which is tied for the most in history).

Johnson was able to get to the bottom of the track and, with the help of Dale Earnhardt Jr., cross the Finish Line first. Although the new style of racing at Talladega makes the early laps less meaningful, it has made the finishes a lot more interesting.

2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400

Result:

Ricky Craven barely managed to outlast Kurt Busch at Darlington Raceway. Craven's victory held the record for close

st finish for eight years, until it was tied by the finish on the previous slide.

Why It's Incredible:

Darlington is affectionately known as the “Lady in Black,” and she provided quite the finish in 2003. Craven only won two times in 278 career Sprint Cup races, which makes this victory even more memorable.

It was a two-horse race for the final laps and Craven and Busch had put distance between themselves and the rest of the field. Sticking with the horse racing theme, it would be fair to say that Craven won this race by a nose.

2009 Coke Zero 400

Result:

Tony Stewart held on for victory after starting a chain-reaction crash on the Final Lap at Daytona International Speedway.

Why It's Incredible:

Kyle Busch attempted to cut off Stewart to secure the victory, and instead got sent into the wall and was crushed several times afterward. Stewart was able to maintain control and pick up the win.

Busch and Stewart are both known to have quite the tempers, so when they were racing for the checkered flag, fans should have known something was about to happen. There was no chance Stewart would get cut off on the final lap, and Busch paid the price for trying.

2009 Aaron's 499

Result:

Brad Keselowski won his first career Sprint Cup race after Carl Edwards had one of the most awe-inspiring crashes in history.

Why It's Incredible:

With Edwards leading the race on the Final Lap, he attempted to block Keselowski. Keselowski gave Edwards a bump, which allowed him to pass. As Edwards attempted to regain control, he was struck by Ryan Newman, causing Edwards to fly into the fence.

Perhaps the best part of the video is Edwards jumping out of his car, which was on fire, and running the rest of the way to the Finish Line.

You know the equipment is getting better when a driver has that horrific of a crash and can still “finish” the race.

2010 European F3 Open at Monza

Result:

Victor Correa got the victory following another ill-advised block attempt by the driver in second-place trying to chase him down.

Why It's Incredible:

There seems to be a theme developing with most of these incredible finishes—poor blocking.

In this situation, Tono Fernandez was trying to hold on to second-place when he attempted to block Fernando Monje.

Monje was forced onto the grass and eventually spun out into Biagio Bulnes, costing both drivers a Top 10 finish. The aftermath of the crash was equally as interesting and Bulnes' car bounced around like it was on a pogo stick.

Fernandez was disqualified after the race.

2008 SCCA Runoffs

Result:

The video only shows the crash, but Andy Wolverton went on to win the race.

Why It's Incredible:

The details are a bit sketchy, but the video is awesome. Also, in the comments section on YouTube the two drivers involved discuss the situation. The shot from inside the car gives a great perspective of what it is like to be in a crash at high speeds.

From the information given on the Sports Car Club of America website and the names used, it appears Thomas Martins went for the block as Brian Kleeman tried to make a pass on the outside. Kleeman was eventually forced onto the grass, cut a tire and crashed into a stack of tires (which went flying high into the air).

2008 British F3 at Brands Hatch

Result:

Sergio Perez won after battling with Marcus Ericsson on the Final Lap that ended with Ericsson crashing.

Why It's Incredible:

Ericsson was on the pole for the race and ran the fastest lap of the day. He probably had the best car on the track that day and appeared to be catching Perez on the last lap. He slid out of control on a turn, however, and it caused him to spin across the grass and crash hard into the wall.

With the best car out of the race, and not enough time for anybody else to catch up, Perez cruised to his fourth and final win of the season. Although he looked a bit groggy after getting out of his car, Ericsson was fine.

He did lose his best chance at a victory that season, though.

2007 Budweiser Shootout

Result:

Tony Stewart picked up the victory without incident, but the real action happened behind him.

Why It's Incredible:

Right as Stewart was about to get the checkered flag, all hell broke loose behind him. Elliot Sadler got tapped by Dale Earnhardt Jr., causing him to spin into Denny Hamlin. The ensuing carnage also collected Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne, among others.

A late-race caution caused several cars to be bunched up on the Final Lap and allowed for the massive crash.

The Budweiser Shootout races are considered very fan friendly; for the group of fans that attends races hoping for a crash, they got one that night.

2010 British Superstock 600

Result:

John Simpson won the race, but well after he crossed the finish line other drivers started losing control.

Why It's Incredible:

It seems like these guys are in danger of flying off their bikes on every turn, but they usually maintain great balance. That wasn't the case during the Final Lap at Cadwell.

Jake Newstead got taken out by Bruce Winfield. Then, Josh Caygill crashed on the Final Turn, leaving his bike in the middle of the track, and it looked like two or three other drivers nearly rode right into it. Add in a pissed-off driver and this video is a perfect fit for this list.

1979 Daytona 500

Result:

Three legends were involved in this outcome: Richard Petty picked up the win after Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed and resorted to a good ol' fistfight.

Why It's Incredible:

This race was one of the most important races in NASCAR history. Yarborough and Allison were solidly in first- and second-place, but they weren't satisfied—which led to them costing each other the race as Petty (eventually) swooped in to pick up the win.

It was the fight afterward that sparked an interest spike for NASCAR. The fight showed how much those two wanted to win and illustrated a side of racing that most of the nation hadn't seen before this epic crash.

2005 Atlanta NASCAR Truck Race

Result:

After being on the wrong side of a Last Lap crash earlier in the slideshow, Kyle Busch took home the victory—with mayhem taking place behind him.

Why It's Incredible:

There seem to be less multi-vehicle pile-ups in the truck series, but this video shows one. Taken from a cell phone in the stands, it shows the wreck starting right before the final straightaway and continuing to grow until the finish line.

Perhaps the smokiest video of the slideshow, it seems like at least 10 trucks were caught up in the mess. Maybe if there were a few more fender-benders like that, the Truck Series could become a little more popular among motorsports fans.

2001 Spanish Grand Prix

Result:

Michael Schumacher pulled out a miracle (or lucky) victory following the Final Lap car failure of leader Mika Hakkinen.

Why It's Incredible:

Hakkinen was leading the race by 40 seconds, with two laps to go, when he started to struggle with his clutch. When the clutch failed, Schumacher was able to drive past Hakkinen into victory lane for one of the craziest wins of his storied career.

Whereas most of the videos in the slideshow focus on the incredible nature of crashes, this one is based on its rarity. Not only is a 40-second lead nearly impossible to build up during a race, but to lose that lead in two laps, without running out of gas as the reason, is unheard of.