NASCAR Video: Watch the 10 Closest Finishes in Sprint Cup History

Since the advent of electronic scoring in 1993, there have been a host of thrilling finishes on NASCAR’s Sprint Cup circuit. From legends like Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson to fringe drivers like Jimmy Spencer and Ricky Craven, many competitors have captivated race fans with their gutsy maneuvers in the waning laps.

While these types of finishes may be few and far between in the grand scheme of things, they are what keep race fans coming back week after week. You simply never know when yet another classic finish will unfold before your very eyes.

Here are the 10 closest finishes in Sprint Cup history.

10. Matt Kenseth over Kasey Kahne, 0.010 seconds, 2004 Subway 400

The Subway 400, run at North Carolina Speedway on Feb. 22, 2004, was the final NASCAR race in Rockingham. Despite failing to sell out, the race proved to be a very memorable one as it featured the 10^th closest finish in Sprint Cup history.

Matt Kenseth essentially controlled the race, leading huge chunks of laps at a time and 259 of the race’s 393 laps in total. Kasey Kahne, who hadn’t led a lap the entire race, was hot on Kenseth’s tail. Kahne went low as Kenseth’s car drifted up the track heading into the final turn. Kenseth was able to recover, though, and barely hang on for the win.

9. Dale Earnhardt over Bobby Labonte, 0.010 seconds, 2000 Cracker Barrel 500

The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 took place at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the spring of 2000. Mike Skinner dominated the race, leading 191 of the 325 laps; however a blown engine with 20 laps remaining ended his shot at a victory and set up one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history.

Skinner’s teammate, Dale Earnhardt, took the lead after Skinner’s mishap. With each passing lap, eventual points champion Bobby Labonte closed the gap on Earnhardt. Labonte made his move on the final lap, moving inside Earnhardt’s car, but Earnhardt was able to hold him off and win by 0.010 seconds.

This would also prove to be one of Earnhardt’s final wins before his untimely death in the 2001 Daytona 500.

8. Jimmy Spencer over Ernie Irvan, 0.008 seconds, 1994 Pepsi 400

The Pepsi 400, Daytona International Speedway’s summer race, occurred on July 2, 1994. The 160-lap race was controlled by Ernie Irvan as he led over half of the race’s 160 laps. When it comes to auto racing, however, the most import lap to lead is the final one.

Jimmy Spencer was in pursuit of Irvan over the course of the final 10 laps and began to close in with just a few remaining. Spencer went low on Irvan heading into Turn 3 on the final lap. Spencer and Irvan traded paint as they approach the start/finish line with Spencer winning by a nose. Spencer led just one lap in the victory, which was the first of his Sprint Cup career.

7. Kevin Harvick over Jeff Gordon, 0.006 seconds, 2001 Cracker Barrel 500

One year after one of the closest finishes in the history of NASCAR in the 2000 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500, the 2001 version of the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway offered more of the same. The winner of the previous year’s race, Dale Earnhardt, had passed away less than a month earlier in a fatal crash on the final lap of the Daytona 500.

The man who took over for Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, took the lead from Dale Jarrett and Jerry Nadeau with six laps left. Points leader Jeff Gordon who had led the most laps on the day was reeling Harvick in with each passing lap, though. Gordon made his move on the final lap as he and Harvick crossed the start/finish line side by side, but Harvick held him off by a whisker.

 It was Harvick’s first career Sprint Cup win, and he won the race with the same car and crew that Earnhardt had won the previous year’s race with. On his victory lap, Harvick held out three fingers as a tribute to the legendary Earnhardt.

6. Jimmie Johnson over Kevin Harvick, 0.006 seconds, 2010 Gatorade Duel 1

Although the Gatorade Duels which determine qualifying positions for the Daytona 500 aren’t technically points races, they are still considered to be prestigious races which have been won by many of the sport’s all-time greatest drivers. The first Gatorade Duel of 2010 stands as one of the closest finishes in Sprint Cup history.

As is often the case in restrictor plate races, the drivers in the lead pack were paired up as the race reached its conclusion. With just two laps remaining Kevin Harvick, thanks to a push from his Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer, took a run at Jimmie Johnson’s lead.

Johnson was getting help from his former Hendrick Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Although Harvick inched in front of Johnson heading into the final turn, Johnson made one final push to score the victory and start in the second row at the Daytona 500.

5. Dale Earnhardt over Ernie Irvan, 0.005 seconds, 1993 DieHard 500

The DieHard 500 took place on July 25, 1993 at Talladega Superspeedway. The race was dominated for most of the day by a triumvirate of drivers, namely Dale Earnhardt, Ernie Irvan and Kyle Petty. The three of them essentially traded the lead between themselves for the entirety of the race’s 188 laps.

Earnhardt and Irvan led a small lead pack heading into the final few laps of the race. Although Earnhardt led three laps leading up to the white flag, he was side-by-side with Irvan.

If the threat of Irvan wasn’t enough, Earnhardt was also dealing with Petty and Mark Martin fractions of a second behind. As the drivers approached the start/finish line, Irvan held a slight lead, but Earnhardt’s car appeared to find another gear as he shot past Irvan to score the narrow victory.

4. Jamie McMurray over Kyle Busch, 0.005 seconds, 2007 Pepsi 400

The annual July 4^th weekend night race at Daytona International Speedway is no stranger to exciting finishes. Perhaps no finish was more exciting than the 2007 edition of the race. As the final Daytona race before the debut of the Car of Tomorrow, the 2007 Pepsi 400 ensured that the previous car went out in a blaze of glory.

After a restart with seven laps remaining, Jamie McMurray and Kyle Busch jumped to the front of the field. They traded the lead with each passing lap, setting up a memorable finish. McMurray was receiving a push from his Roush Fenway racing teammate Carl Edwards, while Busch was getting help from his brother Kurt.

As the field entered the final turn, the announcers, the crowd, and essentially everyone watching on television thought Kyle Busch had the race won. McMurray received one final push, however, and stole the win.

3. Jeff Burton over Clint Bowyer, 0.005 seconds, 2011 Gatorade Duel 2

Since the Gatorade Duels are really all-or-nothing type races, they tend to produce some of the closest finishes in the history of NASCAR. The second Gatorade Duel of 2011 certainly held true to form, as it was the fourth closest finish of all time.

 The Richard Childress Racing combination of Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer was running in front for most of the final 10 laps with the pairing of Michael Waltrip and Kyle Busch following close behind.

As the final lap approached, it appeared as though Bowyer would be content to push his teammate to victory. With the start/finish line in sight, however, chaos ensued as Trevor Bayne and David Ragan wrecked in the backstretch. Bowyer then suddenly left his drafting position and attempted to pass Burton on the high side, but he was unable to overtake his drafting partner as Burton took the checkered flag.

2. Ricky Craven over Kurt Busch, 0.002 seconds, 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400

The 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 was run at Darlington Raceway on March 16, 2003. With 24 laps remaining, Kurt Busch took the lead and looked as if he was going to cruise to victory.

Ricky Craven was in hot pursuit, however, over the final five laps after clearing a lapped car. With two laps remaining, Craven made his move, pushing Busch into the wall. Busch then got into the back of Craven who got loose and dropped back a bit. Craven wouldn’t be denied, though, as he went low on Busch as they reached the start finish/line. The cars were panel-to-panel with Craven’s car inching past Busch’s for the win.

After crossing the line, Craven got sideways and smoke emanated from both his and Busch’s cars due to the friction created from their contact. Craven led only the final lap in his second and final career Sprint Cup victory. It was also the final time a Pontiac would win a Sprint Cup race.

1. Jimmie Johnson over Clint Bowyer, 0.002 Seconds, 2011 Aaron’s 499

The 2011 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway was one of the wildest races in Sprint Cup history and ended up producing the closest finish of all time on the Sprint Cup circuit. While drafting has always been of the utmost importance at Talladega, it was taken to a completely different level in the 2011 spring race.

With just a few laps remaining, four pairings of drivers were in contention to score the win. Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin, and Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle all had realistic shots at taking the checkered flag. The race featured an incredible 88 lead changes, including six different leaders over the final 10 laps.

Gordon took the lead heading into the final lap thanks to a push from his teammate Martin. Just as it looked like the team of Bowyer and Harvick was going to push past Gordon, Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. moved to the bottom of the race track. The cars crossed the start/finish line three wide, with winner nearly impossible to call with the naked eye. Word came in, however, that Johnson edged Bowyer by 0.002 seconds.