Steve Letarte ranks the top 10 NASCAR finishes

By | Published: July 5, 2018 12

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Kyle Larson's slide job (slide job! slide job!) on Kyle Busch ... Busch's return shot to the fender ... two cars limping to the line. Last week's race at Chicagoland Speedway produced an outstanding finish. We asked NASCAR on NBC analyst and NASCAR.com contributor Steve Letarte to rank his personal top 10 finishes of all time. His list follows, with us providing the context to his ranking. One week removed from this classic, the Monster Energy Series could produce another one at Daytona -- site of several of the sport's top finishes on Letarte's list.

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Honorable Mention

Jamie McMurray beating Kyle Busch to the stripe by .005 seconds in 2007 is one of the best finishes at the Daytona summer race. The margin of victory ties for third-closest finish of all time.

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10. Richmond, 1986

Kyle Petty was fifth with three laps remaining -- fifth! But then Darrell Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt wrecked in a battle for the lead, Geoffery Bodine and Joe Ruttman couldn't avoid the carnage and Petty sailed into first place for his first career Monster Energy Series win.

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9. Chicagoland, 2018

This one perhaps holds a special meaning for Letarte, who called the finish from the NBC broadcast booth with good friend Dale Earnhardt Jr.

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8. Daytona 500, 1976

It was Richard Petty vs. David Pearson, the sport's top two all-time winners at the peak of their respective careers, battling to the finish. They wrecked on the last lap, but Pearson was able to refire his car and limp across the start/finish line as crews sprinted out to help push both cars.

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7. Watkins Glen, 2012

Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch dueled, helping add fuel to a rivalry that still exists today. Then Marcos Ambrose and Keselowski swapped paint multiple times in a thrilling final lap that saw Ambrose hold on for the victory.

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6. Daytona 500, 2016

Denny Hamlin timed his jump to the high line perfectly, blasting by teammate Matt Kenseth and holding off Martin Truex Jr. in a .010-second margin of victory that was replayed the rest of the season.

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5. Daytona summer race, 1984

Rubbing all the way to the line, Richard Petty beat Cale Yarborough in a photo finish for his 200th and final career Monster Energy Series victory. Oh, and President Ronald Reagan was in attendance.

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4. Atlanta, 2001

Kevin Harvick holds off Jeff Gordon by .006 seconds for his first career victory -- the timing, though, was 'unreal,' Letarte says. Harvick had replaced Dale Earnhardt in Richard Childress Racing's lineup following Earnhardt's death in the Daytona 500 earlier that year. This win came three weeks later, with a new paint scheme, new number and Earnhardt's crew looking on.

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Special to NASCAR.com

3. Bristol, 1995

One of Dale Earnhardt's legendary Bristol battles. This one ended when he spun Terry Labonte off of Turn 4 on the final lap, but Labonte spun across the start/finish line ahead of the black No. 3. Made for a tremendous Victory Lane picture.

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2. Darlington, 2003

Tied for the closest finish in Monster Energy Series history, this classic beating-and-banging final two laps from Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch is everything we love about racing.

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1. Daytona 500, 1979

Yes, the finish was excellent. But the fight in the infield, the airing of the entire race on network TV ... it was 'a true moment in time that changed the sport,' Letarte says. That's why it's No. 1 on his list.