Third to first: Wild finishes in NASCAR history

Sunday's wild ending at the Charlotte road course saw Ryan Blaney go from third to first on the final lap after second-place Jimmie Johnson spun and collected race leader Martin Truex Jr. It wasn't the first time in NASCAR history a driver running third (or worse) at the white flag went on to win. Here are a few more such finishes.

1979 Daytona 500

This is one of the most famous races in NASCAR history, featuring a finish that has been replayed an infinite number of times. Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison were vying for the lead on the final lap of the Daytona 500 with neither understandably willing to concede an inch. The result saw them bounce off each multiple times down the backstretch and crash in Turn 3. Richard Petty took the checkered flag with both drivers (along with Donnie's brother Bobby, who stopped to check on Donnie) climbing out of their cars and engaging in a fistfight in front of national television audience that was watching the first ever flag-to-flag broadcast of "The Great American Race."

Richmond, 1986

The inclusion of this race comes with the caveat that the deciding accident didn't occur on the final circuit like others on this list, but with three laps remaining. However, because of rules at the time stating races did not extend into overtime, it was not uncommon to see a race conclude under caution. Thus when Dale Earnhardt turned Darrell Waltrip setting off an accident that collected the top four running cars, it allowed fifth-place Kyle Petty to inherit the lead with the race never restarting. The win was the first of Petty's career and how it occurred went a long way to establishing Earnhardt's reputation as "The Intimidator."

North Wilkesboro, 1989

In a classic example of one of those "racing deals," Dale Earnhardt and Ricky Rudd both were going for the same spot entering Turn 1 during the fall race at North Wilkesboro. And as is often the case with victory on the line, neither budged with Rudd holding the bottom lane while Earnhardt was to his outside. Who is to blame depends on your perspective. Maybe Rudd moved up, maybe Earnhardt came down? Regardless, both spun up the track with Geoff Bodine sneaking through to claim the win. This was the only lap Bodine led on the afternoon.

1992 All-Star Race, Charlotte

The race dubbed "One Hot Night" is another fondly remembered by fans for Davey Allison and Kyle Petty staging a ferocious battle culminating with Allison taking the checkered, then crashing hard just past the start-finish line. Amid the dramatic conclusion it is easy to forget that Allison was running third on the final lap, but charged into the lead after Petty and Dale Earnhardt tangled in Turn 3. That sent Earnhardt spinning and slowed Petty up just enough where Allison could get by.

Talladega, 2006

It's hard to fault Brian Vickers for aggressively pursuing his first Monster Energy Series win, but in his quest he also inadvertently crashed his Hendrick Motorsports teammate (Jimmie Johnson) and NASCAR's most popular driver (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) in front of Junior's legion of ardent supporters. Compounding matters, both Johnson and Earnhardt were playoff-eligible and in position to leave Talladega in the thick of the championship battle -- though Johnson would rally to claim his first title.

Watkins Glen, 2012

During a wild final lap that resembled something out of a movie, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose each held the lead at various points. Busch was the leader taking the white flag before contact with Keselowski through the esses sent him skidding off course. From there, Keselowski and Ambrose slammed and bagged while skating their way around a track covered in oil. Ambrose ultimately prevailed in what is one of the more entertaining finishes in recent history.

Talladega, 2012

Restrictor-plate races are always tense with a real chance things can quickly go askew in a big way. Especially so on the final lap when drivers are jockeying for position and desperation can cloud their better judgement. For example, race leader Tony Stewart throwing a decisive block on second-place Michael Waltrip during the 2012 fall playoff race at Talladega. One problem: the charging Waltrip already was to Stewart's inside. When Stewart moved down the track he came across the nose of Waltrip's Toyota triggering a 25-car pileup. Somehow, third-place Matt Kenseth avoided the chaos to win.

Auto Club, 2013

A week after Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano had an on- and off-track tussle at Bristol, their rivalry carried over to Fontana where in a bit of serendipity they found themselves jostling for the win. What unfolded was Logano sliding up into Hamlin, who then spun down the track and slammed into the inside wall. And because Logano and Hamlin were so consumed with one another, it allowed third-place Kyle Busch to catch then pass both of them in Turn 4 to take the win.

Charlotte Roval, 2018

Jimmie Johnson could've played it safe and taken a runner-up finish to Martin Truex Jr., which would've advanced him to the second round of the playoffs. Instead, Johnson went for the win. But as he entered the final corner, he got too hard on the brakes attempting to pass Truex and spun himself into the defending series champion, knocking both out of contention. Capitalizing was Ryan Blaney, who was far enough behind the madness that had just transpired he had no issue snaking his way through to score the win.