A history of NASCAR Playoffs walk-off winners in elimination races
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Countless times in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, drivers have found their backs against a wall and needed a walk-off win to keep their season alive. Here's a look back at every time a driver below the cutline won an elimination race to advance to the next round of the Cup Series Playoffs.
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2014 Round of 12
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Winner: Brad Keselowski
Note: Was in must-win territory, sitting 19 points below the elimination line, but held off the field on a masterful few final laps.
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2014 Round of 8
Track: Phoenix Raceway
Winner: Kevin Harvick
Note: Harvick entered eighth in points, six points below the elimination line with a win as the only way to control his own destiny. He won this race and then again the following week for his first Cup Series title.
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2015 Round of 16
Track: Dover Motor Speedway
Winner: Kevin Harvick
Note: Again, Harvick was in must-win position and 23 points below the elimination line. The defending champ found his footing to advance out of the opening round, then delivered a burnout for the ages. He would again advance to the Championship 4.
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2019 Round of 8
Track: Phoenix Raceway
Winner: Denny Hamlin
Note: Hamlin was 20 points below the elimination line heading to Phoenix, one of his best tracks. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver delivered one of the best showings of his career to advance to the Championship 4 with a victory.
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2020 Round of 8
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Winner: Chase Elliott
Note: Elliott was 25 points away from a spot in the Championship 4, a number big enough that he was in must-win territory. So Elliott went out and converted at a track that had provided heartbreak over the years and then added his first NASCAR Cup Series title the next weekend.
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2022 Round of 12
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway road course
Winner: Christopher Bell
Note: Bell entered the race at minus-45 points to the elimination line, easily the largest deficit a driver has overcome to advance in an elimination race.
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2022 Round of 8
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Winner: Christopher Bell
Note: With his back against the wall again in the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs, Bell delivered a second consecutive walk-off win to keep his deep playoff run alive, advancing to the Championship 4 Race at Phoenix.
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2024 Round of 8
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Winner: Ryan Blaney
Note: Blaney entered the 0.526-mile short track in an effective must-win position, 38 points beneath the line. A power drive to eliminate a 3-second lead and pass Chase Elliott for the win with 14 laps remaining propelled the No. 12 Team Penske racer back to the Championship 4.
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2025 Round of 8
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Winner: William Byron
Note: Sitting 36 points below the cutline, William Byron found himself in a must-win situation. The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports didn't just win at the Virginia short track, but dominated; Byron started on the pole, led 304 laps and held off surges from other drivers facing elimination with extreme poise.