Wild and crazy finishes in NASCAR history

NASCAR.com takes a look at some of the sport’s widlest race conclusions

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NASCAR fans have witnessed some exciting, unexpected and downright crazy finishes over the years. One of the most recent strangest finishes came last season at Bristol Motor Speedway: Carl Edwards was leading with two laps to go when the the caution lights were accidently triggered. Minutes later, rain began to fall, causing the race to end under caution and handing the victory to Edwards.

In honor of NASCAR’s return to the Tennessee track for the spring event this weekend, NASCAR.com has put together some of the wildest finishes in the sport’s history.

1974 Firecracker 400 (Daytona, Sprint Cup Series)
On the second to last lap of the 1974 Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway, David Pearson had the lead on Richard Petty, but suddenly dropped back, leaving Petty to inherit the lead. As Petty’s lead grew larger and larger, it appeared that the future seven-time Cup champion was going to take the checkered — until the final turn. Pearson’s No. 21 ride came back to life, shooting beside Petty off Turn 4 and then finally past the No. 43 car to take the checkered. But the race wasn’t over — behind the top-finishing duo, another battle was taking place for third-place between Buddy Baker and Cale Yarborough. The pair fought for third-place, eventually crossing the start/finish line at the exact same time, prompting NASCAR to declare an official tie for third.

1991 Banquet Frozen Foods 300 (Sonoma, Sprint Cup Series)
Davey Allison and Ricky Rudd were the top two contenders for the win in the final laps during the 1991 Banquet Frozen Foods 300 at Sonoma Raceway. Coming to the white flag off Turn 11, Rudd tapped Allison, causing the No. 28 car to spin out. Rudd took over the lead, but Allison quickly rebounded from the spin and maintained the second position. When Rudd crossed the start/finish line on the final lap, he expected to be handed the checkered flag. Instead, he was shown the black flag for flagrant conduct and NASCAR handed the checkered flag — and the win — to runner-up finisher Allison. The call remains one of the most controversial in the history of the sport.

1994 Goody’s 250 (Bristol, XFINITY Series)
Mark Martin was leading the XFINITY Series Goody’s 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway when the caution flag was waved with two laps to go. Martin had dominated the race at the short track, having started from the pole position and led a race-high 195 laps. Thinking the race was over, Martin pulled onto pit road on the final lap. His surprising decision left underdog David Green to take the checkered flag for the second time in his XFINITY career, while Martin was left with a 11th-place finish.

2005 Florida Dodge Dealers 250 (Daytona, Camping World Truck Series)
Jimmy Spencer led the field to green during the final green-white-checkered attempt of the 2005 Camping World Truck Series’ Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway. But Bobby Hamilton was gaining ground on the No. 2 car. Just as the white flag waved, a wreck occurred near the start/finish line, bringing out the caution. Thinking he had won, Spencer drove his car into Victory Lane, only to discover that NASCAR had declared Hamilton the winner after review. Spencer was forced to reverse his truck out of Victory Lane and Hamilton wheeled his No. 04 ride in there for a delayed celebration.

2011 U.S. Cellular 250 (Iowa, XFINITY Series)
Up in front, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. looked like he was going to take the checkered flag during the 2011 XFINITY U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway. But unexpected trouble found the No. 6 car, as Stenhouse blew a motor just before crossing the line. Second-place Carl Edwards ran into the back of the No. 6, pushing Stenhouse across the start/finish line first. The shove handed Stenhouse the unexpected win, leaving Edwards with a runner-up finish.

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