List of the closest Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series finishes

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Ricky Craven (No. 32) edges out Kurt Busch (No. 97) at the line in the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400. 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 finish.jpg
Ricky Craven (No. 32) edges out Kurt Busch (No. 97) at the line in the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400.

NASCAR's premiere racing division, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, has seen many close finishes since the electronic scoring system was instituted in May during the 1993 season. As of 2017, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series is 0.002 seconds. This first occurred during the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway, as Ricky Craven crossed the finish line inches ahead of Kurt Busch. [1] In 2011, the record was tied at the 2011 Aaron's 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway, when Jimmie Johnson was victorious over Clint Bowyer in a four-wide finish.

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock-car racing. Its three largest or National series are the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Gander Outdoors Truck Series. Regional series include the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West, the Whelen Modified Tour, NASCAR Pinty's Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, and NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Europe. NASCAR has presented races at the Suzuka and Motegi circuits in Japan, and the Calder Park Thunderdome in Australia. NASCAR also ventures into eSports via the PEAK Antifreeze NASCAR iRacing Series and a sanctioned ladder system on that title.

The 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season was the 45th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 22nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 7 and ended on November 14. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing won the title, the sixth of his career.

2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 auto race at Darlington, USA in 2003

The 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on March 16, 2003, before a crowd of 55,000, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway. The 293-lap race, the 100th NASCAR Cup Series event at Darlington Raceway, was won by PPI Motorsports driver Ricky Craven after he started from the thirty-second position. Kurt Busch of the Roush Racing team finished in second place and Dave Blaney took a third-position result for Jasper Motorsports.

Contents

History

Prior to the introduction of integrated electronic scoring in May 1993, margins of victory were scored in laps, car lengths, or feet, using handheld stopwatches or analog timing clocks. [2] This occasionally led to controversy, such as occurred in the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959. Initially, NASCAR declared the race won by Johnny Beauchamp, but many observers felt that Lee Petty had won. It took 61 hours before video evidence established Petty as the winner. [3]

Stopwatch handheld timepiece designed to measure an amount time

A stopwatch is a handheld timepiece designed to measure the amount of time that elapses between its activation and deactivation. A large digital version of a stopwatch designed for viewing at a distance, as in a sports stadium, is called a stopclock. In manual timing, the clock is started and stopped by a person pressing a button. In fully automatic time, both starting and stopping are triggered automatically, by sensors.

1959 Daytona 500 Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1959

The 1959 First 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Daytona was the second race of the 1959 NASCAR Grand National season. It was held on February 22, 1959, in front of 41,921 spectators. It was the first race held at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway.

Johnny Beauchamp was an American NASCAR driver from Harlan, Iowa. He is best known for finishing second in the 1959 Daytona 500 in a photo finish after being declared the unofficial winner. In 23 starts, he had ten top 10 finishes, seven top 5 finishes, and two victories.

Beginning with the 1993 Save Mart Supermarkets 300K, scoring was standardized to the thousandth of a second using transponders located on the vehicles and timing lines around the track. Geoff Bodine won the first event using this electronic scoring, finishing 0.53 seconds ahead of Ernie Irvan. [4]

Geoff Bodine American auto racing driver

Geoff Edmond Bodine is a retired American motorsport driver and bobsled builder. He is the oldest of the three Bodine brothers. Bodine currently lives in West Melbourne, Florida.

Ernie Irvan American racing driver

Virgil Earnest Irvan, occasionally referred to as "Swervin' Irvan", is an American former professional stock car racing driver. A retired NASCAR competitor, he is best remembered for his comeback after a serious head injury left him with only a 10% chance of survival, August 20, 1994, at Michigan International Speedway. Irvan has been inducted into numerous halls of fame and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers, in 1998. After a series of injuries in the late 1990s, he retired from racing in 1999.

Closest finishes

*Event was not part of the regular season


Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series closest finishes
RankRaceMarginWinner2nd PlaceTrackDate
1 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 0.002 Ricky Craven Kurt Busch Darlington Raceway March 16, 2003
1 2011 Aaron's 499 0.002 Jimmie Johnson Clint Bowyer Talladega Superspeedway April 17, 2011
3 2001 Gatorade Duel 2*0.004 Mike Skinner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Daytona International Speedway February 15, 2001
4 1993 DieHard 500 0.005 Dale Earnhardt Ernie Irvan Talladega Superspeedway July 25, 1993
4 2007 Pepsi 400 0.005 Jamie McMurray Kyle Busch Daytona International Speedway July 7, 2007
4 2011 Gatorade Duel 2*0.005 Jeff Burton Clint Bowyer Daytona International Speedway February 17, 2011
7 2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 0.006 Kevin Harvick Jeff Gordon Atlanta Motor Speedway March 11, 2001
7 2010 Gatorade Duel 1*0.006 Jimmie Johnson Kevin Harvick Daytona International Speedway February 11, 2010
9 2019 1000Bulbs.com 500 0.007 Ryan Blaney Ryan Newman Talladega Superspeedway October 14, 2019
10 1994 Pepsi 400 0.008 Jimmy Spencer Ernie Irvan Daytona International Speedway July 2, 1994
11 2000 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 0.010 Dale Earnhardt Bobby Labonte Atlanta Motor Speedway March 12, 2000
11 2004 Subway 400 0.010 Matt Kenseth Kasey Kahne North Carolina Speedway February 22, 2004
11 2012 Budweiser Shootout*0.010 Kyle Busch Tony Stewart Daytona International Speedway February 18, 2012
11 2016 Daytona 500 [5] 0.010 Denny Hamlin Martin Truex, Jr. Daytona International Speedway February 21, 2016
11 2016 Good Sam 500 [6] 0.010 Kevin Harvick Carl Edwards Phoenix International Raceway March 13, 2016
16 2010 Aaron's 499 0.011 Kevin Harvick Jamie McMurray Talladega Superspeedway April 25, 2010
17 2010 Gatorade Duel 2*0.014 Kasey Kahne Tony Stewart Daytona International Speedway February 11, 2010
18 2016 Sprint Showdown*0.015 Kyle Larson Chase Elliott Charlotte Motor Speedway May 20, 2016
19 2005 Ford 400 0.017 Greg Biffle Mark Martin Homestead-Miami Speedway November 20, 2005
20 2011 Good Sam Club 500 0.018 Clint Bowyer Jeff Burton Talladega Superspeedway October 23, 2011
21 2007 Daytona 500 0.020 Kevin Harvick Mark Martin Daytona International Speedway February 18, 2007
22 2014 Budweiser Duel 1*0.022 Matt Kenseth Kasey Kahne Daytona International Speedway February 20, 2014
23 1994 Diehard 500 0.025 Jimmy Spencer Bill Elliott Talladega Superspeedway July 24, 1994
24 2005 Coca-Cola 600 0.027 Jimmie Johnson Bobby Labonte Lowe's Motor Speedway May 29, 2005
25 2004 Samsung/Radio Shack 500 0.028 Elliott Sadler Kasey Kahne Texas Motor Speedway April 5, 2004
25 2005 Golden Corral 500 0.028 Carl Edwards Jimmie Johnson Atlanta Motor Speedway March 20, 2005
27 1997 Pepsi 400 0.029 John Andretti Terry Labonte Daytona International Speedway July 5, 1997
28 2005 Gatorade Duel 1*0.030 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt Jr. Daytona International Speedway February 17, 2005
29 2006 UAW Daimler-Chrysler 400 0.045 Jimmie Johnson Matt Kenseth Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 12, 2006
30 1995 Diehard 500 0.050 Sterling Marlin Dale Jarrett Talladega Superspeedway July 23, 1995
31 1998 Exide Select Batteries 400 0.051 Jeff Burton Jeff Gordon Richmond International Raceway September 12, 1998
32 2008 Amp Energy 500 0.052 Tony Stewart Paul Menard Talladega Superspeedway October 5, 2008
33 2011 Budweiser Shootout*0.058 Kurt Busch Jamie McMurray Daytona International Speedway February 12, 2011
34 2011 Coke Zero 400 0.059 David Ragan Matt Kenseth Daytona International Speedway July 2, 2011
35 2002 Aaron's 499 0.060 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Michael Waltrip Talladega Superspeedway April 21, 2002
36 2007 Food City 500 0.064 Kyle Busch Jeff Burton Bristol Motor Speedway March 25, 2007
37 2007 Goody's Cool Orange 500 0.065 Jimmie Johnson Jeff Gordon Martinsville Speedway April 1, 2007
37 2011 Gatorade Duel 1*0.065 Kurt Busch Regan Smith Daytona International Speedway February 17, 2011
39 2007 UAW-Ford 500 0.066 Jeff Gordon Jimmie Johnson Talladega Superspeedway October 7, 2007
40 1994 Winston Select 500 0.067 Dale Earnhardt Ernie Irvan Talladega Superspeedway May 1, 1994
41 2007 Lenox Industrial Tools 300 0.068 Denny Hamlin Jeff Gordon New Hampshire Motor Speedway July 1, 2007
42 2019 Quaker State 400 0.076 Kurt Busch Kyle Busch Kentucky Speedway July 13, 2019
43 2005 MBNA NASCAR RacePoints 400 0.080 Jimmie Johnson Kyle Busch Dover International Speedway September 25, 2005
44 2004 Banquet 400 0.081 Joe Nemechek Ricky Rudd Kansas Speedway October 10, 2004
45 2001 Kmart 400 0.085 Jeff Gordon Ricky Rudd Michigan International Speedway June 10, 2001
46 2008 Daytona 500 0.092 Ryan Newman Kurt Busch Daytona International Speedway February 17, 2008
46 2010 Coke Zero 400 0.092 Kevin Harvick Kasey Kahne Daytona International Speedway July 3, 2010
48 2003 EA Sports 500 0.095 Michael Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Talladega Superspeedway September 28, 2003
49 2017 GEICO 500 0.095 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Jamie McMurray Talladega Superspeedway May 7, 2017
50 2009 Sharpie 500 0.098 Kyle Busch Mark Martin Bristol Motor Speedway August 22, 2009

See also

Photo finish

A photo finish occurs in a sporting race when multiple competitors cross the finishing line at nearly the same time. As the naked eye may not be able to determine which of the competitors crossed the line first, a photo or video taken at the finish line may be used for a more accurate check. Photo finishes make it less likely that officials will declare a race a dead heat.

Related Research Articles

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Subway 400 Auto race held at Rockingham, United Kingdom

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Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 Auto race held in spring in Darlington, United States

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Kyle Petty American stock car racing driver

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NextEra Energy 250

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NASCAR Racing Experience 300 Annual NASCAR race held in the spring at Daytona

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Richard Petty Motorsports American racecar team

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The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 55th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 32nd modern-era Cup Series season. The season began on February 8 at the Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. Despite only winning one race throughout the whole season, Matt Kenseth, driving the No.17 Ford for Roush Racing, was strongly consistent following the lone win, and was crowned the Winston Cup champion. His only win came in the third race of the 36 race season. Chevrolet took home the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship after capturing 19 wins and 264 points over second-place finisher Dodge, who had nine wins and 203 points. Ford finished the year third with seven wins and 200 points, and Pontiac finished fourth with one win and 125 points.

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2007 Pepsi 400 NASCAR race at Daytona in 2007

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Coke Zero Sugar 400 Auto race held in Daytona, United States

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The 1975 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 27th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 4th modern era NASCAR Cup series. The season began on Sunday, January 19 and ended on Sunday, November 12. Richard Petty, driving the #43 Petty Enterprises STP Dodge scored his sixth NASCAR Grand National Series Winston Cup Championship. Bruce Hill was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year. NASCAR introduced a new points system for 1975, a system designed by statistician Bob Latford. For the first time, each race on the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National schedule carried an equal point value, a system that would be used for 36 seasons, from 1975 to 2010. The original points system ran for the first 29 seasons, from 1975 to 2003, and in the original points system, 5 bonus points for leading a lap and 5 additional bonus points for a driver leading the most laps was only counted towards the points of your finishing position. In 2004 however, even though this points system was still in play, modifications were made in the points system itself: A playoff system was added, points would reset to 5000 after 26 races, only the top 10 drivers in points or anyone else within 400 points of the leader would race for the championship with 10 races to go, the drivers in the chase would start off the 10 race format 5 points apart from each other, and throughout the whole season, an additional 5 bonus points for winning a race was now included. In 2007, the number of drivers to compete for a championship would increase from 10 drivers to 12, the seeding for the chase was now lined up by the number of wins the driver had after the 26th race, or before the 10 race chase, and increasing another 5 additional bonus points from the 2004 rule for winning a race, making it now 10 bonus points for winning.

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The NASCAR Winston Cup Series era was the period of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) from 1971-2003. In 1971, NASCAR leased its naming rights to the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company who named the series after its premier brand "Winston". The series was referred to as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series from that point forward. Many view the Winston Cup Series Era as a time in which NASCAR entered the modern era of spectator sports. During this era, NASCAR experienced a significant rise in popularity that persisted until Winston left the sport after the 2003 season.

References

  1. ↑ 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 Archived 2009-11-12 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ NASCAR's Analysis Shows Competition Has Become Closer
  3. ↑ Classic photos from controversial first Daytona 500 in 1959
  4. ↑ 1993 Save Mart Supermarkets 300K Results
  5. ↑ "Denny Hamlin edges Martin Truex Jr. by inches to win Daytona 500". ESPN.com. February 22, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  6. ↑ Spencer, Reid (March 13, 2016). "Harvick Edges Edwards for Thrilling Phoenix Victory". NASCAR.com. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
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