5 of the Best "FINALLY!" Moments in Auto Racing

 5 of the Best "FINALLY!" Moments in Auto Racing

By Brian Cotnoir

Last night Daniel Hemric finally won his first race in NASCAR's Top 3 Series.  Not only was that his first win in NASCAR, but it also won him the 2021 Xfinity Series Champion.   Hemric who has been running in NASCAR full-time, in some capacity, since 2014 and until last night was tied for the record of most career runner-up finishes in the Xfinity series without a win, 10.   In addition he also had 2 runner-up finished in the Truck Series.   Hemric in the Xfinity and Truck Series consistently ran and finished in the Top 5, but never seemed to be able to pull it together, until last night.   No more will he have to hear the question "When are you going to win your first race?".   Finally, he is a NASCAR winner & champion.   That got me thinking; what are some of the other Best "Finally" moments in racing.

1.)  Will Power Finally wins the IndyCar Championship

I talked about this already in my "4 of the Unluckiest Moments in Auto Racing History", but I'll do a quick recap: Between 2010-2012, Australia's Will Power entered the final race of the season with a chance to win the IndyCar Championship, only to wreck in the race and have to settle for a 2nd place.   After a mediocre 2013 season, Power came back in 2014 and won 3 races and finally clinched the IndyCar championship.

2.)  Stewart Friesen Finally wins a Truck Series Race

Before Hemric, there was another driver who was known for having a lot of runner-up finishes.   Stewart Friesen, is a well-known and dirt modified racer in the Northeast, before going full-time in the NASCAR Truck Series in 2017.  After an rough Rookie Year, where his best finish was a runner-up at Eldora.  The following season he started racking up Top 5 finishes, and the success continued into the 2019 season.  Friesen had wrapped up 6 runner-up finishes in the Truck Series before finally securing his first win in the Truck Series--appropriately enough--at Eldora.     Kasey Kahne also had 6 runner-up finishes in the Cup Series before his first career win in the Cup Series, but he had backing from a large team, as opposed to Friesen who is a co-owner of his own Truck Series team.

3.)  Dale Sr. Finally wins the Daytona 500

You all know the quote by now: "20 years of trying, 20 years of frustration, Dale Earnhardt will come to the caution flag to win the Daytona 500!".

4.)  The Menard Family Finally kisses the bricks

Business Entrepreneur John Menard Jr. has been a huge investor in Auto Racing.   As an owner he entered multiple cars in the Indianapolis 500 between 1980 and 2003.  While his team won multiple races and championships in the 1990's with Tony Stewart and Greg Ray, they struggled to find success during the Indy 500.  The teams best finish at the Indy 500 was a 3rd place in 1992 scored by Al Unser Sr.   

In 2007 Menard's son, Paul, began his full-time NASCAR Cup Series career (with sponsorship money provided by his father).  Paul ran mostly mid pack usually finishing somewhere in the Top 25.   It wasn't until he made the jump to Richard Childress Racing that Paul Menard's day in the sun would come.  At the 2011 Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Paul Menard  managed to save enough fuel to put him the lead that allowed him to win his first--and ultimately--only win in the NASCAR Cup Series.   After 30 years of trying, father & son were able to "kiss the bricks" and celebrate a long waited victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

5.)  Nigel Mansell Finally wins the Formula 1 Championship

Nigel Mansell is one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers in history.   In his first 11 seasons Mansell won 21 Grand Prix's and finished runner-up in Drivers' Championship three times!   In 1992, behind the wheel of  the Adrian Newey designed Williams 14B, Mansell won 9 Grand Prix's  and finally wrapped up that much sought after World Drivers' Championship.   Mansell would retire from full-time Formula 1 competition after winning his one and only championship, and give open wheel racing in America a try (where he would win another championship in the IndyCar Series as a rookie).

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