Most Memorable Throwing Away the Win Moments!

Most Memorable Throwing Away the Win Moments in NASCAR (Cup Series)

By Brian H Cotnoir

Man, do I love a good, exciting finish in the NASCAR Cup Series!  I may not be able to remember what my blood-type is or my wife's work phone number, or even what I ate for dinner the night before, but I can remember exactly where I was when Brad Keselowski dumped Carl Edwards at Talladega to win his first Cup Race or when Denny Hamlin snuck by Matt Kenseth to win his first Daytona 500.  If I had to pick my favorite kind of finish in NASCAR, I'd have to say it's when the top two drivers wreck each other going for the win and the third-place driver steals in the win.  I think I like it because it conjures up feelings of the old saying "I'd rather be lucky than good any day".  If you look at a list of NASCAR's Most Memorable Finishes a lot of those kinds of races are always mentioned and I'm here to talk about five of those moments.  *A Disclaimer* This list will only contain races from the NASCAR Cup Series, so James Buescher's win at Daytona won't be included here (but it will be in a future list).

1.)  Richard Petty wins his 6th Daytona 500 after Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough's wreck

NASCAR Most Famous Race, I don't even need to set up this one, because it's so well-known.  After wrecking and throwing away the 1976 Daytona 500 on the final lap, Richard Petty was able to get some redemption (of sorts).  While Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough wrecked on the back stretch battling for the lead on the final lap of the 1979 Daytona 500, Richard Petty drove his Oldsmobile (I know, right, a freaking Oldsmobile?!) to his 6th career Victory in the Daytona 500.  And while this race is better remembered for the leaders wrecking and the fight between Cale Yarborough and the Allison Brothers, it was an integral piece because without it, Richard Petty would only have 199 career wins.

2.)  Kyle Petty gets his first win at Richmond Fairgrounds (1986)

From one Petty to another:  Kyle Petty never had the same amount of success as his Hall of Fame Father and Grandfather, but he was competitive driver early in his career.  Petty's first win came from a very surprising moment at the old Richmond Fairgrounds.   While Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Darrell Waltrip were beating and banging all race long, Kyle Petty was riding along in 5th place.  With two laps to go Earnhardt hooked Waltrip in the right rear and both of them went crashing into turn three.   Pole Sitter Geoffrey Bodine and Joe Ruttman would also be collected in the crash. Ruttman actually made it past the initial wreck but couldn't control his #26 Buick and spun.  Ruttman was able to get turned around and make it to the Start-Finish Line, but the first driver back to, the Caution Flag wasn't Joe Ruttman, it was Kyle Petty driving for the famous Woods Brothers!  Ruttman never managed to win a race in the NASCAR Cup Series and that second-place finish was the closet he'd ever come.

3.)  Geoff Bodine sneaks past the Intimidator and the Rooster at North Wilkesboro

Another race thrown away by the late-great Dale Earnhardt Sr. happened three years later.  Earnhardt had led 343-out-of-400 laps that day and heading into the first turn on the final lap of the Holly Farms 400 at North Wilkesboro Dale Sr. and Ricky Rudd tangled and spun out.  That opened the door for Geoff Bodine to steal the win.   Rudd and Earnhardt would have to settle for 9th and 10th in the race.

4.)  Kyle Busch wins at Fontana during a heated battle between Hamlin & Logano

Early in the 2013 Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin had a run in down at Bristol Motor Speedway.  When Hamlin got into the back of Logano and wrecked him it spilled over into the garage.   Over a week had passed when both drivers met on the track at Auto Club Speedway in California; the drivers battled for the lead over the last few laps beating and banging fenders.  In the middle of turns 3 & 4 on the last lap Logano slammed into Hamlin and turned him...unfortunately for Logano he lost so much momentum that Kyle Busch was able to sneak by Logano to steal the win.  Logano would end up 6th after getting into the wall himself.  Hamlin would wind up 25th and would have to miss the next 4 races due to a back injury.

5.)   Ryan Blaney wins the Inaugural race at the Charlotte Roval

I've made a lot of Bold Predictions on this blog...and I'm wrong only 70% of the time.  One of the Worst Times I ate crow was in regard to the first race held on the Charlotte Roval.  When I first heard NASCAR announce the race there, I said that the race would be awful and would go down as one of NASCAR's most embarrassing and disappointing races in Cup Series History.  I was wrong; dead wrong.  It was one of the best races of the season, and the finish was phenomenal!    Going into the Final Turn defending Champion, Martin Truex Jr. looked to be on his way to the win, when 7-time Champion, Jimmie Johnson hungry for his first win of the season made a desperation move.   Johnson was unable to keep control of his #48 Chevy and spun out, and he wound up crashing into Martin Truex Jr.  Ryan Blaney took advantage of the calamity in the turn to steal the win.   Jimmie Johnson came home in 8th place, while Martin Truex Jr. would have to settle for a 14th place finish.