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Even though it is an off week in the NASCAR world, that doesn’t mean we can’t look forward to what is next on the schedule! What is next on the schedule you ask? Simply put: It’s Talladega Baby.
The 2.66-mile Superspeedway located in Alabama is notorious for fast speeds, crazy wrecks, and incredible finishes. From Bill Elliott shattering the speed record to Bobby Alliston’s spectacular crash in 1987 to one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history, Talladega has had many memorable moments. Dale Earnhardt is the King of Talladega with a record 10 wins and 1,377 laps led. While no team reigns supreme at the track for long, Team Penske seems to have taken control as they have won seven of the past fourteen races run at Talladega.
With Talladega looming on the horizon, I thought we should go back and take a look at the Top 5 closest finishes in the history of the track. What is interesting with these finishes is that shows how NASCAR and the cars have evolved. From pack racing back in the day to tandem racing in the early 2010s. That evolution will take another step as the Cup cars will drop the restrictor plates and put on tapered spacers. How this will affect the racing is to be determined, but if the Truck Series, which do run tapered spacers is any indication, then next Sunday’s race is sure to be a wild, crazy, and unpredictable one.
With that being said, here are the Top 5 closest finishes in the history of Talladega Superspeedway. Which finish was your favorite? Is it not on this list? Be sure to leave a comment below and make sure to stay tuned to Sportskeeda for the latest news and results as the GEICO 500 draws closer.
#5: 1994 Diehard 500- 0.025s
We kick off the list with the running of the 1994 Diehard 500. The race was run in the middle of the summer in July, as opposed to current times where it is run in late April or Early May. Buzz Aldrin gave the command to start engines this day.
The race was pretty quiet for Talladega standards as there were only 5 cautions for a total of 20 laps. There were also only 24 lead changes, which is also small for Talladega standards. The finish saw Jimmy Spencer hold off Bill Elliott to take home the victory. While the finish didn’t look all that impressive, it was actually closer than you’d think with the margin being 0.025 seconds, which places it at #5 on this list. This was Spencers second and final victory in the Cup series. His first victory came a few weeks prior in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona, where he led only one lap, that being the final one.
#4:2011 Good Sams Club 500- 0.018s
Here's a quick spoiler: this won’t ebbehe last time you see a 2011 race at Talladega on this list. The fall race at Talladega is extra exciting since it is in the playoffs and championship hopes and dreams can be crushed here.
The 2011 running of the Good Sam's Club 500 was the first NASCAR Cup race since the death of IndyCar’s Dan Wheldon. The race saw 9 cautions and 72 lead changes, which is a drop from the spring race at Talladega. This is notable since there was a $100,000 bonus if there were 100 lead changes and the driver who made the 100th lead change would get the bonus.
The final laps saw Richard Childress Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton pull away from the pack to settle the race between the two. Coming to the tri-oval, Bowyer gets to the inside of Burton and gets the lead. Burton pulls back in and makes it close at the line, with the margin of victory being 0.018 seconds. This victory was also RCR’s 100th victory and Bowyer’s second consecutive victory in the fall race at Talladega.
#3: 2010 Aaron's 499- 0.011s
There were a record-setting 8 lead changes in this race, which shattered the previous record of 75 set in the 1984 Winston 500. There was also a record-setting 29 drivers who held the lead at one or another in the race, which breaks the record that was set in 2008.
This race saw the new Green-white-checker rule of three attempts. Jamie McMurray was the leader for each of these attempts. On the final lap, McMurray and Kevin Harvick pulled away from the pack to settle the race between them, much like Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton did the next year. Heading into the tri-oval, Harvick moved McMurray up the track and got below him. McMurray gave him enough space and Harvick edged him to the line by a margin of 0.011 seconds. Shockingly, this was Harvick’s first win since the 2007 Daytona 500, which was also a photo finish.
#2: 1993 Diehard 500- 0.005s
The runner up spot on this list goes to the 1993 Diehard 500. While the finish may be close and memorable, the crashes and their ramifications may be of even more note. Also, while Dale Earnhardt won the race, this one isn’t as memorable as his 2000 victory here.
The first wreck occurred on lap 69 when Stanley Smith and Jimmy Horton collided in Turn One. Six other cars were collected in the incident, but Horton’s car went up the track and over the outside retaining wall. The car tumbled down an embankment and landed on a dirt access road. Miraculously, Horton did not suffer any serious injuries although Smith suffered a skull fracture, but would fully recover. This accident led to the installation of catch fences along the entire superspeedway, including Daytona.
The second incident occurred on lap 132 when Neil Bonnett went into the catch fence, much like Bobby Allison did in 1987. This led to the invention of roof flaps for the next season.
On the final lap, Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan would remain side by side heading to the line when Earnhardt would edge ahead for the victory with the margin being 0.005 seconds, which would be the second closest finish at Talladega since the implementation of electronic scoring loops.
#1:2011 Aaron's 499- 0.002s
The closest finish in Talladega Superspeedway'a history was also one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history, going along with the Ricky Craven v. Kurt Busch finish at Darlington in 2003 and is surpassed by the Xfinity Series race at Daytona between Elliott Sadler and Tyler Reddick.
The 2011 Aaron’s 499 set the record for most lead changes in NASCAR history, passing the previous year’s race record. This is the record since all of the lead changes happened in regulation, while the 2010 race record was set in overtime.
On the final lap, the tandems of Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick were side by side with Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. In close pursuit. The mistake came in the tri-oval as Martin let Johnson get to the inside of him, a brush between Martin and Earnhardt Jr, killed Martin’s momentum which allowed Johnson to pull ahead and edge Bowyer at the line by a margin of 0.002 seconds. While this was going on, the duo of Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle snuck into the picture on the very outside, which technically made it a four-wide finish.
