Although it was split across two days because of weather, NASCAR’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway did not disappoint with a wild wreck and crazy close finish in Monday’s rain-delayed race.
Ryan Blaney took his first checkered flag of the 2019 season, and it automatically advanced him out of the Round of 12 in the Cup Series playoffs and into the Round of 8, which begins after Sunday’s elimination race at Kansas Speedway. Blaney edged out Ryan Newman — who was eliminated from the playoffs in a previous round — by just .007 seconds in a thrilling photo finish.
With one lap remaining on the 2.66-mile track, NASCAR’s longest on the schedule, Blaney had the lead just ahead of Aric Almirola and Michael McDowell and maintained it down the backstretch. But as Blaney in the No. 12 Ford was running on the inside of the track, Newman, who was fourth in the straight line behind the leader, jumped to the outside lane and Denny Hamlin, who was running fifth, followed him.
Hamlin gave Newman a huge push on the outside, and it allowed Newman to pull in front of Blaney for the lead as they came down the front straightaway. With a wreck happening in the back, Blaney managed to get on the inside of Newman, and the two raced side-by-side for an actual photo finish.
However, in getting up next to Newman, Blaney went below the inside yellow line, which NASCAR prohibits drivers doing to advance their position. As Blaney explained from his perspective, he was forced below the yellow line, NASCAR agreed and the Team Penske driver was not penalized.
So how close was the finish? This close…
Here’s another angle…
It was the sixth-closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history, and here’s how it compares with the series’ other top photo finishes, according to NASCAR. And four of the top closest finishes have been at Talladega.
No. 12: Kevin Harvick at Talladega in 2010 by .011 seconds
In Talladega’s spring race that year, Kevin Harvick got the best of Jamie McMurray for his first checkered flag of the season.
T-No. 8: Dale Earnhardt at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2000 by .010 seconds
Of course, The Intimidator is on here. Earnhardt beat out Bobby Labonte — the eventual champion that year — by just .010 seconds.
T-No. 8: Matt Kenseth at Rockingham Speedway in 2004 by .010 seconds
Back when NASCAR still competed at Rockingham, Matt Kenseth, the reining series champ at that point, in the No. 17 Ford beat Kasey Kahne for his first of back-to-back wins — also his only two checkered flags that season.
T-No. 8: Denny Hamlin at Daytona International Speedway in 2016 by .010 seconds
Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Toyota won his first Daytona 500 by almost nothing, edging out his future Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 78 Toyota, by one one-hundredth of a second. Hamlin went on to win his second Daytona 500 this year, and the two drivers are currently comfortably at the top of the playoff standings.
T-No. 8: Kevin Harvick at Phoenix International Raceway in 2016 by .010
In the fourth race of that season, Harvick barely beat Carl Edwards for his first of four wins that year.
No. 7: Jimmy Spencer at Daytona in 1994 by .008 seconds
Although we have another one at Daytona, this was in the summer race that season and not in the Daytona 500. Going side-by-side out of the final turn, Jimmy Spencer barely pulled ahead of Ernie Irvan for the win.
No. 6: Ryan Blaney at Talladega in 2019 by .007 seconds
Just when it looked like Newman had the win, Blaney managed to sneak by him.
Here’s how NBC analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. broke down the final lap:
No. 5: Kevin Harvick at Atlanta in 2001 by .006 seconds
Clearly, Harvick knows how to win the close ones, but this race was so much more than the photo finish. It was the fourth race of the season and the third since the 2001 Daytona 500, the race in which Dale Earnhardt tragically died on the last lap. Harvick was tapped to take over the ride with Richard Childress Racing and earned his first career Cup Series win, beating Jeff Gordon.
T-No. 3: Dale Earnhardt at Talladega in 1993 by .005 seconds
On Earnhardt’s way to his sixth of seven total Cup Series championships, he edged Ernie Irvan — poor guy is on this list twice — by just .005 seconds.
T-No. 3: Jamie McMurray at Daytona in 2007 by .005 seconds
Kyle Busch only has one victory at Daytona, and this is a moment he probably wanted back at the time. Busch had momentum and the lead in what seemed like the final seconds before Jamie McMurray slightly slid ahead at the very last second in this Pepsi 400 thriller.
T-No. 1 Ricky Craven at Darlington Raceway in 2003 by .002 seconds
It doesn’t get much closer than this.
T-No. 1: Jimmie Johnson at Talladega in 2011 by .002 seconds
In a three-wide finish, Jimmie Johnson got a hand from teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who gave the No. 48 Chevrolet driver a push across the line first. The spring race was Johnson’s first of two wins that season with a photo finish that tied the record for closest in the NASCAR Cup Series.
