List of the closest NASCAR Cup Series finishes

NASCAR's premier racing division, the NASCAR Cup Series, has seen many close finishes since the electronic scoring system was instituted in May during the 1993 season. As of 2024, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series is 0.001 seconds at the 2024 AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, as Kyle Larson crossed the finish line inches ahead of Chris Buescher.^[1]

History

Ricky Craven (No. 32) edges out Kurt Busch (No. 97) at the line in the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400, it was the closest NASCAR finish until the 2024 AdventHealth 400.

Prior to the introduction of integrated electronic scoring in May 1993, margins of victory were scored in laps, car lengths, or feet, or inches, 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]

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]

Closest finishes

*	Event was not part of the regular season

NASCAR Cup Series closest finishes
Rank	Race	Margin	Winner	2nd Place	Track	Date
1	2024 AdventHealth 400	0.001	Kyle Larson	Chris Buescher	Kansas Speedway	May 5, 2024
2	2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400	0.002	Ricky Craven	Kurt Busch	Darlington Raceway	March 16, 2003
2	2011 Aaron's 499	0.002	Jimmie Johnson	Clint Bowyer	Talladega Superspeedway	April 17, 2011
4	2024 Ambetter Health 400	0.003	Daniel Suárez	Ryan Blaney	Atlanta Motor Speedway	February 25, 2024
5	2001 Gatorade Duel 2*	0.004	Mike Skinner	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Daytona International Speedway	February 15, 2001
6	1993 DieHard 500	0.005	Dale Earnhardt	Ernie Irvan	Talladega Superspeedway	July 25, 1993
	2007 Pepsi 400		Jamie McMurray	Kyle Busch	Daytona International Speedway	July 7, 2007
	2011 Gatorade Duel 2*		Jeff Burton	Clint Bowyer	Daytona International Speedway	February 17, 2011
9	2001 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500	0.006	Kevin Harvick	Jeff Gordon	Atlanta Motor Speedway	March 11, 2001
	2010 Gatorade Duel 1*		Jimmie Johnson	Kevin Harvick	Daytona International Speedway	February 11, 2010
	2024 Daytona 500		William Byron	Alex Bowman	Daytona International Speedway	February 18, 2024
	2024 YellaWood 500		Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Brad Keselowski	Talladega Superspeedway	October 6, 2024
13	2019 1000Bulbs.com 500	0.007	Ryan Blaney	Ryan Newman	Talladega Superspeedway	October 14, 2019
13	2020 GEICO 500	0.007	Ryan Blaney	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Talladega Superspeedway	June 22, 2020
15	1994 Pepsi 400	0.008	Jimmy Spencer	Ernie Irvan	Daytona International Speedway	July 2, 1994
16	2000 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500	0.010	Dale Earnhardt	Bobby Labonte	Atlanta Motor Speedway	March 12, 2000
	2004 Subway 400		Matt Kenseth	Kasey Kahne	North Carolina Speedway	February 22, 2004
	2016 Daytona 500^[5]		Denny Hamlin	Martin Truex Jr.	Daytona International Speedway	February 21, 2016
	2016 Good Sam 500^[6]		Kevin Harvick	Carl Edwards	Phoenix International Raceway	March 13, 2016
20	2010 Aaron's 499	0.011	Kevin Harvick	Jamie McMurray	Talladega Superspeedway	April 25, 2010
21	2023 YellaWood 500	0.012	Ryan Blaney	William Byron ^[a]	Talladega Superspeedway	October 1, 2023
22	2012 Budweiser Shootout*	0.013	Kyle Busch	Tony Stewart	Daytona International Speedway	February 18, 2012
23	2010 Gatorade Duel 2*	0.014	Kasey Kahne	Tony Stewart		February 11, 2010
23	2020 Daytona 500	0.014	Denny Hamlin	Ryan Blaney		February 17, 2020
25	2016 Sprint Showdown*	0.015	Kyle Larson	Chase Elliott	Charlotte Motor Speedway	May 20, 2016
26	2005 Ford 400	0.017	Greg Biffle	Mark Martin	Homestead-Miami Speedway	November 20, 2005
27	2011 Good Sam Club 500	0.018	Clint Bowyer	Jeff Burton	Talladega Superspeedway	October 23, 2011
28	2007 Daytona 500	0.020	Kevin Harvick	Mark Martin	Daytona International Speedway	February 18, 2007
29	2014 Budweiser Duel 1*	0.022	Matt Kenseth	Kasey Kahne	Daytona International Speedway	February 20, 2014
30	1994 Diehard 500	0.025	Jimmy Spencer	Bill Elliott	Talladega Superspeedway	July 24, 1994
31	2005 Coca-Cola 600	0.027	Jimmie Johnson	Bobby Labonte	Lowe's Motor Speedway	May 29, 2005
32	2004 Samsung/Radio Shack 500	0.028	Elliott Sadler	Kasey Kahne	Texas Motor Speedway	April 5, 2004
32	2005 Golden Corral 500	0.028	Carl Edwards	Jimmie Johnson	Atlanta Motor Speedway	March 20, 2005
34	1997 Pepsi 400	0.029	John Andretti	Terry Labonte	Daytona International Speedway	July 5, 1997
35	2005 Gatorade Duel 1*	0.030	Michael Waltrip	Dale Earnhardt Jr.		February 17, 2005
36	2022 Daytona 500	0.036	Austin Cindric	Bubba Wallace		February 20, 2022
37	2021 Bluegreen Vacations Duel #1*	0.041	Aric Almirola	Christopher Bell		February 11, 2021
38	2006 UAW Daimler-Chrysler 400	0.045	Jimmie Johnson	Matt Kenseth	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	March 12, 2006
39	2022 YellaWood 500	0.046	Chase Elliott	Ryan Blaney	Talladega Superspeedway	October 2, 2022
40	2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400	0.047	Harrison Burton	Kyle Busch	Daytona International Speedway	August 24, 2024
41	1995 Diehard 500	0.050	Sterling Marlin	Dale Jarrett	Talladega Superspeedway	July 23, 1995
42	1998 Exide Select Batteries 400	0.051	Jeff Burton	Jeff Gordon	Richmond International Raceway	September 12, 1998
43	2008 Amp Energy 500	0.052	Tony Stewart	Paul Menard	Talladega Superspeedway	October 5, 2008
44	2024 Bluegreen Vacations Duel #1*	0.056	Tyler Reddick	Chase Elliott	Daytona International Speedway	February 15, 2024
45	2021 Bluegreen Vacations Duel #2*	0.057	Austin Dillon	Bubba Wallace		February 11, 2021
46	2011 Budweiser Shootout*	0.058	Kurt Busch	Jamie McMurray		February 12, 2011
47	2011 Coke Zero 400	0.059	David Ragan	Matt Kenseth		July 2, 2011
48	2002 Aaron's 499	0.060	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Michael Waltrip	Talladega Superspeedway	April 21, 2002
49	2007 Food City 500	0.064	Kyle Busch	Jeff Burton	Bristol Motor Speedway	March 25, 2007
50	2007 Goody's Cool Orange 500	0.065	Jimmie Johnson	Jeff Gordon	Martinsville Speedway	April 1, 2007
50	2011 Gatorade Duel 1*	0.065	Kurt Busch	Regan Smith	Daytona International Speedway	February 17, 2011
52	2007 UAW-Ford 500	0.066	Jeff Gordon	Jimmie Johnson	Talladega Superspeedway	October 7, 2007
53	1994 Winston Select 500	0.067	Dale Earnhardt	Ernie Irvan	Talladega Superspeedway	May 1, 1994
54	2007 Lenox Industrial Tools 300	0.068	Denny Hamlin	Jeff Gordon	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	July 1, 2007
2024 Ally 400	0.068	Joey Logano	Zane Smith	Nashville Superspeedway	June 30, 2024
56	2019 Quaker State 400	0.076	Kurt Busch	Kyle Busch	Kentucky Speedway	July 13, 2019
57	2021 FireKeepers Casino 400	0.077	Ryan Blaney	William Byron	Michigan International Speedway	August 22, 2021
58	2005 MBNA NASCAR RacePoints 400	0.080	Jimmie Johnson	Kyle Busch	Dover International Speedway	September 25, 2005
59	2004 Banquet 400	0.081	Joe Nemechek	Ricky Rudd	Kansas Speedway	October 10, 2004
60	2023 South Point 400	0.082	Kyle Larson	Christopher Bell	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	October 15, 2023
61	2001 Kmart 400	0.085	Jeff Gordon	Ricky Rudd	Michigan International Speedway	June 10, 2001
62	2020 Yellawood 500	0.086	Denny Hamlin	Erik Jones	Talladega Superspeedway	October 4, 2020
63	2008 Daytona 500	0.092	Ryan Newman	Kurt Busch	Daytona International Speedway	February 17, 2008
63	2010 Coke Zero 400	0.092	Kevin Harvick	Kasey Kahne	Daytona International Speedway	July 3, 2010
65	2020 Consumers Energy 400	0.093	Kevin Harvick	Denny Hamlin	Michigan International Speedway	August 9, 2020
66	2003 EA Sports 500	0.095	Michael Waltrip	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Talladega Superspeedway	September 28, 2003
66	2017 GEICO 500	0.095	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Jamie McMurray	Talladega Superspeedway	May 7, 2017
68	2009 Sharpie 500	0.098	Kyle Busch	Mark Martin	Bristol Motor Speedway	August 22, 2009
68	2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400	0.098	Chris Buescher	Brad Keselowski	Daytona International Speedway	August 26, 2023

Notes

^ Kevin Harvick originally finished second at the 2023 YellaWood 500, but was disqualified after failing post-race inspection as it was discovered that his car's windshield fasteners were not securely installed.

References

^ "Kyle Larson beats Chris Buescher to line at Kansas; scores second win of 2024". NASCAR. May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
^ NASCAR's Analysis Shows Competition Has Become Closer
^ Classic photos from controversial first Daytona 500 in 1959
^ 1993 Save Mart Supermarkets 300K Results
^ "Denny Hamlin edges Martin Truex Jr. by inches to win Daytona 500". ESPN.com. February 22, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
^ Spencer, Reid (March 13, 2016). "Harvick Edges Edwards for Thrilling Phoenix Victory". NASCAR.com. Retrieved March 14, 2016.

External links

NASCAR Cup Series closest finishes (as of 2006)

[DQ-7] Kevin Harvick originally finished second at the 2023 YellaWood 500, but was disqualified after failing post-race inspection as it was discovered that his car's windshield fasteners were not securely installed.

[Kansas2024-1] "Kyle Larson beats Chris Buescher to line at Kansas; scores second win of 2024". NASCAR. May 5, 2024. Retrieved May 6, 2024.

[NewYorkTimes-2] NASCAR's Analysis Shows Competition Has Become Closer

[FoxSports-3] Classic photos from controversial first Daytona 500 in 1959

[RacingReference-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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