Sprint Cup drivers not participating in the Truck Series race or the Nationwide race this Saturday have a weekend off.  They need it to recharge their batteries, regroup and get set for the long run to the end of the season.

For a change, I thought it might be fun to look back at some of the closest and most emotional finishes in NASCAR, the type of finishes we all write trivia questions about.

In 2003, Kurt Busch had the kind of reputation his younger brother, Kyle, does now.  He was strongly disliked, but he was winning races.  For the fifth race of the season the teams travelled to Darlington for the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 and with a handful of laps to go, Kurt and Ricky Craven were neck and neck, fighting for top spot.  Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds called the action,and the excitement was evident.  The finish was a difference of .002 seconds and debuted the phrases; "Have you ever.....?" by Darrell and the answering "No, I have never!"  by McReynolds.  With this win, Ricky would score the last win ever in a Pontiac and the distinction of winning a race by the closest margin ever, a record that will likely go unbroken..




Ten years earlier, in 1993, Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt battled it out in the Daytona 500.  Dale Sr wouldn't win the biggest race of his career until 5 years later, but this win by Dale Jarrett, with his dad in the announcer's booth and his mom watching from a van near the fence was by far one of the most emotional, heart-warming finishes ever.




That  same year Dale Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan would go at it at Talladega.  Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett were also in the mix, but in the end it would come down to Dale Sr and Ernie, the second closest in history at .005 second.  The video is a lengthy one, but if you were ever a Davey Allison fan, the tribute after the finish is incredibly moving.




For some of the more recent finishes, check out page 2