We are a little over a week removed from another NASCAR season coming to a close but this year's Homestead finale also closed out a decade.
There were 360 NASCAR Cup Series races held over the 2010s and it is time to reflect on what we saw. It was definitely an eventful decade for NASCAR, on and off the track. It is hard to pick out ten races from 360 in NASCAR and if you got 36 people to name their top ten races from the 2010s, there is a chance at least 300 different races would be mentioned with few duplicates.
With that said, here is just one top ten list about the top races from this decade.
10. 2013 Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway
What happened: A race that for the most part Kyle Busch dominated but a few cautions bunched up the field and led to some alternate strategies.
Joey Logano took the lead from Busch and Denny Hamlin drove to the front with fresher tires. This led to a battle between Logano and Hamlin over the closing laps. Logano maintained the lead despite the disadvantage in rubber but on the final lap Hamlin found himself taking the lead on the outside exiting turn two.
This battle remained side-by-side down the back straightaway and it allowed Busch to re-enter the fight. Logano and Hamlin were two-abreast into turn three. Logano kept the speed in the corner and walked up the racetrack into Hamlin. Meanwhile, Busch carried the momentum on the outside and took the lead as Hamlin spun and Logano ended up in the wall.
Busch took the victory despite starting the final lap in third with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finishing second and Logano finishing third. Hamlin made contact with the inside barrier and fracture a vertebra, putting him on the sideline for four races.
How is it remembered: The Logano-Hamlin feud had started the race prior at Bristol, which saw a confrontation between the two crews post-race.
This race is remembered for Hamlin's broken back. In hindsight, here we are all these years later and Hamlin and Logano were still battling each other and having extracurricular activities post-race.
While these two continued to go at it, this was a race Busch dominated. He led 145 of 200 laps. There were three cautions in the final 30 laps. Credit to Busch for make a dicey pass for the led in the final corner. If Busch was a half a second further back he would have been collected in the Logano-Hamlin collision and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would have won this race.
Imagine if Dale Earnarhdt, Jr. had won this race after that happened? Many NASCAR fans would have made this race of the decade if that happened.
9. 2017 Apache Warrior 400 at Dover International Speedway
What happened: Chase Elliott was on the doorstep of his first career victory after Kyle Larson suffered a mechanical glitch. Elliott dominated the closing stage of the race and did not have any challengers until the closing laps.
Kyle Busch ate away at Elliott's lead as tires wore down and what appeared to have been a popular victory vanished with Busch taking the lead with two laps to go. Elliott had nothing left to respond and Busch took the victory with Elliott in second.
How is it remembered: Another one that got away from Elliott.
Elliott had been knocking on the door of that first career victory for a while and it appeared this was going to be his day. He didn't put a wheel wrong. He didn't lose this race. It came down to tires and Busch had a little more than Elliott. Busch had been in that situation many times before and, at the end of a 152-lap run, he had the legs while Elliott fell a little short.
8. 2011 Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway
What happened: The most lead changes in the history of a NASCAR Cup Series race thanks to tandem drafting.
It all led to an 11-lap sprint after the final caution.
Teammates paired with each other. Clint Bowyer pushed Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. pushed Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin pushed Jeff Gordon, David Reutemann pushed Martin Truex, Jr. At one point, Bowyer and Harvick dropped outside the top twenty when the drivers had to switch due to Bowyer's water temperature.
Surprisingly, the pairing of Dave Blaney and Kurt Busch got to the lead but then slid back and it saw Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle take the top two spots. Blaney would spin off the front of Busch in turn three but avoided contact with any other cars and straightened up, keeping the race green.
Bowyer and Harvick worked back to the front but at the start of the final lap Gordon and Martin took the top two spots. Coming to the line, it was three pairs running two-abreast. Johnson went from fifth entering the tri-oval to first by 0.002 seconds over Bowyer, tying it for the closest finish in Cup Series history.
Gordon was third with Earnhardt, Jr. in fourth, Harvick in fifth and a late charge from Edwards and Biffle put them sixth and seventh with Martin finishing in eighth. The top seven were covered by 0.074 seconds.
How is it remembered: It led to a lot of changes.
First, we need to note that not only were there 88 lead changes but only once did a driver lead more than ten laps at one time and that was Bowyer for 11 laps from lap 158 to 168 and those were all green flag laps. The lead changed on each of the final five laps. Blaney led eight of the final 15 laps.
Tandem drafting was regulated out of existences. Teams are no longer allowed to have radio communication between each race car. It is a race that can really never happen again.
It was a precursor to what we have now at the plate races. It is no longer teammates pairing up but manufactures working in packs. All the Chevrolets unite, as do the Fords and Toyotas. Now we have manufacture executives demanding its cars work together and threatening repercussions (hi, Jim Campbell).
Tandem drafting split the opinions of fans. I am sure there are some that scoff at this race and there will just as many who will say this was one of the greatest races they have ever seen. That sounds about right for NASCAR.
7. 2017 First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway
What happened: In a race that determined who would be the first of four drivers competing for the championship at Homestead, the lead bounced between Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowksi for majority of the race.
Busch would be shuffled back and it led to Keselowski leading Elliott as the laps whined down. A caution for a Joey Logano spin bunched up the field with eight laps to go. Elliott took the lead on the restart with four laps to go but going into turn three Denny Hamlin would get into the back of Elliott, sending him around.
Hamlin led at the restart but on the final lap Busch got to the inside of Hamlin entering turn one and took the lead. Busch slid up the racetrack and it led to a side-by-side battle with Martin Truex, Jr. into turns three and four. Busch had enough momentum exiting the corner and took the victory over Truex while the field came together behind them and Hamlin dropped to seventh.
How is it remembered: The post-race altercation between Hamlin and Elliott.
It was the first race where the lights at Martinsville changed the attitude of the track. Of course, neither driver made it to the Championship 4 that year and they would have another coming together at Phoenix.
Once again, it was a race where Kyle Busch was not in contention and then pulled it out. Busch led the most laps but in the final 100 laps he was not up at the front controlling the race. It was a pair of cautions that pulled him back into it.
6. 2017 Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway
What happened: A fairly uneventful race for the first two stages with Brad Keselowski leading 93 of the first 100 laps but Martin Truex, Jr. and Kyle Busch worked their ways to the front.
A few cautions mixed up the running order with Denny Hamlin cycling to the lead at one point and Busch led until another caution with 14 laps to go. Truex retook the lead during the pit cycle and it appeared he would cruise to his fifth victory of the season and second consecutive after a victory at Waktins Glen. However, with four laps to go, Michael McDowell and Paul Menard came together, bringing out another caution.
This set up a green-white-checkered finish with Truex leading his teammate Erik Jones coming to the green flag. On the restart, Matt Kenseth looked to the inside of Jones into turn one and Kyle Larson squeezed between Jones and Truex, making it four-wide for the top spot.
Larson shot out to the lead with Truex following and Trevor Bayne in third. At the white flag, Larson was gone. Truex remained in his tracks but was not able to make up any ground. Larson celebrated with still 2/3rds a lap to go and, though premature, it was warranted. Larson took his third consecutive victory and this one a night after he finished second in the Knoxville Nationals.
How is it remembered: Larson's restart.
It was a tremendous launch and he was gone. It was not a race that Larson was in the discussion until the final restart. He ran strong, in the top ten for almost the entire race, and he took advantage of the circumstances in front of him. When he had a chance to seize the race, he did.
5. 2014 Quicken Loans Race of Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway
What happened: In the inaugural year of the elimination championship format, entering the penultimate race of the season no driver was locked into the Homestead finale and 18 points covered all eight remaining drivers.
Kevin Harvick was eighth, 18 points off leader Joey Logano and six points behind Jeff Gordon in fourth. Harvick started the race in third and would get to the lead on lap 44. While Harvick controlled the race, the other seven drivers jockeyed for the other three spots. The final three spots rotated between the drivers. Some drivers came, other went.
The closing laps saw the top six full of playoff drivers. Ryan Newman entered the day third in the championship but he was running outside the top ten and only a point outside of advancing. Harvick won the race and Newman made a dive bomb on Kyle Larson in turn four for 11th. Contact put Larson into the wall and Newman crossed the line on the right side of the cutline while Jeff Gordon, who finished second, was knocked out.
How is it remembered: The format change paying off in year one.
NASCAR got what it wanted. It had a driver in a "must-win" situation winning to advance and still got the driver making the "no guts no glory" pass for one spot to advance into the next round. It just happened to be for the Championship 4 spots.
It was another dominating day for Harvick at Phoenix, something he has made a career out of and it kept a successful season going. It was heartbreak. Gordon did all he could do in finishing second. He didn't put a wheel wrong but missed out.
Newman's pass for a few seasons was the image of this playoff format. It has since been eclipsed by Kenseth taking Logano out at Martinsville, Hamlin and Elliott getting together at Martinsville, Larson dragged a broken down race car across the line at the Charlotte roval to advance, Logano running into Truex at Martinsville and now Hamlin and Logano at Martinsville.
It has fallen down the pecking order but there is still some significance.
4. 2018 Go Bowling at the Glen
What happened: The waiting ended.
Kyle Busch led a fair portion of this race but a caution for Corey LaJoie brought cars to pit on the edge of the fuel window to make it to the end of the race. Chase Elliott moved into the lead. Elliott tried to conserve fuel while Martin Truex, Jr. tried to push Elliott.
It led to the two drivers running hard for the closing 34 laps and pulling away from the rest of the field. Elliott could not put a wheel wrong and at the start of the final lap, he did. Elliott went wide into turn one but it wasn't the greatest first corner for Truex either and Elliott fought back and kept the lead. Truex was in Elliott's tracks into the chicane but exiting the carousel Truex ran out of fuel.
Elliott was unchallenged into the final two corners and took his first career victory. Truex coasted to a runner-up finish.
How is it remembered: It was Elliott's first career victory, something that took two and a half years to become reality.
Elliott could have probably won at least five or six races up to that point. A few he was beat straight up, take Dover 2017, but others seemed to slip through his fingers. This one was set up to slide through his fingers again and the wait would have continued. He did everything he could to throw it away.
Elliott may have been fortunate and won this race anyway. Truex did run out of fuel. If Truex had taken the lead exiting turn one, he probably would have still run out in the carousel and Elliott didn't spin, he didn't lose a lot of time. Elliott likely would have gotten the lead back before the penultimate corner.
Regardless of what universe we live in, Elliott got the monkey off his back.
3. 2012 Finger Lakes 355 at the Glen
What happened: Chaos but before we get to that, a pretty good race.
Kyle Busch led until the first caution on lap 27. Brad Keselowski took the lead after the caution. Marcos Ambrose would take the lead for a moment before Keselowski retook the top spot. Keselowski was leading when Tony Stewart spun from second exiting the final corner.
This set up a restart with 16 laps to go and Busch retook the lead at the green flag and Ambrose would move up to second. Busch pulled away and had a comfortable lead over Ambrose and Keselowski heading into the final laps. With two laps to go, Busch's lead was about two seconds.
However, in the closing laps, the Bobby Labonte had lost an engine and put fluid all over the racetrack. Keselowski got around Ambrose in the carousel on the penultimate lap and he closed in on Busch, who was struggling with the slick surface. Busch ran wide in turn one and Keselowski made contact with Busch entering the essess. Busch was sideways and Keselowski moved into the lead but Ambrose closed on Keselowski and kept the pressure on.
Both drivers got into the grass entering and exiting the chicane. Keselowski took it slow through the carousel as Ambrose aggressively slid through the corner and closed the gap but could not get the lead. Exiting the corner, Keselowski had to catch the car and this allowed Ambrose to get to the back of Keselowski and take the lead.
Keselowski forced Ambrose wide in the penultimate corner but Ambrose had the inside line into the final corner and Keselowski was slipping on exiting. Ambrose powered down to the victory with Keselowski in second. Busch ended up in seventh.
How is it remembered: As I said before, chaos.
No one really knew what had happened. It was thought Kyle Busch had a problem, hence Keselowski closing. It wasn't until after the race did the track conditions and the cause become apparent.
It was a pretty good race before that but I kind of feel this race is what has led to this surge in road course popularity in NASCAR. Up until this point, road courses had been accepted. Not many people were wild about them and most felt two was enough.
After this race, people wanted more road course races and it is still the case today. Watkins Glen is one of the best-attended races every season. People look forward to it. This race really changed perceptions. I am not sure anyone saw that coming.
2. 2018 Overton's 400 at Chicagoland Speedway
What happened: A pretty complete race.
With three stages, it was really three races in one. The race started with a mix of leaders at the front with Aric Almirola cycling to the front and coming out on top after 80 laps. Kevin Harvick took the lead after pit stops but Almirola quickly moved back to the front. It appeared Almirola was going to be set for his first victory since 2014 but a pit lane speeding penalty took him out of contention.
The end of stage two saw the differing strategies of Kurt Busch and Harvick lead to a battle with Harvick taking the stage victory. The lead changed a bunch at the start of the final stage but Harvick would regain the point before the final caution. During that pit cycle, Kyle Busch moved to the lead.
Busch's lead went unchallenged but Kyle Larson had speed as the race progressed and was reeling in Busch. In the closing laps, Larson reached Busch as lapped traffic started to factor into the proceedings. On the final lap, Larson made his move in turn one and tried to complete the move exiting turn two. The two cars touched and brushed the wall. Larson took the lead down the backstretch but Busch was able to make a run on Larson into turn three. Busch got into the back of Larson and got him loose. Busch continued on while Larson fought to save the car.
Busch took the checkered flag and Larson saved the car to finish second.
How is it remembered: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. yelling, "slide job" uncontrollably.
This was actually a great race start to finish. It wasn't just a finish, which we can sometimes inflate into being a great race.
It was another case of Kyle Busch not really being in it for the first 60% but then coming out on top. Almirola appeared to have the best car that day but one penalty took him out of it.
It was a physical finish but a clean finish and I think it is important to point out that afterward Kyle Larson did not go after Kyle Busch to take a swing. Larson congratulated Busch and they shared a laugh. We glorify the anger but on this day, Larson was outmaneuvered and Busch got into him but it Busch was not trying to put him into the wall. It was hard racing and not a dirty move.
Larson recognized that. I am not sure how many other drivers would have been as understanding. Plenty of drivers would have looked at it as they were wrong and wanted vengeance. In this case, we saw Larson be a good sport and two drivers show each other mutual respect.
1. 2011 Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
What happened: The championship came down to the final race but it not only came down to the final race, it came down to the final lap.
Entering this race, Carl Edwards led the championship by three points over Tony Stewart. Stewart had won four of the prior nine races. Edwards had not won since the third race of the season at Las Vegas but he had 18 top five finishes and 25 top ten finishes entering the finale. Edwards had runner-up finishes in the two races prior to Homestead and top five finishes in six of the prior nine races.
Edwards won pole position while Stewart qualified in 15th. Edwards had the best car, leading comfortably but Stewart slowly worked his way to the front.
A one-hour rain delay occurred and Edwards dropped to third on the pit stops before the race restarted. Restarting next to Edwards was Stewart. Stewart went moved up to second when the green flag fell and a handful of laps later Stewart was in the lead.
These two drivers battled for the remaining laps. Stewart would lose some ground but work to make it back up to the front. Edwards retook the lead and claimed the bonus point for most laps led. In the final 100 miles, Edwards made his penultimate pit stop on lap 202 but Stewart stretched his fuel to lap 212 hoping he would not have to stop again.
Rain brought out the caution two laps later. Edwards re-inherited the lead but used the caution to top off and ensure he could make it to the end. The storm was not heavy and after 16 laps behind the pace car, the race resumed with 37 laps to go and Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski's lead lasted all of a lap with Stewart regaining the top spot with Edwards charging to the front. Edwards would move up to second with 33 laps to go and the two drivers were tied but Stewart would win the championship based on tiebreaker.
Edwards had to pass Stewart but he was unable to catch him. Stewart won his fifth race of the season and clinched his third championship. Edwards picked up his third consecutive runner-up finish but it was only a consolation.
How is it remembered: This race is responsible for the NASCAR we have today.
Every championship is now guaranteed to go to the final race and it is pretty much guaranteed to go down to the final lap and it is now pretty much guaranteed to win the championship you must win the race.
Unlike what we have had since 2014, this was somewhat organic. The Chase format was in existence and the championship was reset after 26 races but a ten-race aggregate was at least more in line with what NASCAR had always used and not a one result will decide the champion.
To have two drivers tied on points after ten races, to have it come down to those drivers running 1-2 in the final race, NASCAR could not have scripted that. It is in the same ballpark as the 1992 Atlanta finale. That 1992 Atlanta race was incredible and it is still arguably the greatest race in NASCAR history. I think this makes a good argument for second all-time and if it is not second it is somewhere in the top five.
Did Stewart benefit from the system? Absolutely. He did not win one of the first 26 races and then went on a tear. Edwards only needed a point anywhere over the final ten races and his worst finish in the final ten races was 11th. He did not do anything to lose this championship. Stewart had finishes of 25th and 15th at Dover and Kansas.
A tie was a warranted result, something we will not see in the current state of NASCAR. Who knows if we will ever see it again.
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