NASCAR's premier racing division, the
NASCAR Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...
, has seen many close finishes since the electronic scoring system was instituted in May during the
1993 season
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
. As of 2022, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series is 0.002 seconds. This first occurred during the
2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
The 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on March 16, 2003, before a crowd of 55,000, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway. The 293-lap race, the 100th ...
at
Darlington Raceway, as
Ricky Craven
Richard Allen Craven (born May 24, 1966) is an American stock car racing analyst and former driver. Prior to his broadcasting duties, he was a NASCAR driver who won in four different series—the K&N Pro Series, and the three national series.
He ...
crossed the finish line inches ahead of
Kurt Busch
Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American professional auto racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. He is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series champion and the ...
.
History
Prior to the introduction of integrated electronic scoring in May 1993, margins of victory were scored in laps, car lengths, or feet, using handheld
stopwatches or analog timing clocks.
[NASCAR's Analysis Shows Competition Has Become Closer]
/ref> 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.[Classic photos from controversial first Daytona 500 in 1959]
/ref>
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.[1993 Save Mart Supermarkets 300K Results]
/ref>
Closest finishes
See also
* Photo finish
* List of the closest NASCAR Xfinity Series finishes
* List of the closest NASCAR Truck Series finishes
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has had many close finishes since its inception in 1995. The first points-paying race, won by Mike Skinner, had a margin of victory of nine hundredths of a second. The closest recorded finish in series histo ...
Notes
References
External links
NASCAR NASCAR Cup Series closest finishes
{{NASCAR
Closest NASCAR Cup Series finishes
Closest NASCAR Cup Series finishes
Closest finishes
Temporal superlatives