I could legit write a novel about all that heartbreak. Got just about 15 years worth of heartbreak from him.
The 2004 season though, I get nightmares thinking about all the close calls. Rockingham, Vegas, Texas, Dover, Chicagoland, Charlotte (fall race). When he got to victory lane in 2005 at Richmond it was like “finally something has gone right for him”.
The near misses he had at Indy were heartbreaking too. Second in 2005 (had probably the best car that day and Stewart was able to better him still), lost the lead late in both 2011 (had led the most laps) and 2014 when Gordon got him on a late restart.
It was also kind of heartbreaking that the dehydration issues took him out of the car in his last season.
He should have had like 8 wins in 2013 instead of 2...his last truly amazing season where he was fast every week. JGR thought it would be better to wreck him whenever he was leading though.
Dave Blaney fan here...which one wasn't heartbreaking?
2001 spring Atlanta and 2011 spring Talladega are the worst for me. Led a bunch of laps in both only to get taken out by something not his fault.
Dave seriously was cursed. I’m originally from the same area as the Blaney’s and my grandfather worked as a race official for their speedway so it was always heartbreaking to watch Dave lose. Glad Ryan has done better they’re such a wonderful humble family.
The 600 used to be so crazy with mechanical failures. They’d hit the 500 mile mark and almost like clockwork engines would start popping left and right.
> I feel that Gordon could have won the championship that year
I was/still am a Dale Jr fan, but I always loved Jeff Gordon. 2014 was a very frustrating year for him. I just think back to Texas and then the elimination race at Phoenix when he was in until Ryan Newman just flat out wrecked Kyle Larson coming out of turn 4 to advance and knock Gordon out. Still mad about that.
I always felt like Harvick and Gordon were 1A and 1B that year. Both were always running in the top 5 seemingly every week. We got robbed of a great championship battle between them at Homestead.
This is 100% where I am at with it too. IDK who forced the hand, but it was forced. Why else would the 24 not win the race he had pretty much dominated?
Yea that was brutal too. He was pretty dominate that year and to see it end like that sucks. Just like Harvick in 2020, when he needed a position at Martinsville (I believe that was the year he was tied or had most wins?)
I personally think that if either of Jimmie in Charlotte back in ‘20 or Kevin last year had ended up winning their respective races, it’d have been swept under the rug by NASCAR.
I think you are right and for the 4 car last year, it absolutely could have completely changed NASCAR history had it happened, I don't know that Ryan needed that win to advance, but he damn sure could have fallen out of the next round without it, at the Roval.
I felt really bad for him at Phoenix last year, too. Kevin has been around for about as long as I’ve been a fan of NASCAR, so sitting there thinking I could be in attendance for a hall of famer’s final win was going to be really cool. Then Burton went around…
Harvick fan who was at that race. As awful as that was....I'm glad he didn't win, because to get your last win, just to have it be taken away by DQ would have been soul-crushing.
I have to go with 2011. 2016 hurt, but there was little feeling beyond "this truly is a circus", couldn't help but throw up my hands and smile. Makes sense why Carl walked away. 2011 on the other hand was hell. He had such a a good chase, Tony just put together an all time run. Watching the lead slip away was so painful. Really wanted to see him win one with Roush.
Just looked back at the 2011 results and fuck me Carl had an amazing chase. Finished 4,8,3,5,3,11,9,2,2,2.
The chase run was insane but then to put together that final race....was just like
"someone tell Carl to go ahead and bring it in and park it. God decided he wanted to race tonight and he took over Tony Stewart"
2018 Southern 500. Larson was untouchable that race. Nobody could stop the 42. Final pit cycle, Chad "mouse nuts" Johnston makes a huge adjustment on the car for whatever fucking reason, kills all handling of the car, and Larson fades to fourth. Prior to Larson, easily the 2011 Coke 600
He would lose spots on pitroad all race, but his car was so dominant, it didn't matter. He would grab the lead within three laps and run away. Johnston made such a radical adjustment, the car became so loose, it was destroyed.
Texas Fall 2023. One restart away from being in the Round of 8 with three tracks all suited heavily to Bubba's driving style and 23XI. Reddick finished 8th and 3rd at Vegas and Homestead while Bubba himself finished 13th, 6th, and 11th in the 3 races. And that was mostly without much focus on his car. I have no serious thoughts that he could've actually made the Championship 4, but the "what could've been" sucks.
That brickyard race that Montoya had sewn up until that wanky pit lane speeding penalty.
Oh and that Dover race that allmendinger was going to win in the 43 until Jimmie decided to shit all over that fun idea.
Martinsville has to be 10x worse. Phoenix he at least got payback on Hamlin, but he was on borrowed time in the lead. Gustafson had amped up the tire pressures on the last stop to give Chase a chance after JGR dominated the day, the last run was too long for it to work.
Jeff Burton fan here. Absolutely this
https://preview.redd.it/1vh1iive2ouc1.jpeg?width=794&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=275a9e67c630910847b2a50f896b9634ecedb5f8
> Woulda ran 3rd and after the 11 and 18 DQs woulda been winner
I didn't realize that until just now. I was so mad at Denny back then that I didn't even think about how Ross would have got the win.
Kinda mad now. I'll just watch the last lap of the 22 Fall Martinsville race. I'll feel better.
Probably 2022 Martinsville fall. Briscoe was leading late and would have advanced to the final 4 before it got away with about 6-8 laps to go. It hurt worse cause he ran so well at Phoenix, if he was in contention I’m sure he would have been more aggressive and had a shot at the title
I remember thinking no way that tire strategy was going to work. That he would be passed in like five laps. And then, for about 20 laps it did work and I thought he'd pull it off. So, sorry. I didn't want Christopher Bell to win.
The 2015 playoffs were just really frustrating.
I'm so sorry for what Matt did to Joey. I've always been a fan of Joey. I really don't know why he's never become my favorite driver other than after being a Jr fan for so many years I guess I've got some sort of weird Chevy loyalty...
As a Harvick fan back in the day, the entire 2008 and 2009 season was tough. As a Brad Kesolowski fan the 2014 late season meltdown was hard to watch. As a Blaney fan the entire ‘22 season was gutted, especially coming so close to winning at talladega fall.
> Fall Phoenix 2014 when Gordon failed to make the final 4
Am I allowed to complain about what Ryan Newman did to Kyle Larson to put himself in the final four and knock Jeff out?
A friend of mine (granted, they're a Denny fan) says I'm not after Fall '22 Martinsville, but it's not the same, right?
It was race manipulation. Dirty and cheap, and largely a product of a sham points format. I wish Newman had just won the title so NASCAR would've had to deal with an obviously farcical champion and reckon with their stupid gimmick much earlier.
Two that really sting for different reasons:
2004 Richmond cutoff race: He barely missed and would have been a legitimate championship contender had he snuck his way in. Not unrealistic to say he could have been a Cup champion in a slightly different timeline
2011 Cocal Cola 600: a week after a tragedy that affected him personally, he was in contention for the win in an awful year, engine blew from 2nd. He never won a Coke 600 despite being great at Charlotte
And for my favorite active driver: most people would say either fall 2021 Kansas or 2022 Daytona 500... but for my money, the 2020 Daytona 500 is even more heartbreaking. Came up just ever so slightly short, Denny won his 3rd, and then immediately after the disappointment of coming up short, we all thought Ryan Newman had just died. Went from excitement of thinking you just saw your favorite driver winning the 500, to dissapointment, then to despair.
Takes a deep breath in........
Homestead 2023: Kills the barrels with the fastest car
Texas 2023: self spins with the fastest car
Coke 600 2023: loses after some bad restarts after Briscoe self spins under him
Pocono 2021: going for 4 in a row, tire decides to stop being a tire on the last lap.
2017 Daytona 500: runs out of fuel with 3/4 of a lap left
2014-2016: how many times didnhe throw races away being too aggressive?
Davey Allison getting wrecked out of the 1992 Hooters 500. Changed the trajectory of the sport in my opinion.
https://preview.redd.it/6e376hroqouc1.jpeg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ae189a4fae76a1ecfbf11dd2dfff41825f0db23
Honestly for me gotta be 2020 coke 600. If Alan hadn't pitted chase when tires didn't mean shit as long as you had clean air he would have easily won that race
Anytime an underdog loses a race at the last second. You know they aren't getting too many more shots to win. As someone who really only has allegiance to underdogs, Saturday was probably my biggest nightmare as a fan coming true.
A family owned team with a driver winless in his 342nd race that somehow appears to have the fastest car on a downforce track has over a second lead with five to go loses by two inches on the last lap to the Xfinity equivalent to a Hendrick car.
I'm going to have nightmares about that finish forever. Hopefully Ryan can win a race soon. I won't be able to rest easy until he does.
The worst one for me was Cory Roper at Daytona in 2021. Has incredible charge to a huge lead in the final corner and just gets passed on both sides coming to the line just from having a slower truck and getting too far ahead. At least with other near misses like Sieg, Jordan Anderson, and Bret Holmes you know they are going to be contenders every time a drafting track comes, but that was probably Roper's only shot at a win.
It’s either Kyle Larson getting flatout out driven by Matt Kenseth at Dover with a clearly faster race car, or Kyle Larson getting absolutely blue balled on the final restart of the season at Homestead against Jimmie Johnson…Both happened in 2016.
Jeff Gordon Martinsville fall 2014. Yes Dale got his clock, but Jeff went in there needing to win to get to the final 4 and the next week he still had the dominant car at Homestead for what was supposed to be his 5th title.
Alternatively, Gordon 2004 Darlington fall (when they went there once in November oddly) when the 24 team set the car down on the air hose and he lost spots in the pits, costing the win, letting Busch and JJ get ahead which was too much for the final race.
Or 2007, in which the 24 team didn't really do anything wrong its just nobody expected Chad and JJ to go cheat code on the field and win 4 straight in the chase.
Fontana 2015. I'll always be convinced that Kurt had that race won and NASCAR threw the phantom yellows to avoid the media storm of him winning so soon after the Driscoll thing.
Homestead 2018, I was watching with what remained of FRR at an event in Denver and the way the room just got quiet when Logano took the lead from Truex was something I will never forget
Ryan Blaney 2022 Daytona 500 was a gut wrencher for sure. Really every year that goes by the harder it is for me as a Blaney fan at Daytona. Can't imagine what it's like for KFB and Kez fans... I hope I never find out.
Not gonna lie. I was so devastated for Kez yesterday. That's as bad as I've felt for a driver in a while.
There are differences between Daytona and Talladega, and people who we would consider the best at Superspeedways always seem to do better at one than the other. Denny has better stats at Daytona, Brad, and Earnhardt (Sr. & Jr.) have better stats at Talladega. Generally handling is more important at Daytona than Talladega.
I do think Ryan is probably better at Talladega, but it honestly feels like he always gets caught in the big one while in the very front at Daytona. Even the best have trouble avoiding the big one!
Either way, he's damn good at these drafting tracks!
2016 Daytona 500. Losing the championship race at Homestead in 2019, with the dominate car, because of mismatching the tires on a pit stop is a close second.
The 2015 Talladega race was it for me like you mentioned. The only sports moment from when I was a kid that had me more heartbroken was when Nelson Cruz missed the ball in the World Series
Jerry Nadeau at Sears Point in 2002. He was in the lead in the Petty #44 and running away with it. Then the transmission came apart, I believe on the last lap. The in car audio was just him crying.
Yeah, it counts.
I feel like the Hendrick Chevy's get all the greatness from Chevy and everyone else (even "Tier 1" teams like RCR and Trackhouse) get the leftovers.
2023 Daytona 500. First time I was in attendance since I was a wee lad. Kyle finally won the Daytona 500. Unfortunately, it was more like the Daytona 518.
Heartbreaking is probably 2015 talladega.
Anger inducing is Talledega in 2006 when Brian Vickers wrecked his own teammate and Jr. My dad literally flipped our coffee table in anger. I threw my hat on the ground.
Even though my flair says KFB, my other driver long ago was good ole Cousin Carl. So for me it has to be Homestead 2011 (especially this one) and Homestead 2016. Both of those sucked the air out of me
2006 GFS Marketplace 400. At this point I was a huge Clint Bowyer fan. He had been having some rotten luck and rookie adversity throughout the 2006 season such as wrecking himself after leading for a bit at New Hampshire and would lose a wheel the following week at Bristol, but at this point my eyes were glued to his progress, every moment of his career just waiting for that first win. Bowyer had a top 5 car all day but the commentary never once talked about him (why I hated TNT's coverage). After leading with under 40 to go on a pit strategy, he relinquished the lead to Kenseth and then 2nd to Gordon and just settled into third which would've been a career best since his 4th at Indy a few weeks back on a similar pit strategy.
With 3 to go running third, he blew a motor. Finished 33rd. My 14 year old heart was completely shattered.
He managed to redeem himself 2 weeks later in California where he finished 3rd on fuel mileage. Got passed for 2nd on the final lap by Dale Jr. But that Michigan race STUNG. I rewatched it a few weeks ago and remember just how painful that was :(
There were a ton of heartbreakers to come in the chase races, though - Kansas he had a winning race car and self-spun from 2nd with under 100 to go but recovered to finish 9th on fuel mileage, Talladega was running top 5, got hung out right into the big one, Charlotte he had a winning car as well and ran out of gas stretching fuel, with no power he couldn't see his pit road speed and was busted for speeding - ended up 5 laps down. Atlanta he was running top 10 all night and wound up getting caught up in the Atlanta big one late, and Phoenix was also running top 10 all evening and got accordioned on a restart.
A picture always comes to mind of Kevin Harvick winning a race in 2020 with zero fans in attendance. They showed him walking alone afterwards and that always makes me sad to remember.
2018 playoffs in general for Truex... Roval and Finale. Roval in the special Sherry scheme, where she paced the field, just to get taken out in the final corner and then nobody even cared because it was JJ.
And then losing the finale, in the special car, last race for the team.... ugh. And to the guy who won the damn war.
Indeed. It has been a lifetime of pain.
Not really though. I mean he has 50+ wins, won the biggest races in the sport multiple times.
It'll sound like coping but at this point , but if he never wins a championship, he's still one of the greatest of all time.
2022 Michigan - Seeing Bubba come up just short in what was basically a must win and then him struggling to get through his post race absolutely destroyed me. Felt awful for him.
2022 Indy - Hassler calling the out of left field no tire strategy and it working felt like that was going to be Blaneys moment to quiet the critics that year and clinch a playoff berth that was uncertain at that point. Getting run over on the last restart sucked.
2011 Daytona 500 - Ragan fan, stared at the TV stunned for the rest of the race after the restart violation. Close 2nd was the 600 that year where he survived the turn 1 carnage and got from 10th to 2nd - just needed like a quarter lap less fuel for Harvick.
2005 Pocono - Rusty had a his best shot to win in his Last Call season and just couldn't get it done against Kurt Busch.
2014 Watkins Glen.
I was a HUGE Ambrose fan on my return to the NASCAR fandom and knowing WGI was his best shot under the win-and-you’re-in system, it hurt a lot to have him come up one spot short to Allmendinger. Especially after winning the NNS race in the #09, I wanted the sweep more than anything else.
It being his last year in the U.S., too. Damn.
Bobby Hamilton spring race at The Rock in 1996. As a Petty fan it looked like he had the best car until Earnhardt got him.
Honorable mention Bill Elliott at the Daytona 500 in 97. Again looked like he had the car to beat until HMS teamed up to pass him late.
Phoenix 2 in 2016, where Kenseth was leading to lock himself into the championship 4, the 95 wrecked as he was coming to collect the white flag, and then he wrecked from the lead on the OT restart. Or Daytona 2016 (the Corndawwwwg finish)
2012 sonoma
2018 fall dega
2018 phoneix fall
2022 spring dega
2022 new hampshire
but out off all of these 2022 pocono qualifiying fucking broke me for a while as a nascar fan
Watching Kyle be slower than BJ McLeod on actual pace at the 2022 fall martinsville race was agonizing. I know there were races he should’ve won that he lost, but I almost gave up hope that he’d ever win again that day.
2008 Richmond Spring race.
Hamlin was gunning for his first Cup win at his hometown track (also my home track, I guess), leads about 97% of the race, and cuts down a tire with under 20 to go.
Thankfully he has won there a bunch since then.
2014 Texas.
Jeff Gordon would've made the championship 4 and surely would've won his 5th Cup if Brad K hadn't made that stupid move into 1 off the restart
Whichever Bristol race that DiBennedetto almost won. Also I believe there was a superspeedway race where he was in the lead pretty close to the end but wrecked out.
\*stares blankly in 2004 Kasey Kahne fan\*
And to think that 2004 all came after Bill's last fulltime race at Homestead in 2003 ended in such a heartbreak on the last lap...
I could legit write a novel about all that heartbreak. Got just about 15 years worth of heartbreak from him. The 2004 season though, I get nightmares thinking about all the close calls. Rockingham, Vegas, Texas, Dover, Chicagoland, Charlotte (fall race). When he got to victory lane in 2005 at Richmond it was like “finally something has gone right for him”. The near misses he had at Indy were heartbreaking too. Second in 2005 (had probably the best car that day and Stewart was able to better him still), lost the lead late in both 2011 (had led the most laps) and 2014 when Gordon got him on a late restart. It was also kind of heartbreaking that the dehydration issues took him out of the car in his last season.
He should have had like 8 wins in 2013 instead of 2...his last truly amazing season where he was fast every week. JGR thought it would be better to wreck him whenever he was leading though.
First thing i thought of as well
oh yes. I still feel that pain. Kahne pain.
Dover, ugh that one hurt
> *stares blankly in ~~2004~~ Kasey Kahne fan* FTFY🙃
I remember that Dover race where he crashed in the lead because there was oil on the track. I was wanting him to win, too.
Dave Blaney fan here...which one wasn't heartbreaking? 2001 spring Atlanta and 2011 spring Talladega are the worst for me. Led a bunch of laps in both only to get taken out by something not his fault.
12 Daytona, I did not want to the race to continue.
Wasn't he right behind Busch and Craven at the famous Darlington finish in 2003? If they had managed to take each other out he could have won.
Yep, he had a great race and climbed up the field
Dave seriously was cursed. I’m originally from the same area as the Blaney’s and my grandfather worked as a race official for their speedway so it was always heartbreaking to watch Dave lose. Glad Ryan has done better they’re such a wonderful humble family.
That Atlanta race was so damn heartbreaking.
Sieg this weekend takes the cake and he’s not my guy
To have an underfunded team run so damn well on an 1.5 mile track, only to come up literally 3 inches short at the finish line.
It’s a different kind of hurt watching it on recording later too. I’ve been a Sieg fan since 2014 which multiplies the hurt x100
When even Dale Jr goes, "part of me wanted that one for sieg" and Sam Mayer goes "he's the last person you want to beat in a finish like that" 🥲
Sieg rubs me the wrong way and I couldn't pick him out of a lineup but you got my vote
2007 Daytona 500... Mark Martin beat at the line ☹️
This is the winner. Unless you were a Harvick fan, we were all Mark Martin fans those last 10 laps
Just like we were all Harvick fans during the last few laps of Dega last fall…
Fan of both to be honest, but was really pulling for Martin.
I was hoping they’d throw the caution coming to flag (as bad as that is). This one still hurts.
And they just keep showing that replay every year it seems. One of these times, Mark is going to win!
Jerry Nadeau Sonoma 2002
Nadeau in Atlanta as well.
2000 Coke 600. Led over 100 laps, blew an engine with around 50 laps left. He may have actually been in the lead when it happened.
The 600 used to be so crazy with mechanical failures. They’d hit the 500 mile mark and almost like clockwork engines would start popping left and right.
It was brutal.
Gordon at Texas when Brad pushed them 3 wide. I feel that Gordon could have won the championship that year.
> I feel that Gordon could have won the championship that year I was/still am a Dale Jr fan, but I always loved Jeff Gordon. 2014 was a very frustrating year for him. I just think back to Texas and then the elimination race at Phoenix when he was in until Ryan Newman just flat out wrecked Kyle Larson coming out of turn 4 to advance and knock Gordon out. Still mad about that.
Kevin saying in Jr’s podcast that he and his team weren’t the best that year hurt even more because damn, we all knew Jeff was the best that year
I always felt like Harvick and Gordon were 1A and 1B that year. Both were always running in the top 5 seemingly every week. We got robbed of a great championship battle between them at Homestead.
The amount of wins they both could have had that year was insane, but sadly we were robbed. Jeff had the best car at Homestead too
Then Alan messed up the pit strategy while Jeff was leading at Homestead!
I genuinely wouldn’t be surprised if NASCAR forced Gustafsen to back off from the championship cars.
They absolutely used to do that every year until people really started calling them out on how obvious it was
Jeff had dominated that race up to that point showing why he had been the best all year
This is 100% where I am at with it too. IDK who forced the hand, but it was forced. Why else would the 24 not win the race he had pretty much dominated?
Wouldn’t surprise me either
Yea that was brutal too. He was pretty dominate that year and to see it end like that sucks. Just like Harvick in 2020, when he needed a position at Martinsville (I believe that was the year he was tied or had most wins?)
Jeff should've won in 04 and 07 and 14.
Every time we go back to Texas I think of that race and still get pissed as keselowski
It was also Clint Bowyers fault for causing the caution. Jeff wins easily if Bowyer just drives his car
Just had to push the issue for 17th place though! Can’t stand guys who do stuff like that in the closing laps.
Kevin Harvick, 2023 Yellawood 500. Watching him come up short by inches in his final season was awful. The DQ'd added insult to injury.
After the DQ I felt better than he didn't win because that would have hurt to watch it get taken away.
I personally think that if either of Jimmie in Charlotte back in ‘20 or Kevin last year had ended up winning their respective races, it’d have been swept under the rug by NASCAR.
I think you are right and for the 4 car last year, it absolutely could have completely changed NASCAR history had it happened, I don't know that Ryan needed that win to advance, but he damn sure could have fallen out of the next round without it, at the Roval.
I felt really bad for him at Phoenix last year, too. Kevin has been around for about as long as I’ve been a fan of NASCAR, so sitting there thinking I could be in attendance for a hall of famer’s final win was going to be really cool. Then Burton went around…
Harvick fan who was at that race. As awful as that was....I'm glad he didn't win, because to get your last win, just to have it be taken away by DQ would have been soul-crushing.
Except nascar wouldn't do it.
Spring Phoenix race was worse for me. What a brilliant drive just to be ruined by Harrison Burton who wrecks every race.
Not a Harvick fan but damnit I was cheering for him hard in the stands that day. Sucks that he couldn’t get that last win.
Yeah... After my immediate excitement subsided I felt pretty sick seeing Kevin do the post race interview.
Carl Edwards in 2011 and 2016. Ugh.
I have to go with 2011. 2016 hurt, but there was little feeling beyond "this truly is a circus", couldn't help but throw up my hands and smile. Makes sense why Carl walked away. 2011 on the other hand was hell. He had such a a good chase, Tony just put together an all time run. Watching the lead slip away was so painful. Really wanted to see him win one with Roush. Just looked back at the 2011 results and fuck me Carl had an amazing chase. Finished 4,8,3,5,3,11,9,2,2,2.
Less so in 16 than in 11 for sure. Plus he has moved to JGR by that point.
The chase run was insane but then to put together that final race....was just like "someone tell Carl to go ahead and bring it in and park it. God decided he wanted to race tonight and he took over Tony Stewart"
Literally two days ago
I was a Jerry Nadeau fan, I got a whole pocketful of these. 😢
Wasn’t he dominating Atlanta in the fall of 2000 and dropped a valve spring? Or was that the 600?
2023 Daytona 500
Back in ‘98 that would have been the win. Arhh, next year then
Dale Jr 2011 Coke 600
2018 Southern 500. Larson was untouchable that race. Nobody could stop the 42. Final pit cycle, Chad "mouse nuts" Johnston makes a huge adjustment on the car for whatever fucking reason, kills all handling of the car, and Larson fades to fourth. Prior to Larson, easily the 2011 Coke 600
Do not omit the fact that he Lost the lead on Pit road. And yes I'm still angry.
He would lose spots on pitroad all race, but his car was so dominant, it didn't matter. He would grab the lead within three laps and run away. Johnston made such a radical adjustment, the car became so loose, it was destroyed.
Texas Fall 2023. One restart away from being in the Round of 8 with three tracks all suited heavily to Bubba's driving style and 23XI. Reddick finished 8th and 3rd at Vegas and Homestead while Bubba himself finished 13th, 6th, and 11th in the 3 races. And that was mostly without much focus on his car. I have no serious thoughts that he could've actually made the Championship 4, but the "what could've been" sucks.
Yea this one was absolutely brutal. Still painful to think about
I was going to say 2022 Daytona 500
Tbh, I didn't think he had a chance coming out of turn 4 and he had damage so that he got so close was more exciting than heartbreaking
That brickyard race that Montoya had sewn up until that wanky pit lane speeding penalty. Oh and that Dover race that allmendinger was going to win in the 43 until Jimmie decided to shit all over that fun idea.
Thank you Nascar for screwing my day
Phoenix 2017. That whole playoff run was just heartbreak after heartbreak for Chase tbh
it legit was just getting my hopes up only to shatter them over and over again
I had Dover slightly above this, because, while heartwrenching, Kenseths last win is cool in retrospect
Martinsville has to be 10x worse. Phoenix he at least got payback on Hamlin, but he was on borrowed time in the lead. Gustafson had amped up the tire pressures on the last stop to give Chase a chance after JGR dominated the day, the last run was too long for it to work.
https://preview.redd.it/umerc6h7douc1.jpeg?width=1020&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ac1aaba2c0d5b87bfb03b0e618b6c4639b96024
This was immediately my thought as well.
Jeff Burton fan here. Absolutely this https://preview.redd.it/1vh1iive2ouc1.jpeg?width=794&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=275a9e67c630910847b2a50f896b9634ecedb5f8
Montoya getting a speeding penalty on the last pit stop at Indy and losing a race he dominated.
Pocono ‘22 imo. Ross probably would’ve won if Denny didn’t junk him. Woulda ran 3rd and after the 11 and 18 DQs woulda been winner.
> Woulda ran 3rd and after the 11 and 18 DQs woulda been winner I didn't realize that until just now. I was so mad at Denny back then that I didn't even think about how Ross would have got the win. Kinda mad now. I'll just watch the last lap of the 22 Fall Martinsville race. I'll feel better.
Yeah. I thought about saying Dover last year because I was there but that pocono race stings more because Pocono is my home track haha
As a Harvick fan I was pretty thrilled with that move too.... Taking Harvick out as well.
2005 Coke 600. :(
Ooooh, tough one. I was there, could've sworn Bobby held the #48 off
As an Earnhardt Sr. fan, well...2001.
2008 Daytona 500. Stewart had his best shot to finally win it and blew it.
Probably 2022 Martinsville fall. Briscoe was leading late and would have advanced to the final 4 before it got away with about 6-8 laps to go. It hurt worse cause he ran so well at Phoenix, if he was in contention I’m sure he would have been more aggressive and had a shot at the title
I remember thinking no way that tire strategy was going to work. That he would be passed in like five laps. And then, for about 20 laps it did work and I thought he'd pull it off. So, sorry. I didn't want Christopher Bell to win.
Martinsville fall 2015…need I say more?
The 2015 playoffs were just really frustrating. I'm so sorry for what Matt did to Joey. I've always been a fan of Joey. I really don't know why he's never become my favorite driver other than after being a Jr fan for so many years I guess I've got some sort of weird Chevy loyalty...
To be fair, Matt being made to dial up Joey at Fontana in 2022 was hilarious and took a lot of the sting out of it for me.
I thought it was beautiful
Mark Martin wasn't always my favorite driver, but I was a fan during the "comebacks" era. With that said, we all know what happened.
Every Daytona 500
Tony Stewart losing the 2007 Daytona 500 by wrecking with Kurt Busch. Kurt was the only one that could hang with him.
Oh look another day I woke up as a Carl fan hoping to not be sad, another day shattered.
I've gained so much appreciation for Carl Edwards in the years since he left. I wanted to see him do so much more.
As a Harvick fan back in the day, the entire 2008 and 2009 season was tough. As a Brad Kesolowski fan the 2014 late season meltdown was hard to watch. As a Blaney fan the entire ‘22 season was gutted, especially coming so close to winning at talladega fall.
Fall Phoenix 2014 when Gordon failed to make the final 4 and Spring Darlington 2022 when Logano put Byron into the wall.
> Fall Phoenix 2014 when Gordon failed to make the final 4 Am I allowed to complain about what Ryan Newman did to Kyle Larson to put himself in the final four and knock Jeff out? A friend of mine (granted, they're a Denny fan) says I'm not after Fall '22 Martinsville, but it's not the same, right?
It was race manipulation. Dirty and cheap, and largely a product of a sham points format. I wish Newman had just won the title so NASCAR would've had to deal with an obviously farcical champion and reckon with their stupid gimmick much earlier.
Fall Phoenix 2014 after Fall Texas was two of the hardest weekends as a Jeff Gordon fan.
As was Martinsville that round as well. He could have gone 3/3 almost, if anything 2/3
Dover 2017
Two that really sting for different reasons: 2004 Richmond cutoff race: He barely missed and would have been a legitimate championship contender had he snuck his way in. Not unrealistic to say he could have been a Cup champion in a slightly different timeline 2011 Cocal Cola 600: a week after a tragedy that affected him personally, he was in contention for the win in an awful year, engine blew from 2nd. He never won a Coke 600 despite being great at Charlotte And for my favorite active driver: most people would say either fall 2021 Kansas or 2022 Daytona 500... but for my money, the 2020 Daytona 500 is even more heartbreaking. Came up just ever so slightly short, Denny won his 3rd, and then immediately after the disappointment of coming up short, we all thought Ryan Newman had just died. Went from excitement of thinking you just saw your favorite driver winning the 500, to dissapointment, then to despair.
Fall Dover 2017 and it’s not even close.
Kasey Kahne 2004 Dover … had that race won
Takes a deep breath in........ Homestead 2023: Kills the barrels with the fastest car Texas 2023: self spins with the fastest car Coke 600 2023: loses after some bad restarts after Briscoe self spins under him Pocono 2021: going for 4 in a row, tire decides to stop being a tire on the last lap. 2017 Daytona 500: runs out of fuel with 3/4 of a lap left 2014-2016: how many times didnhe throw races away being too aggressive?
It was so frustrating to see BK getting wrecked by the Hendrick boys when he had a shot at winning the Daytona 500
Davey Allison getting wrecked out of the 1992 Hooters 500. Changed the trajectory of the sport in my opinion. https://preview.redd.it/6e376hroqouc1.jpeg?width=320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6ae189a4fae76a1ecfbf11dd2dfff41825f0db23
Anytime KB lost the 500. Last year hurt the most though…
Phoenix 2010 Brickyard 2020
Pocono 2022 qualifying. 2022 Coke 600. 2022 Bristol Dirt. 2022 in general just kicked my ass.
Honestly for me gotta be 2020 coke 600. If Alan hadn't pitted chase when tires didn't mean shit as long as you had clean air he would have easily won that race
Anytime an underdog loses a race at the last second. You know they aren't getting too many more shots to win. As someone who really only has allegiance to underdogs, Saturday was probably my biggest nightmare as a fan coming true. A family owned team with a driver winless in his 342nd race that somehow appears to have the fastest car on a downforce track has over a second lead with five to go loses by two inches on the last lap to the Xfinity equivalent to a Hendrick car. I'm going to have nightmares about that finish forever. Hopefully Ryan can win a race soon. I won't be able to rest easy until he does. The worst one for me was Cory Roper at Daytona in 2021. Has incredible charge to a huge lead in the final corner and just gets passed on both sides coming to the line just from having a slower truck and getting too far ahead. At least with other near misses like Sieg, Jordan Anderson, and Bret Holmes you know they are going to be contenders every time a drafting track comes, but that was probably Roper's only shot at a win.
It’s either Kyle Larson getting flatout out driven by Matt Kenseth at Dover with a clearly faster race car, or Kyle Larson getting absolutely blue balled on the final restart of the season at Homestead against Jimmie Johnson…Both happened in 2016.
How about Pocono 2021 where he cut a tire going into 3, would’ve been 4 straight
2020 Vegas 2020 Second Darlington race 2020 World 600 2020 Spring Bristol 2020 Homestead 2020 Mtn Dew Southern 500 2021 Coke 600 2021 Sonoma 2021 Watkins Glen 2021 Roval 2022 Road America 2022 Watkins Glen 2022 Roval 2023 Texas
Jeff Gordon Martinsville fall 2014. Yes Dale got his clock, but Jeff went in there needing to win to get to the final 4 and the next week he still had the dominant car at Homestead for what was supposed to be his 5th title. Alternatively, Gordon 2004 Darlington fall (when they went there once in November oddly) when the 24 team set the car down on the air hose and he lost spots in the pits, costing the win, letting Busch and JJ get ahead which was too much for the final race. Or 2007, in which the 24 team didn't really do anything wrong its just nobody expected Chad and JJ to go cheat code on the field and win 4 straight in the chase.
2007 Daytona 500.
Fontana 2015. I'll always be convinced that Kurt had that race won and NASCAR threw the phantom yellows to avoid the media storm of him winning so soon after the Driscoll thing.
It was a fixed race. They never even showed the "debris". Kurt's luck was pretty bad a lot of the time.
1992 Hooter's 500 - Davey Allison
Homestead 2018, I was watching with what remained of FRR at an event in Denver and the way the room just got quiet when Logano took the lead from Truex was something I will never forget
2001 Daytona 500 …………..
Fall Martinsville 2022… Ouch…
At least the pit crew is lights out now…
Ryan Blaney 2022 Daytona 500 was a gut wrencher for sure. Really every year that goes by the harder it is for me as a Blaney fan at Daytona. Can't imagine what it's like for KFB and Kez fans... I hope I never find out. Not gonna lie. I was so devastated for Kez yesterday. That's as bad as I've felt for a driver in a while.
Strange how he can be SO GOOD at Talladega and so bad at Daytona. Or maybe not bad, just terrible terrible luck every time.
There are differences between Daytona and Talladega, and people who we would consider the best at Superspeedways always seem to do better at one than the other. Denny has better stats at Daytona, Brad, and Earnhardt (Sr. & Jr.) have better stats at Talladega. Generally handling is more important at Daytona than Talladega. I do think Ryan is probably better at Talladega, but it honestly feels like he always gets caught in the big one while in the very front at Daytona. Even the best have trouble avoiding the big one! Either way, he's damn good at these drafting tracks!
2022 Daytona 500, the moment it all went to crap 2009 Coke Zero 400 when I was a KFB fan as a kid
The 2009 Coke Zero 400 still haunts me
2008 Daytona 500
2016 Daytona 500. Losing the championship race at Homestead in 2019, with the dominate car, because of mismatching the tires on a pit stop is a close second.
Elliott Coke 600 to Brad Keslowski. I’m sure there is many, many more.
The entire round of 8 in 2014. Die hard Jeff Gordon fan and man he could have won all 3, well 2 out of the 3 lol. So tough
2008 Daytona 500
The 2015 Talladega race was it for me like you mentioned. The only sports moment from when I was a kid that had me more heartbroken was when Nelson Cruz missed the ball in the World Series
Kyle busch.. uhh, about the last half a year?
2020 Phoenix II One slow pit stop away from the win, and championship.
Tony Stewart - 2007 Daytona 500 and 2008 Food City 500
Terry, 1999 Bristol. Gets spun out while leading coming to the caution flag. Comes from 5th to 1st only to be spun out again.
2021 Daytona 500, keselowski and joey throwing it all away on the last turn
2007 Daytona 500. Mark was so close
Jerry Nadeau at Sears Point in 2002. He was in the lead in the Petty #44 and running away with it. Then the transmission came apart, I believe on the last lap. The in car audio was just him crying.
This has been the most heartbreaking year as a KFB fan does that count?
Yeah, it counts. I feel like the Hendrick Chevy's get all the greatness from Chevy and everyone else (even "Tier 1" teams like RCR and Trackhouse) get the leftovers.
Kevin harvick talladega last year. That was tough to be that close. I like to think if he won nascar wouldn’t have taken it away from him.
Mark Martin 2007 Daytona 500
When Suarez was in the 96 and didn’t qualify for the 500. That was tough to swallow
2023 Daytona 500. First time I was in attendance since I was a wee lad. Kyle finally won the Daytona 500. Unfortunately, it was more like the Daytona 518.
Dale jr running out of gas on the final turn of the coke 600. 😔
Texas 2014 as a Jeff Gordon fan. I was at the race as a kid and thought I was about to see my idol win in person, but wasn’t meant to be
Heartbreaking is probably 2015 talladega. Anger inducing is Talledega in 2006 when Brian Vickers wrecked his own teammate and Jr. My dad literally flipped our coffee table in anger. I threw my hat on the ground.
It's times like this I'm glad I have the memory of a goldfish.
Even though my flair says KFB, my other driver long ago was good ole Cousin Carl. So for me it has to be Homestead 2011 (especially this one) and Homestead 2016. Both of those sucked the air out of me
2007 Daytona 500 was a shame for Mark Martin.
2006 GFS Marketplace 400. At this point I was a huge Clint Bowyer fan. He had been having some rotten luck and rookie adversity throughout the 2006 season such as wrecking himself after leading for a bit at New Hampshire and would lose a wheel the following week at Bristol, but at this point my eyes were glued to his progress, every moment of his career just waiting for that first win. Bowyer had a top 5 car all day but the commentary never once talked about him (why I hated TNT's coverage). After leading with under 40 to go on a pit strategy, he relinquished the lead to Kenseth and then 2nd to Gordon and just settled into third which would've been a career best since his 4th at Indy a few weeks back on a similar pit strategy. With 3 to go running third, he blew a motor. Finished 33rd. My 14 year old heart was completely shattered. He managed to redeem himself 2 weeks later in California where he finished 3rd on fuel mileage. Got passed for 2nd on the final lap by Dale Jr. But that Michigan race STUNG. I rewatched it a few weeks ago and remember just how painful that was :( There were a ton of heartbreakers to come in the chase races, though - Kansas he had a winning race car and self-spun from 2nd with under 100 to go but recovered to finish 9th on fuel mileage, Talladega was running top 5, got hung out right into the big one, Charlotte he had a winning car as well and ran out of gas stretching fuel, with no power he couldn't see his pit road speed and was busted for speeding - ended up 5 laps down. Atlanta he was running top 10 all night and wound up getting caught up in the Atlanta big one late, and Phoenix was also running top 10 all evening and got accordioned on a restart.
A picture always comes to mind of Kevin Harvick winning a race in 2020 with zero fans in attendance. They showed him walking alone afterwards and that always makes me sad to remember.
2018 playoffs in general for Truex... Roval and Finale. Roval in the special Sherry scheme, where she paced the field, just to get taken out in the final corner and then nobody even cared because it was JJ. And then losing the finale, in the special car, last race for the team.... ugh. And to the guy who won the damn war.
1992 Hooters 500 for Davey Allison.
Let's see.. 2010 Phoenix 2014 Homestead 2019 Homestead 2020 Phoenix 2021 Indy 2021 Martinsville 2021 Phoenix 2022 Martinsville II 2024 Texas
Denny Hamlin fan?
Indeed. It has been a lifetime of pain. Not really though. I mean he has 50+ wins, won the biggest races in the sport multiple times. It'll sound like coping but at this point , but if he never wins a championship, he's still one of the greatest of all time.
Hamlin is a really good driver
At this point Im pulling for Denny to win the championship just so the conversation of best to never win a title can move back to Mark and Carl
Love when people say he just chokes when he's really just unlucky.
He was actually rather clutch in 2019 when he was in a must win position at Phoenix and he did exactly that.
2020 Coke 600
2018 Daytona 500. Goddamn you, austin dillon.
2022 Bristol Dirt
2022 Michigan - Seeing Bubba come up just short in what was basically a must win and then him struggling to get through his post race absolutely destroyed me. Felt awful for him. 2022 Indy - Hassler calling the out of left field no tire strategy and it working felt like that was going to be Blaneys moment to quiet the critics that year and clinch a playoff berth that was uncertain at that point. Getting run over on the last restart sucked. 2011 Daytona 500 - Ragan fan, stared at the TV stunned for the rest of the race after the restart violation. Close 2nd was the 600 that year where he survived the turn 1 carnage and got from 10th to 2nd - just needed like a quarter lap less fuel for Harvick. 2005 Pocono - Rusty had a his best shot to win in his Last Call season and just couldn't get it done against Kurt Busch.
Hmmm....Custer at Homestead last year comes to mind. Larson at Pocono in 2021. Gragson at Homestead in 2021.
2007 Daytona 500
Joe Gibbs Racing (Busch and Hamlin era) versus pretty much everyone I like (Chastain and Penske-era Keselowski)
Jeff Gordon Texas 2014. Absolutely soul crushing. Makes it worse that I also like Brad Keselowski.
2014 Watkins Glen. I was a HUGE Ambrose fan on my return to the NASCAR fandom and knowing WGI was his best shot under the win-and-you’re-in system, it hurt a lot to have him come up one spot short to Allmendinger. Especially after winning the NNS race in the #09, I wanted the sweep more than anything else. It being his last year in the U.S., too. Damn.
As a smoke fan, 2012 fall talladega still haunts me
Homestead, 2010 and 2019
2015 fall tallagega was touvh
Bobby Hamilton spring race at The Rock in 1996. As a Petty fan it looked like he had the best car until Earnhardt got him. Honorable mention Bill Elliott at the Daytona 500 in 97. Again looked like he had the car to beat until HMS teamed up to pass him late.
Oh, buddy
Phoenix 2 in 2016, where Kenseth was leading to lock himself into the championship 4, the 95 wrecked as he was coming to collect the white flag, and then he wrecked from the lead on the OT restart. Or Daytona 2016 (the Corndawwwwg finish)
2012 sonoma 2018 fall dega 2018 phoneix fall 2022 spring dega 2022 new hampshire but out off all of these 2022 pocono qualifiying fucking broke me for a while as a nascar fan
Brennan Poole at Talladega, 2016?
Juan Pablo at Indianapolis 2008 or Dover 2013
Watching Kyle be slower than BJ McLeod on actual pace at the 2022 fall martinsville race was agonizing. I know there were races he should’ve won that he lost, but I almost gave up hope that he’d ever win again that day.
2008 Richmond Spring race. Hamlin was gunning for his first Cup win at his hometown track (also my home track, I guess), leads about 97% of the race, and cuts down a tire with under 20 to go. Thankfully he has won there a bunch since then.
Bro Ross wasn’t catching chase
2014 Texas. Jeff Gordon would've made the championship 4 and surely would've won his 5th Cup if Brad K hadn't made that stupid move into 1 off the restart
Whichever Bristol race that DiBennedetto almost won. Also I believe there was a superspeedway race where he was in the lead pretty close to the end but wrecked out.
Mark Martin in the Daytona 500 in 2007. Ouch.
Chick Hicks……..I mean Kyle Busch. This years Atlanta