The NASCAR playoffs have provided some of the most dramatic moments of NASCAR history. From breathtaking stunts to heart-wrenching wrecks. Here are 5 of the most dramatic ones.
5. Chase Elliott’s clutch victory at Martinsville (2020)
Chase Elliott’s win at Martinsville in 2020 was one of the most exciting moments in the NASCAR playoffs. This was a must-win situation for Elliott and the driver did not disappoint. He led for 236 laps out of the 500. With 43 laps remaining, he got past Martin Truex Jr., which guaranteed him a spot in the Championship 4. This win was Elliott’s first career appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship finale.
But his playoff chances almost came to a halt due to a pit road violation. His jackman, who had jumped over the pit wall too soon, made a smart move of retouching the wall, thus avoiding the penalty as per NASCAR rules. This enabled Elliott to come back from the setback and regain the lead in the final stage of the race to clinch victory.
A week later, Elliott won the championship, adding even more weight to his Martinsville triumph.
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4. Kevin Harvick’s desperate crash (2020)
Kevin Harvick’s crash at the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs at Martinsville was one of the most dramatic. The two-time champion was on the top of the game this season, winning nine races and leading in the points standings. But at Martinsville, it was the first time in 13 races that Harvick was not leading the field and he was struggling during the final laps to earn his spot in the Championship 4. He had to come second to advance to the next level. Unfortunately, his attempt to do so backfired and cost him the championship.
In the last attempt, Harvick attempted to overtake Kyle Busch and push him to the wall to get into the top three but failed. Busch was able to come back and finish in ninth position while Harvick’s car was destroyed and he finished in 17th position. This mistake alone denied Harvick a spot in the Championship 4 which was quite unfortunate given the performance he had put up all year round.
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3. Jimmie Johnson’s last stand at the ROVAL (2018)
Jimmie Johnson’s final stand in the 2018 ROVAL race was quite sensational. In the last few laps of the Bank of America ROVAL 400, Johnson was second and tried to pass Martin Truex Jr. to win the race. He had previously moved up the two positions but when Johnson saw the checkered flag he pushed it and made a daring maneuver in the last corner.
Johnson pushed it too hard into the turn and spun out, along with Truex, which gave the win to Ryan Blaney. This huge mistake knocked Johnson out of the playoffs on a tiebreaker. It also brought an early and harsh end to Johnson’s playoffs. Afterward, Truex was angry while Johnson, on the other hand, made amends. He explained that he wanted to win the race and that led him to push too hard and take the risk.
2. Joey Logano’s sweep and the Kenseth payback (2015)
The clash between Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth in the 2015 NASCAR playoffs was one of the most dramatic moments in playoff history. Joey Logano has been dominating the 2015 Chase and was on a three-race winning spree. However, friction had been mounting since the Kansas race, in which Logano spun Kenseth to victory.
At Martinsville, two weeks after Kansas, Kenseth got his revenge on Logano with 45 laps to go. Kenseth who is out of the championship race took out Logano which ended his championship chances. The fans applauded, but Logano complained that Kenseth had driven into him in a ‘cowardly’ manner. NASCAR suspended him for two races, calling the incident intentional retaliation.
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1. Ross Chastain’s “Hail Melon” wall ride (2022)
One of the most memorable moments from the 2022 NASCAR season was Ross Chastain’s ‘Hail Melon’ at Martinsville. The daring move was a video game-like maneuver. In a final attempt at the Championship 4 Chastain hit the outside wall on the last lap of the race. He allowed the wall to control the movement of his car as he navigated the track at an incredible speed.
This was quite spectacular to watch as Chastain moved into fifth gear a gear, not commonly used at the Martinsville track. He raced along the wall at top speed. Everyone in the NASCAR community enjoyed the creativity and the risk that went into it. As a result, Chastain quickly went from 10th to 5th place. He passed Denny Hamlin to get enough points to make it to the Championship 4.
The move was so iconic that NASCAR kept the part of the wall that Chastain used. Because of this, NASCAR later on decided that such moves would be banned and would result in penalties. This moment is remembered as one of the most daring in the whole history of NASCAR’s playoff era. It remains one of the most courageous and fan-favorite moves that has ever been done.