The Spherical of 8 cutoff race has traditionally been the wildest in the entire playoffs — much more so than the title-decider. Drivers are prepared to do absolutely anything to advance and we have seen it everywhere in the previous decade. Some prevailed, others didn’t, however every solidified their place in playoff historical past with their daring makes an attempt to bend the chances to their will.
For this piece, we’re specializing in the present host observe of Martinsville Speedway, which has served because the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Sequence seasons since 2020.
NASCAR Cup 2020 – A brutal ending for the title favourite
There was no driver on the stage of Kevin Harvick in 2020. He and the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing group had been merely at one other stage and but, he is title did not find yourself on the trophy. In truth, he wasn’t even a part of the dialog on the finale after being eradicated the week prior.
And not using a Spherical of 8 win and making an attempt to level his approach in, Harvick wanted a single spot on the ultimate lap of the race. The unlucky driver in entrance of him was Kyle Busch, who had carried out nothing to anger Harvick. Even nonetheless, whereas exiting Flip 4, Harvick moved abruptly to the suitable in an try and hook his fellow Cup champion.
Busch spun, however so did Harvick. And whereas Busch did an ideal 360-degree spin and carried on with out shedding a single place, Harvick slammed into the within wall. Defeated, embarrassed and with a destroyed automobile, probably the most profitable driver of the 2020 season stopped simply wanting the end line as the whole area handed him by.
Stewart Friesen was simply a few factors out because the Truck Sequence area raced to the white flag. The flat, half-mile quick observe is not recognized for three-wide racing, however that is precisely what the leaders had been trying to do within the last moments of the race. Friesen on the far exterior was trying to win his approach into the ultimate 4 whereas Zane Smith on the within was trying to do the identical. Todd Gilliland within the center simply wished to win the race. Smith bumped Gilliland, Gilliland bumped Friesen, and Friesen tagged the wall.
Moments later as Friesen pulled his truck off the wall, he spun Gilliland out and continued down the observe, nailing Smith as nicely. Smith escaped whereas Friesen spun and a number of other vehicles plowed into the insanity. The warning was out and the race was over. Because the smoke cleared, Friesen was eradicated from the playoffs and Smith was transferring on to Phoenix as a title contender.
On this state of affairs, Denny Hamlin was trying tremendous in his objective to make the ultimate 4 on factors. Nevertheless, he is nonetheless a racer and nonetheless wished to win his approach in. Whereas battling arduous to keep up the benefit, Alex Bowman — who was not a part of the playoffs — received into the aspect of Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver spun out, however nonetheless managed to advance by eight factors.
However the fireworks actually started after the checkered flag. Whereas Bowman was celebrating initially/end line, an irate Hamlin arrived. The drivers went nose-to-nose and Hamlin began doing burnouts whereas the group went wild. It did not trouble Bowman, who Hamlin later known as him a ‘hack’ in his post-race feedback.
Joe Gibbs Racing hoped to get two drivers into the Championship 4, however there was a small downside with that and his title was Gibbs. Ty Gibbs — grandson of group proprietor Joe Gibbs — was battling his JGR teammates for the race win. Gibbs was already going to advance whereas his teammate Brandon Jones was making an attempt to win his win in.
Teamwork was not on the prime of his thoughts when he despatched Jones spinning from the lead on the ultimate lap to win the race. The Championship 4, which was going to to function two JR Motorsports and two JGR drivers, was now three for JRM and solely Gibbs himself representing his household’s group.
He was greeted by a bathe of boos on the frontstretch, and he did not appear to thoughts one bit.
Ross Chastain was dealing with sure elimination from the NASCAR Cup playoffs. He and season-long rival Denny Hamlin had rubbed fenders and slammed doorways whereas battling for the possibility to advance into the Championship 4. The day belonged Hamlin, who had a two-point benefit over Chastain on the ultimate lap. There was no approach he may presumably acquire extra positions on his personal. It was over.
However the eighth-generation watermelon farmer merely refused to just accept defeat. What adopted was considered one of, if not probably the most unbelievable go within the historical past of NASCAR. Because the pack slammed on the brakes, downshifting as they filed into the tight Turns 3 and 4 of the half-mile quick observe, Chastain upshifted as a substitute. He saved the pedal to the ground, planting the No. 1 Chevrolet towards the surface wall.
The automobile ripped alongside the outermost bounds of the observe, grinding towards the wall and blistering round astonished opponents. He misplaced maintain of the wheel as he flew previous 5 vehicles in complete — together with Hamlin. There was a surprised silence, after which there have been solely cheers. The transfer went viral — so iconic that the group retired the race automobile and the observe lower out a bit of the wall in honor of it.
NASCAR honored it in their very own approach: banning the daring maneuver in order that nobody may ever try it once more.
The Xfinity Sequence confirmed us teammates not enjoying good in 2022, but it surely was taken to a different stage the next yr with Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed. Creed, who was leaving the group at season’s finish, needed to win the race. Hill was in a really heated factors battle and was pondering a win was crucial as nicely. Justin Allgaier in third additionally needed to win the race. It was a recipe for fireworks, however nobody may have predicted that last lap.
Creed moved Hill and because the ‘pink mist’ took maintain, Hill turned down on teammate and so they slammed doorways on entry to Flip 3. Creed slid up the observe and Hill — now behind him — hit him once more. This opened the door for Allgaier to get beneath Creed as Hill (and a number of other others) crashed into the wall. The sphere piled collectively as Allgaier and Creed slammed into each other on the line. By simply 0.032s, Allgaier was the victory and on his strategy to the ultimate 4.
However wait, there’s extra! Hill nonetheless had an opportunity to make it on factors and the motive force he was chasing — Cole Custer — was caught up within the last-lap pileup. Custer was totally conscious of this, reversing his destroyed automobile throughout the road whereas flames erupted from beneath the hood. He was the ultimate driver to advance whereas each RCR drivers had been out. There have been some extraordinarily tense moments post-race, together with a wild second the place then-Childress government Andy Petree confronted Creed on pit highway.
