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On NASCAR Reddit, fans began discussing what they felt were the most bizarre races in NASCAR history. There have been plenty of races throughout the history of the sport that took crazy twists and turns that no one could have expected. What did the fans say were some of the most bizarre races they had seen?
One of the most popular race choices on the thread was the 2012 Daytona 500. This race featured a little bit of everything to make a race bizarre. There was a weather delay that lasted until Monday night when the race finally started, Brad Keselowski’s tweet, Juan Pablo Montoya hitting the jet dryer, and much much more.
kk5fan97 runs through everything that made the 2012 Daytona 500 as chaotic as it was.
Tsrshr14fan adds in the Xfinity race that weekend, the Drive4COPD 300. This race saw James Buescher avoid a multi-car crash in the final corner to go from outside of the top 10 to the win.
Icommentoncrap also adds Matt Kenseth overheating during the race, which Kenseth came back from to win. On top of that, Dave Blaney almost won thanks to the jet dryer incident.
Nalyd8991 says that this is not bizarre and crazy for a NASCAR race but for a sporting event period.
Another popular race on the thread was the infamous 2008 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. This race saw multiple tire failures requiring the race to be stopped every 10 laps via a competition caution. It was almost like an extreme version of stage racing before stage racing was even a thing. This is the race that many blame for the decline of the Brickyard 400, and it is memorable and bizarre for all of the wrong reasons.
Waterfish3333 described the race as 10 lap shoot-outs, which, is not an inaccurate description.
7Stringplayer compares this race to the 2005 Formula One US Grand Prix at Indianapolis, where multiple tire failures caused all but six cars to drop out before the race began.
II_eNiGmA_II said that the 2008 Brickyard 400 ruined Indianapolis for them.
Ruggaby called this a “Train wreck” every 20 miles.
This race had one of the longest rain delays in NASCAR history. A persistent mist delayed the race not one, not two, but three days. Yes, the Cup Series was forced to race in the Playoffs on a Wednesday, and Kyle Busch took home the win. Fans who stayed into the week received a reward, that some Redditors discussed on this thread.
Icommentoncrap breaks down what he called a “horrific nightmare”, which is that race was a nightmare for some.
Icommentoncrap also credits this race for costing Kevin Harvick the 2020 Cup Series Championship.
Enataca says that he never got the hot passes he was promised for attending on Tuesday that week.
Drpepperpapi said that he eventually got his hot passes for the 2022 All-Star Race, a bizarre race in its’ own right.
Some fans came up with some other ideas for the most bizarre races they had seen. There were some very interesting races that were bizarre for all sorts of circumstances.
A monsoon, rain tires, a blocked track, and the first street race in NASCAR history. This was bizarre for every reason possible.
Raticon goes back to the 1956 race at the Tulsa fairgrounds, where the track was so dusty, that Lee Petty went up to the flag stand to red flag the race himself. This race never finished, and NASCAR has not returned to Oklahoma since this race.
Nothing quite like the 1969 Talladega 500, where the vast majority of drivers backed out of the event due to safety concerns. Because of this, cars from the preliminary, Saturday race were entered into the inaugural Talladega 500. Also a scoring dispute for a race that only had three competitive cars, as Richard Brickhouse, in NASCAR’s eyes, beat Jim Vandiver.
A 27-car accident in the early laps left the race with very few competitive cars. Overall, Jason Keller won the race as one of only three cars on the lead lap. Maybe not the most exciting race in Talladega history, but certainly one of the most bizarre.
There have been some very bizarre NASCAR races throughout history. Which one is the most bizarre race you have seen?
