Everyone loves a good comeback story, and NASCAR is no different. Some races will see drivers come from nowhere to take home the win. Today, we look at the greatest single-race comebacks in NASCAR history.
All seemed lost for Shane Van Gisbergen in the 2023 Chicago Street Race. Under a caution at lap 47, NASCAR declared the race would end 25 laps early due to darkness. While some cars were able to stay out to make it to the end on fuel, SVG was one of the cars that could not, and he started deep in the field.
Slowly, but surely, he made his way forward on the narrow city streets, avoiding carnage along the way as fellow frontrunners Tyler Reddick and Christopher Bell flamed out. With just a few laps to go, SVG passed Justin Haley for the lead, and that catapulted SVG into a full-time Xfinity Series ride for 2024.
Jeff Gordon’s Martisville record is incredible with 9 victories at the Virginia short track. However, he seemed out of sorts early in the 2005 spring race, qualifying 16th. Overheating issues forced Gordon to pit early, which dropped him 3 laps down.
From there, Gordon took advantage of some good fortune and good positioning to get his 3 laps back. That was only the beginning, as he slowly worked his way up the field. Gordon took the lead for the first time on lap 465, leading the final 36 laps to win.
Chase Elliott seemed set to run away with the 2019 Charlotte Roval race after a stage 2 victory. However, on a restart towards the beginning of stage 3, Elliott locked up going into turn one and piledrove the tire barrier. The car was damaged, and it seemed Elliott’s day was done.
After falling to the back end of the lead lap, Elliott started working his way forward on a 23-lap green flag run, taking advantage of a rash of late cautions to make up even more ground. With 6 laps to go, Elliott took the lead back, and he walked away with an improbable Roval win.
With 4 laps to go in the 2000 Winston 500 at Talladega, all seemed lost for Dale Earnhardt. Mired back ni 18th place in a swarming pack of cars, a win seemed out of the picture. However, “The Intimidator” would not be denied.
He darted through the pack, filling every open gap he could, drafting his way to the front of the field. Eventually, Earnhardt passed both his teammate, Mike Skinners, and his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the last lap. Earnhardt took home the win, which would be his 76th and final career NASCAR win.
Bill Elliott was the driver to beat on superspeedways in 1985, and that was shown during the 1985 Winston 500 at Talladega. Elliott fell two laps down early due to mechanical problems, and it seemed his race was over. Well, people forgot that Elliott had the fastest stock car on the planet that day.
Elliott made up 2 laps to take the lead once again late in the race. Oh, by the way, he had no caution flags to bunch the field back up. He made up over 5 miles exclusively under green flag conditions. Likely something that would never happen again, and Elliott went on to win the race.
These comebacks show NASCAR fans that they should never turn off a race or leave the track early. Something crazy just might happen.
Two NASCAR Cup Series crew members for Ross Chastain’s No. 1 team were suspended following the race at Circuit of the Americas
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On February 17, Ubisoft released a trailer that confirmed that NASCAR would be included in The Crew Motorfest’s next season update. Details were limited at the time, but in a press release issued today, Ubisoft revealed the full details of the update ahead of its March 4 launch.
Ubisoft says drafting will affect car speed and help save fuel, implying that drafting will be a huge factor in the game, at least with these cars. You can check out this and much more on Ubisoft’s official post linked below
Earlier this Tuesday, the official The Crew Motorfest account clarified confusion around the NASCAR bundles. The Crew Credit (CC) bundles only include cosmetic team liveries, not additional cars. The 3 base Next Gen cars (Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Toyota Camry XSE, and Chevrolet ZL1) are part of the free Season 9 update and can be purchased separately.
Mitch Rasmussen, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Interactive, said in the press release:
We’re excited to bring our iconic brand to life in The Crew Motorfest. This collaboration represents another important step in our strategy to bring NASCAR into the digital spaces and places where next generation fans spend their time, giving players new ways to interact with the culture and communities they love.
The content arrives as part of Year 3 Season 9 and is officially licensed by NASCAR. You can watch the first trailer and learn more in the article linked below
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Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
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