Most shocking NASCAR playoff moments

The NASCAR postseason is here and the frantic next ten weeks are known for producing some of the sport’s wildest moments on the way to deciding the series’ champion. Although it’s impossible to shine a light on every dramatic moment over the years, we picked those that had the biggest impact on the playoffs — or the sport as a whole. So here’s a look at the ten most shocking moments in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

The Greatest Pass – Ross Chastain’s “Hail Melon” wallride

It was the penultimate race of the 2022 season, and Ross Chastain was facing certain elimination from the NASCAR Cup playoffs. His first year with the fledgling Trackhouse Racing Team had been an incredible one, winning twice and making a lot of enemies along the way — none more so than Denny Hamlin. The two drivers had several run-ins and the elimination race at Martinsville was no different. They rubbed fenders and slammed doors while battling for the chance to advance into the Championship 4.

But the day belonged Hamlin, who had a two-point advantage over Chastain on the final lap. There was no way he could possibly gain more positions on his own. It was over. But the eighth-generation Florida watermelon farmer simply refused to accept defeat. What followed was one of, if not the most unbelievable pass in the history of NASCAR. The “Martinsville Miracle” as some have called it, but better known simply as the “Hail Melon.” As the pack slammed on the brakes, downshifting as they filed into the tight Turns 3 and 4 of the half-mile short track, Chastain upshifted instead. He kept the pedal to the floor, planting the No. 1 Chevrolet against the outside wall.

The car ripped along the outermost bounds of the track, grinding against the wall and blistering around astonished competitors. He lost hold of the wheel as he flew past five cars in total, drawing even with Hamlin at the line and eliminating his season-long rival from title contention. There was a stunned silence, and then there were only cheers. The move went viral — so iconic that the team retired the race car and the track cut out a section of the wall in honor of it. NASCAR honored it in their own way, banning the daring maneuver so that no one could ever attempt it again. 

Desperation from the title favorite as it all comes crashing down

Kevin Harvick looked unstoppable in 2020. He led the field in race wins, top-fives, top-tens, laps led, and average finish. He was also the regular season champion. Before the year started, NASCAR moved the title-decider from Homestead to Phoenix Raceway, where Harvick was the undisputed king. Despite all this, he was facing possible elimination in the penultimate race of the season. On the final lap, he needed just one more position to avoid this nightmare scenario. Exiting the final corner, he flicked the wheel to the right in a desperate move, spinning Kyle Busch for the one point he needed to advance. Busch immediately lopped around, but so did Harvick. Busch did a complete rotation before continuing onward without losing any spots. Harvick’s car crashed into the outside wall instead, coming to an abrupt halt as he watched one of the best seasons of his career go up in smoke.

Logano wins the battle, and the war

In 2018, Logano faced off with reigning champion Martin Truex Jr. at Martinsville Speedway. Truex cleanly stole the lead away from Logano, but he was naive to think the always-aggressive Penske driver was just going to give in. There was a bump, a door, and suddenly the cars were locked together in a tandem slide at the exit of the corner. Both cars nearly crashed as they slammed fenders and Logano narrowly took the win, locking himself into the Championship 4.

With two thumbs down, Truex boldly declared in his post-race interview: “He may have won the battle, but he ain’t winning the damn war.” But Truex still chose to race clean when the two drivers locked swords again in the title-decider. Logano had the better car and prevailed, winning the war as well as becoming a NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Jimmie Johnson’s last stand and Kyle Larson’s heroic charge

Jimmie Johnson has always been a methodical, calculated driver. There’s a reason he won seven titles. However, the NASCAR legend let his desire for a checkered flag supersede his judgment during the 2018 Round of 16 elimination race at the Charlotte ROVAL. Pursuing Martin Truex Jr. into the final chicane, he attempted to out-brake him and locked up the tires. Moments later, he was spinning out of control, clipping Truex’s car and sending him around as well. Ryan Blaney blasted through the chaos to win, but in that moment, Johnson was moments away from losing far more than a race win.

He had entered the final chicane seven points to the good, but those positions were quickly vanishing as he scrambled to get to the line. Far behind the field, there was the twisted green wreck of a wounded car. Kyle Larson was limping around the track with what was left of his machine after an earlier incident. With Johnson in trouble, an opportunity suddenly presented itself to Larson. Slamming into the wall as the car was difficult to steer, he dragged the car through the final chicane. Sitting there was the spun car of Jeffrey Earnhardt from another last-lap incident. Larson clobbered the wall again and slowly crossed the line, passing Earnhardt and eliminating Johnson from the playoffs. The 7x champ never made the playoffs again, nor has he managed to reach Victory Lane since.

Carl Edwards walks away, and never returns

Carl Edwards was a driver who everyone saw as a future champion. He ended his rookie season third in the championship standings. In 2008, he was the runner-up, and in 2011, he lost the title in a tie with Tony Stewart. He could not come any closer and it seemed inevitable that one day he would win it all. In 2016, he made the Championship 4 and appeared to have the title in hand with just 15 laps to go at Homestead, However, a caution for a slowing back-marker with a tire issue forced a late-race restart. As the event got back underway, Joey Logano tried to make it three-wide to the inside of Edwards, who blocked aggressively. Edwards spun, slamming the inside wall head-on before coming back up the track. The car launched off the ground as competitors slammed into him in a spectacular crash.

Edwards was uninjured, walking from the wreckage with a wave to the crowd. Calmly, the Cup veteran made his way across the track and shook hands with Logano’s crew chief, showing no ill will towards his rivals. And that was it. He never raced a Cup car again. His shocking retirement rattled the NASCAR world just before the new season. He noted a desire to spend more time with his family and wanting to do some things outside of the sport, forever leaving an empty shelf where that championship could have been.

Joey Logano had already punched his ticket into the Round of 8 in the fall of 2015, but Matt Kenseth had not when they battled for the win at Kanas Speedway. Logano ended up spinning Kenseth out of the race lead and subsequently, ended his playoff run. Having made an enemy out of Kenseth, that one race win was about to prove very costly.

Martinsville opened the Round of 8 that year and Logano was in position to win again and lock himself into the Championship 4. Kenseth, though, was thinking about settling the score. Already out of contention due to an earlier incident, he patiently waited for Logano to lap him. When that moment arrived, Kenseth blatantly sent Logano careening into the outside wall. Logano followed Kenseth to playoff elimination, but the latter driver was suspended for his actions. He didn’t care. In his mind, they were even, and the fans roared. The incident directly led to Jeff Gordon claiming his 93rd and ultimately, final NASCAR Cup win that day.

Advance … at any cost?

At Talladega in 2015, NASCAR expected chaos. Because of this, they implemented a cap on overtime restarts, but this move actually caused more controversy in the end. It was a situation where a caution flag before the white flag could actually end the race for once. Late in the running, Kevin Harvick’s engine was failing him. On the restart, he moved high to let the field pass, but a wreck quickly froze the field and pushed the race into its final overtime restart. This time, Harvick stayed in line, forcing Trevor Bayne to go to his outside. Only then did Harvick move up the track, spinning Bayne and igniting a race-ending crash that saved him from losing upwards of 15-20 points. Was he trying to just get out of the way or was it something more nefarious?

Eyebrows immediately raised with Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth, who accused Harvick of foul play. NASCAR never took any action against him, clearing him upon review, but fans were furious. Harvick advanced into the Championship 4 that year, but lost the title to Kyle Busch, who, even having missed a third of the season with a leg injury, still won his way into the playoffs.

Taking ‘knockout’ format a bit too literally

In 2014, NASCAR introduced the elimination-style, or knockout format for the playoffs. Nobody was quite sure how it would translate onto the track, but the answer turned out to be pure chaos. Desperation to escape elimination only heightened through each round, leading to not one, but two explosive brawls involving Brad Keselowski. At Charlotte Motor Speedway, Keselowski was furious after the race. He intentionally ran into Denny Hamlin and then Matt Kenseth, while also damaging Tony Stewart’s car. Did I mention this all happened on the cool-down lap? The situation spilled over into the garage area as Keselowski and Hamlin shouted at each other. Tempers reached a boiling point, and NASCAR worked to keep the drivers apart. But as Keselowski went to leave — cameras trailing as he marched between haulers — like a moment straight out of the WWE, the normally quiet Kenseth then appeared, tackling Keselowski with crew members quickly joining the fray.

Keselowski was public enemy number one, and this moment turned out to only be the appetizer. Three weeks later, the remaining playoff drivers were trying to punch their ticket into the Championship 4 with a victory at Texas Motor Speedway. Keselowski forced his way up the middle on a late-race restart, cutting down a tire on Gordon’s No. 24 machine. After the race, there was a heated discussion, but NASCAR wasn’t about to allow a repeat of the incident at Charlotte. The two drivers never got within arm’s reach of each other … until Kevin Harvick helped things along. Out of nowhere, he shoved Keselowski closer to the irate Gordon and then stood back to watch the fireworks. Gordon grabbed him by the collar and it was on. Both drivers went to the ground as an all-out brawl ensued with crew members piling in and punches being thrown. Both drivers emerged bloodied and beaten in a fight that resulted in NASCAR suspending four crew members. Neither went on to win the title. That ended up being the one who lit the match — Kevin Harvick.

A weird and wild day in Texas

The 2010 AAA 500 at Texas Motor Speedway was simply bizarre. Jimmie Johnson was attempting to win his fifth consecutive title in a level of domination the sport had never seen before. Kyle Busch invoked his constitutional right to freedom of speech after being penalized for giving the double bird to NASCAR officials, and that wasn’t even the craziest moment from the race. 30 laps later, Jeff Burton intentionally wrecked Jeff Gordon, which ended both of their days. Gordon climbed from his car and a physical altercation between the veteran drivers broke out on the backstretch.

Okay, but what does any of this have to do with the playoffs? We’re getting there. So, Johnson needed to make up ground on title rival Denny Hamlin, but a series of bad pit stops was hurting his chances. That’s when crew chief Chad Knaus took matters into his own hands. With Gordon out of the race, Knaus swapped the pit crews mid-race and millions watched as the No. 48 team was relieved of their duty and replaced by the No. 24 crew.

“You’ve just destroyed the morale of everybody in one of those blue-and-white uniforms,” said the broadcast. It was a shocking and embarrassing moment for the nearly infallible group that had dominated the sport for the last half-decade. However cruel, the decision did lead to faster stops and two weeks later, Johnson won his fifth straight title … but with the No. 24 crew still pitting the car and sharing the glory.

Kurt Busch and the miraculous loose wheel

The first year of what was then known as “The Chase” culminated with a thrilling finale and several drivers still in play for the title. Kurt Busch was in control of the points, but his hopes of becoming a NASCAR Cup champion appeared to be crumbling on the 94th lap of the race. He was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop under green-flag conditions with a loose wheel. He was about to lose at least one lap, if not more. But in a stunning twist, the loose right-front wheel separated from the No. 97 Ford a second before he crossed over into the pit lane. The car just barely missed the attenuator as it entered the pits on three wheels while the wayward wheel rolled onto the track. Immediately, the caution flag flew.

Busch’s crew completed the stop and were able to stay on the lead lap, thanks to the caution. The rogue wheel nearly caught up to its driver as he exited the pit lane, finally coming to a rest on the apron. Busch was now running 28th and fell behind Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson in the points fight. However, thanks to not losing a lap, he was able to quickly claw back through the field over the final 150 laps. If that wheel had come off just one moment later, it could have been a very different story. The elder Busch brother would go on to win the first-ever Chase for the Cup, just eight points ahead of Johnson.

Honorable mentions: Denny Hamlin throws away 2010 title; Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards tie in 2011 title fight; Newman walls Larson for final transfer spot at Phoenix in 2014; Hamlin vs. Elliott at Martinsville/Phoenix in 2017; Logano and Hamlin fight at Martinsville in 2019