In only the second race of the 2024 Cup Series season, NASCAR provided the best of its goods. The Ambetter Health 400 on Sunday culminated in a photo-finish with Daniel Suarez edging past second-placed Ryan Blaney by 0.003 seconds and third-placed Kyle Busch by 0.007 seconds. Jitters continuing from the excitement that the drivers stormed up on the 1.54-mile track, here’s a look at the closest finishes in Cup Series history.
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Meanwhile, Rickey Craven’s victory over Kurt Busch in the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 remains the closest recorded margin with a lead of 0.002 seconds. The race at Darlington provided both drivers their first chance at a win in the season, and Craven ended up clinching the honors. It was his final victory in the Cup Series and he led just one lap – the final one – in the race.
Standing alongside the 2003 race is the bout between Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer in the 2011 Aaron’s 499. The race at Talladega was one of the 7X Cup Series champion’s most thrilling displays of speed on the track. One of the prime reasons for Johnson being able to find his way to the victory lane was his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s commitment to their game plan.
Johnson and Dale Jr. had pre-decided between themselves to finish first and second and drafted alongside each other from the first lap till the last. Dale Jr. said, “We never went more than a half a lap without each other.” With a final push from him, Johnson got past Bowyer by a margin of 0.002 seconds.
The 2024 Ambetter Health 400 is the third-closest finish in history
Sunday’s race is next on the list of closest victory margins (0.03 seconds) in the Cup Series. Trackhouse Racing’s #99 driver Suarez has been on the hot seat for a while now, notably since the introduction of Shane Van Gisbergen. With questions beginning to find density over his skill and speed, the driver has bounced back into the picture with a victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
His achievement was particularly appealing because he did not look poised to win until the race’s final laps. With Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Todd Gilliland, and even Austin Cindric alternating their positions in the forefront, Suarez got ahead on a late restart. As he, Busch, and Blaney shouldered each other on their way to the checkered flag, he tipped his nose forward to create history in the superspeedway. It was only his second career victory (First, 2022 Sonoma) and first in an oval track.
