Top 5 Closest Finishes in NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series History at Talladega Superspeedway

#2: 1993 Diehard 500- 0.005s

Dale Earnhardt recorded one of his record 10 Talladega victories in 1993

The runner up spot on this list goes to the 1993 Diehard 500. While the finish may be close and memorable, the crashes and their ramifications may be of even more note. Also, while Dale Earnhardt won the race, this one isn’t as memorable as his 2000 victory here.

The first wreck occurred on lap 69 when Stanley Smith and Jimmy Horton collided in Turn One. Six other cars were collected in the incident, but Horton’s car went up the track and over the outside retaining wall. The car tumbled down an embankment and landed on a dirt access road. Miraculously, Horton did not suffer any serious injuries although Smith suffered a skull fracture, but would fully recover. This accident led to the installation of catch fences along the entire superspeedway, including Daytona.

The second incident occurred on lap 132 when Neil Bonnett went into the catch fence, much like Bobby Allison did in 1987. This led to the invention of roof flaps for the next season.

On the final lap, Earnhardt and Ernie Irvan would remain side by side heading to the line when Earnhardt would edge ahead for the victory with the margin being 0.005 seconds, which would be the second closest finish at Talladega since the implementation of electronic scoring loops.