As Motorsport.com does at the conclusion of every NASCAR season, it’s time to take a look back at the ten closest finishes of 2025 in the Cup, Xfinity, and Craftsman Truck Series. Stock car racing is known for its action-packed events with no shortage of dramatic finishes.
But surprisingly, the closest finish of the year would have only been good enough for fifth on 2024’s list. Even still, there were plenty of thrilling battles to look back on.
The Cup Series makes up five of the top ten, followed by Xfinity with three and Trucks with two, but the Truck Series managed to give us the closest finish of the entire year. Phoenix Raceway was also an unexpected star, appearing three times in the top ten. As expected, drafting tracks like Talladega, Daytona, and Atlanta still made up the majority of the list.
Now, with assistance of both video and photos, here are the ten closest finishes from this past year in NASCAR:
10. NASCAR Xfinity Talladega (fall): Austin Hill vs. Carson Kvapil — 0.105s
Watch: Dominant day: Austin Hill claims victory at Talladega
In overtime, Hill was in complete control of an unorganized pack. Sanchez had a run at him, but got hooked into the wall by his pusher as Hill defended the lead. With the field side-by-side behind him, no one could get around the superspeedway king.
9. NASCAR Xfinity Atlanta (summer): Nick Sanchez vs. Carson Kvapil — 0.104s
Watch: Nick Sanchez grabs first Xfinity Series win at EchoPark Speedway
Kvapil was on the losing end of two of these close finishes, and is still searching for his first win at the national level of the sport. At EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta), Sanchez earned his first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He led at the white flag, and with his rivals single-file behind him, no one could build a run to challenge him for the win at the end.
8. NASCAR Cup Phoenix finale: Ryan Blaney vs. Brad Keselowski — 0.097s
Watch: High five! Kyle Larson clinches Cup Series title; Blaney wins finale thriller
In the final race of the year, all eyes were on the championship battle, but the fight for the win was extraordinary as well. Keselowski had stayed out on old tires, hoping to earn RFK Racing’s first win of the 2025 season. Sadly, he overshot the final corner, allowing Blaney to cut under him and take the checkered flag. They were three-wide for second behind him.
7. NASCAR Cup Kansas (fall): Chase Elliott vs. Denny Hamlin — 0.069s
Watch: Elliott wins Kansas after Hamlin contact sends Wallace into wall
In a wild finish, Hamlin pushed up the track while battling Bubba Wallace, sending the car he owns into the outside wall. Elliott came storming by on the inside, slamming doors with Hamlin as he stole the win with an incredible final lap charge.
6. NASCAR Truck Talladega (fall): Gio Ruggiero vs. Corey Heim — 0.059s
Gio Ruggiero, TRICON Garage Toyota wins, followed by teammate Corey Heim
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
A first-time winner in the Trucks, Ruggiero had to hold off his teammate and newly crowned champion Heim on the final lap. Heim looked to the outside as they raced to the line, but Ruggiero blocked aggressively, hanging on to the race win.
5. NASCAR Cup Phoenix (spring): Christopher Bell vs. Denny Hamlin — 0.049s
Watch: Bell keeps Hamlin at bay to win third Cup Series race in a row
Phoenix appears on this list a lot, including both Cup races. The first Phoenix race of the year also ended in a photo finish of sorts. Two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers faced off on the final lap, with Bell pushing Hamlin wide and beating him right at the line. It was Bell’s third consecutive win of the year in an impressive streak.
4. NASCAR Xfinity Phoenix (spring): Aric Almirola vs. Alex Bowman — 0.045s
Watch: Aric Almirola bests Alex Bowman with contact at the finish line
Again at Phoenix, but this time in the Xfinity Series. In overtime, Bowman took the lead with a remarkable four-wide pass. Almirola got back under him, but Bowman had all the momentum out of the final corner. Almirola pushed up and slammed Bowman into the wall, snatching the win back in the final moments of the race.
3. NASCAR Cup Daytona (summer): Ryan Blaney vs. Daniel Suarez — 0.031s
Watch: Four-wide finish! Ryan Blaney wins regular-season finale at Daytona
A truly incredible finish as Blaney surged from outside the top ten with two laps to go to win the regular season finale. At the line, they were essentially four wide for the win with Cole Custer, Justin Haley, and Suarez also next to the driver of the No. 12 Penske Ford. However, Suarez was the closest as they crossed the finish line.
2. NASCAR Cup Talladega (spring): Austin Cindric vs. Ryan Preece — 0.022s *DQ*
Watch: By a nose: Cindric skates past Preece to win at ‘Dega
This one has a bit of asterisks because the second-place finisher was later disqualified for failing post-race inspection. But before that, Preece was just a few feet away from what he thought was going to be his first win at the Cup level. The two Ford drivers drag-raced to the line, but Cindric stayed just ahead of him as he picked up a draft from some lapped cars the field was rapidly approaching.
1. NASCAR Truck at Atlanta (spring): Kyle Busch vs. Stewart Friesen — 0.017s
Watch: Kyle Busch bests Stewart Friesen by 0.017 seconds to win Truck race at Atlanta | NASCAR
The closest finish of the year! Friesen was attempting to end a winless streak that dated back to 2022 while Busch was looking to extend his advantage as the winningest driver in Truck Series history. Friesen had the advantage exiting the final corner, but Busch clawed forward as he side-drafted the Truck Series regular. At the line, Busch edged ahead by a nose in his No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.
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