Keeping up Motorsport.com’s annual tradition, it’s time to take a look back at the ten closest finishes of the 2026 season in the Cup, O’Reilly, and Truck Series. Feel free to check out the 2025 list HERE.
Once again, drafting tracks dominated the list, making up six of the top ten positions, but not the No. 1 slot, which is a very rare occurrence, though it did also happen in 2024 with Kansas Speedway. This year, Charlotte Motor Speedway took the crown with its first fall race back on the oval since 2017.
And now, here are the ten closest finishes from this past year in NASCAR:
10. NASCAR Truck Talladega: Sammy Smith vs. Tyler Ankrum — 0.091s
Sammy Smith wins, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Smith won two races this year, winning both on the same weekend, and each finish managed to make this top ten list. At Talladega in the fall, Smith pushed Majeski by Honeycutt on the frontstretch, and then pulled to his outside and took the win for himself in the final seconds of the race. It was his first-ever victory in the Truck Series, but he wasn’t done winning just yet.
9. NASCAR Truck Rockingham: Corey Heim vs. Kaden Honeycutt — 0.090s
Corey Heim, No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota; Kaden Honeycutt, No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
The combo of Heim vs. Honeycutt appear twice on this list as two of the three closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR Truck season. At Rockingham, Honeycutt ran Heim down in lapped traffic, attempting to earn what would have been his first career Truck win at the time. Honeycutt managed to get to the outside of Heim’s truck at the white flag, but Heim stayed strong on the inside, attempting to use their own teammate to block Honeycutt in. It ultimately worked, as Heim drove deep into Turn 3 and cleared Honeycutt for the win.
8. NASCAR O’Reilly Talladega II: Sammy Smith vs. Carson Kvapil — 0.084s
Sammy Smith wins
Photo by: Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Just one day after that Truck win that made No. 10 on this list, Smith did it again in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series, earning his fourth career NOAPS win and his first of the 2026 season. Smith cut underneath teammate Kvapil on the backsctretch, and then it was a proper drag race for the rest of the final lap. Smith nosed ahead with a helpful push from Hill, becoming the first driver to win multiple national-level NASCAR races on the same weekend at Talladega in 23 years.
7. NASCAR O’Reilly Daytona I: Austin Hill vs. Justin Allgaier — 0.081s
Austin Hill beats Justin Allgaier
Photo by: Michael Bush/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Hill won the NASCAR O’Reilly season-opener at Daytona for the fourth time in the last five years. He pulled off an impressive block down the backstretch, which gave him just enough breathing room out ahead of the pack. Allgaier was closing fast at the exit of Turn 4, but lost his pusher and most of his momentum coming to the checkered flag. Surprisingly, this was actually the closest finish of the entire NASCAR O’Reilly Series, which only makes up two of the top ten spots.
6. NASCAR Cup Atlanta II: Ryan Blaney vs. Christopher Bell — 0.068s
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images
Another dramatic finish at Atlanta. Blaney pulled alongside Hocevar on the white flag, while Wallace sent it underneath them to make it three-wide for the lead into the final set of corners. Hocevar had no help in the middle, and Blaney surged ahead with Bell glued to his back bumper. Wallace actually finished second originally, making this finish even closer, but he was black-flagged for passing below the yellow line.
5. NASCAR Truck Michigan: Corey Heim vs. Kaden Honeycutt — 0.065s
Corey Heim, Tricon Garage, Kaden Honeycutt, Tricon Garage
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
The 2025 and 2026 NASCAR Truck Series champions always put on a show when they found each other on track this year. At Michigan, Honeycutt was following closely in the draft from Heim’s truck, but his last-lap charge was blunted by the fact that Heim had the draft of a lapped truck directly in front of him as well. Honeycutt dropped to the apron as Heim took the win just ahead of him, unable to get properly alongside.
4. NASCAR Cup Bristol I — Ty Gibbs vs. Ryan Blaney — 0.055s
Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske
Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Gibbs finally reached Victory Lane in the Cup Series this year, doing so in dramatic fashion in the Bristol spring race. Gibbs and Blaney spent the entirety of the final two laps side-by-side, with Blaney sliding sideways out of the final corner, falling a few feet shy of the win as he throttled up out of Turn 4. It took Gibbs 131 starts before finally winning at the Cup level.
3. NASCAR Truck Daytona: Chandler Smith vs. Gio Ruggiero — 0.044s
Chandler Smith wins in four-wide finish
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Much like the NASCAR O’Reilly Series, the closest finish of the Truck season came in the very first race of the year. It was a truly epic finish as Nemechek held the lead, but tried to block Ruggiero in the tri-oval. They slammed doors with each other and Eckes as all three trucks pushed up the track, allowing Smith to sneak through by simply hugging the yellow line, making a four-wide pass and snatching the win away.
2. NASCAR Cup Talladega II: Kyle Larson vs. William Byron — 0.041s
Kyle Larson wins, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
The finish that really won Larson the 2026 NASCAR Cup title. After getting pushed out of line from the lead exiting Turn 2 on the final lap, Larson faded back to 11th by the time he reached Turn 3. It seemed to be over for him, but the pack remained disorganized and as Larson got a helpful draft from Chastain, he quickly sliced back through the pack. Stenhouse held the lead, chasing Byron up the track in a failed block. But as they battled among themselves, Larson came surging up the inside out of seemingly nowhere to take the win with Chastain sticking with him to the end.
1. NASCAR Cup Charlotte II: Chase Briscoe vs. Christopher Bell — 0.029s
Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing
Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images
The closest finish of the 2026 NASCAR season, and the closest Cup finish at Charlotte since the iconic 2005 Coca-Cola 600 showdown between Jimmie Johnson and Bobby Labonte. Briscoe had the lead, but Bell made an impressive charge in the final three miles of racing. He was still over one second behind Briscoe with two laps to go, but rapidly made up ground as Briscoe’s tires began to give up. Bell ran the bottom as Briscoe ripped the top through the final set of corners. At the exit of Turn 4, the teammates collided and both drivers barely maintained control as they battled to the finish line. Briscoe held on by less than half-a-car, ensuring his teammate would walk away with a frustrating eighth runner-up finish of the year while only winning once during the season. As for Briscoe, that was his third and final win of the year.
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