How do you fumble a championship? Dominance in NASCAR is meaningless if you are unable to seal the deal. Some of the best drivers in history have had almost flawless seasons, only to have everything fall apart when the stakes were highest. These drivers had the trophy within reach—until catastrophe hit. Regardless of whether it was a playoff reset, a disastrous collapse, or a rival’s retaliation.
Some were simply outperformed by all-time greats, while others were the victims of cruel competitors or poor fate. From Carl Edwards’ near-misses to Jeff Gordon’s heartbreaks, hold on tight as we revisit the ten best “bottles” in NASCAR history.
10. Jeff Gordon (2007)–A Chase reset disaster
The championship was his-until it wasn’t. The 2007 season for Jeff Gordon was a masterclass in domination and consistency. He left the rest of the field in his wake by the end of the regular season, having accumulated a two-race lead in points. He should have been guaranteed the title based on his 30 top-10 finishes in 36 races. Then came the Chase reset.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JULY 22: Jeff Gordon, driver of the #88 Axalta Chevrolet, prepares to drive during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 23, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
Gordon’s enormous advantage vanished in an instant, and his points leveled with those of the opposition. Jimmie Johnson, as if on cue, found another gear and swept past his Hendrick Motorsports colleague in the final four races of the season. It was over by the time they arrived at Homestead. Gordon, the year’s top driver, was left in disbelief. The championship was taken away by the system itself, not by poor racing.
9. Rusty Wallace (1993)–10 Wins, no title
Winning doesn’t matter if you can’t finish. In 1993, Rusty Wallace was a beast in the car. This season had the potential to be a career-defining championship, with ten victories and a lightning-fast pace. However, the season was marred by four races that decided his fate. DNFs at Pocono, Sonoma, Daytona, and Charlotte, all within the first 15 races, gave Wallace a massive hill to climb for the rest of the season. Despite winning in 5 of the last 10 races, Wallace did not have enough to eclipse Dale Earnhardt that year.
8. Bill Elliott (1985)–Thunder to a whimper
The fastest man in NASCAR lost to strategy. In 1985, Bill Elliott covered the field. He won 10 of the first 20 races with his No. 9 Thunderbird, which was a rocket ship. It was impossible to touch him on superspeedways. Known as the “Million Dollar Bill,” he was rewriting record books, so it wasn’t just hype. However, Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson were masters of the technique of points racing, whereas Elliott and his team were masters of speed.
While Elliott’s team faltered in the latter stages of the season, Waltrip focused on consistency and planned Elliott out of a title. Elliott went from being unbeatable to just another member of the pack throughout the last eight races. The 16-time Most Popular Driver winner finished in the top-10 in just 2 of the last 7 races, sealing his fate in 2nd place. The championship was lost via a long, agonizing decline into mediocrity rather than a crash or blown engine.
7. Carl Edwards (2008)–Outclassed by Johnson
Winning wasn’t enough. In any period, Carl Edwards’ nine-win season and 27 top-10 finishes would have earned him a title. Nevertheless, he left with nothing.
The reason for his demise? The Chase was under Jimmie Johnson’s death grip. Even though Edwards won the Homestead finale after battling his way through the playoffs, it was too late. A faultless Chase effort had given Johnson an unbeatable lead in points.
Entering the Chase, Edwards was poised to finally make up for the heartbreaking 2007 tiebreaker championship which he lost to Tony Stewart, However, Johnson was seeking a three-peat. The first four races of the Chase saw Johnson notch up four top-5 finishes, including wins in Richmond and Kansas. Edwards notched up three top-5 finishes and a 13th place at Richmond, but the next two races sealed their fate.
Edwards finished 29th at Talladega and 33rd at Charlotte, effectively ending hopes as Johnson notched up two top-10s in those races. Despite that, Cosuin Carl put on a show to close out the Chase with three wins in the last five races. But it wasn’t enough to eclipse Johnson, as he was the driver who won the other two races! Edwards could only watch as Johnson lifted his third consecutive championship.
6. Jeff Gordon (1996) – The four-race freefall
One of the worst collapses in championship history. Jeff Gordon was leading the standings, had ten victories, and was about to win a second championship. Then came the last four races. Gordon faltered under pressure at Charlotte, Rockingham, Phoenix, and Atlanta, finishing 31st, 12th, 5th, and 3rd, respectively.
This was enough for Terry Labonte, his teammate, who had just two wins, but his 21 top-5 finishes was a stunning show of consistency which eventually triumphed over Gordon. Labonte showed how important consistency is in motorsports, but our next title collapse was the victim of a new format that did not reward consistency.
5. Kevin Harvick (2020) – NASCAR’s biggest victim of the playoff format
The best driver of 2020 never even got a chance to fight for the title. Kevin Harvick was the undisputed regular-season champion, had the best average finish of any driver, and won nine races. However, NASCAR’s playoff structure rewards one error at the wrong time rather than a whole season. His fate was sealed in the Round of 8 after a poor race at Martinsville. However, his races leading up to that point didn’t help his cause.
He entered the playoffs as the clear favorite and started with a win at Darlington. This was followed by a win at Bristol to end the Round of 16, but that would be his last win of the season. The Round of 12 saw Harvick scrape by, finishing 10th at Las Vegas, 20th at Talladega, and 11th at the ROVAL. He entered the Round of 8 but knew that he needed some strong performances to make the Championship 4.
After a 2nd place finish at Kansas, he struggled at Texas, finishing 16th, and ended his title dreams with a 17th place finish at Martinsville. Yet another stellar season ruined by NASCAR’s ‘win and you’re in’ playoff format.
4. The Big Three (2018)–Logano’s stunning heist
When three giants fell to an underdog. In 2018, Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch took home 20 of the 36 races. Fans and critics alike felt like it was one of these three powerhouse drivers who would take home the title. However, it was a driver who had a mediocre season at best that shocked the world. This was the first glimpse of ‘playoff Joey Logano‘ for NASCAR fans.
The Team Penske driver won just one race in the regular season at Talladega and locked himself into the playoffs, determined to use the format in the smartest way possible. With four top-10 finishes in the first two rounds, Logano cruised to the Round of 8 and then turned up the heat. He won at Martinsville to kick off the Round of 8 and sealed his spot in the final four. Then, he shifted his focus completely to Homestead, securing a thumping win and leading the most laps (80) in the season finale. This was the start of Joey Logano’s playoff mastery, and it has led to two more championships.
3. Kyle Busch (2008)–The ultimate chase collapse
From hero to zero in 10 weeks. Kyle Busch had a stellar start to the year in 2008, taking home eight of the first 22 races. He was the clear favorite when the Chase began. Then the catastrophe started. His stellar season became a nightmare after five finishes in 19th place or worse. He failed to make it to the top 10 in 6 out of the 10 Chase races and managed just two top 5 finishes!
Before he knew what had happened to him, the championship was gone. In NASCAR history, this continues to rank among the worst collapses. A young Kyle Buch was looking to take the Cup Series by storm, and he did for the first half, but consistency was his downfall, as Jimmie Johnson eventually edged out Carl Edwards to win his third consecutive championship.
2. Joey Logano (2015)–Kenseth’s revenge wreck
He had the title in his hands… until payback came calling. After sweeping the Round of 12 and winning six races, Joey Logano was unbeatable until he made an enemy. Logano threw Matt Kenseth out of the lead at Kansas earlier in the playoffs, in a needless wreck while attempting to win a race with his qualification secured after winning in Charlotte the previous week.
This eliminated Kenseth from the race and a shot at the title. Kenseth was fuming and awaited his retribution. Logano was ahead at Martinsville, going for his fourth win in a row, when Kenseth purposefully destroyed him, putting him into the wall. Logano finished 37th at Martinsville, and his car had to be replaced for the rest of the season.
The backup car did not have the speed, and Logano was visibly shaken after realizing his title hopes might have just vanished. He finished 40th at Texas the following week and, despite good runs, could only manage 3rd at Phoenix and 4th in the Homestead finale, giving Kyle Busch his first Cup Series Championship. Bitter retaliation and twisted sheet metal marked the end of a championship-winning season.
1. Mark Martin (1998)–The greatest NASCAR runner-up ever
Mark Martin was brilliant, but Jeff Gordon was legendary. Mark Martin had 7 wins and 22 top-5 finishes in 1998. The epitome of consistency and dominance, this surely should be enough for a championship, right? Well, you would be dead wrong to think that. Jeff Gordon was also having an incredible season alongside Edwards, as he notched up 13 wins and 26 top-5 finishes. The two combined for 20 out of the 26 race wins that year, setting the stage alight.
Martin finished second in four consecutive races in the middle of the season, stretching from New Hampshire to Watkins Glen. While this is a stunning show of consistency, it was Jeff Gordon who won three of those four races! This set up a stunning showdown to end the season, but Martin was no match for Gordon.
The Rainbow Warrior won nine out of the last 16 races of the season, while Martin finished 34th at Talladega in the fifth last race of the year. Gordon finished 2nd at Talladega and picked up three wins after that. One important point to note is that Martin did not suffocate. He didn’t make any errors. At his best, he was just facing one of the greatest of all time. Arguably, the best NASCAR championship-winning season ever.
No lead is safe in NASCAR. These drivers all discovered the hard way that the last race is all that matters, regardless of whether it was a poor race, a bitter rival, or the playoff structure itself. Who is going to bottle it next? Do you know of any other missed titles? Let us know in the comments below!
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