The Frontstretch 5: Wild and Wooly Road Course Races

1. Sonoma, 1991

I’d nominate the 1991 Sonoma (then Sears Point) race. Ricky Rudd got to the finish first but was black-flagged for knocking Davey Allison out of the way. Rudd claims he never saw the black flag and the contact wasn’t that flagrant, certainly nothing that hadn’t been done in a NASCAR road course race previously. Word was that a Ford hadn’t won that season and Ford execs were making noise about getting out of the sport. – Matt McLaughlin

2. Watkins Glen, 2012

It might not be one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history, but the 2012 race at Watkins Glen had one of the most exciting last laps ever. The track is drenched in oil and causes leader Kyle Busch to get out of the groove before getting spun out by Brad Keselowski (sound familiar?). The gloves come off, as Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose trade blows, search for grip and drive through the grass en route to Ambrose’s final Cup win. Maybe NASCAR should pour some oil on the track for every road course finish. – Michael Massie

3. Sonoma, 1999

This one’s a two-fer of scary crashes: both Ken Schrader and Steve park flipped during the race.  Both walked away, but a ride like this isn’t something you see once in a race very often, let alone twice. – Amy Henderson

4. Montreal, 2007

Robby Gordon at his finest, wrecking Ambrose and his memorable post-race comments. Good old Robby. Video is a bit choppy but it brings back the memories. – McLaughlin

5. Watkins Glen, 2000

Yeah, I know you’ve seen it a million times, but I remember watching this race, seeing this happen and thinking “Who the hell is this goofball kid, jumping on the roof like he just won the race? What kind of set does he have to DO that?”  Turns out he thought the Styrofoam was concrete and was just happy to be alive. Awesome. – Henderson