Beyond the Flag
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NASCAR: 5 fantastic Atlanta finishes in the modern era

By Marty Czekala

HAMPTON, GA - FEBRUARY 24: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #17 Little Hug Ford, and Aric Almirola, driver of the #10 Smithfield Ford, lead the field at the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 24, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
HAMPTON, GA - FEBRUARY 24: Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #17 Little Hug Ford, and Aric Almirola, driver of the #10 Smithfield Ford, lead the field at the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 24, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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HAMPTON, GA – MARCH 20: Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Roush Racing Ford, beats Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Photo By Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
HAMPTON, GA – MARCH 20: Carl Edwards, driver of the #99 Roush Racing Ford, beats Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (Photo By Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

3. 2005 Golden Corral 500

  • Sunday, March 20, 2005
  • Winner: Carl Edwards
  • Margin of victory: .028 seconds

This was the first full race I remember watching as a kid and it was awesome to watch this finish.

This race was dominated by Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle, who led a combined 307 of the 325 laps, and one might have thought the battle would come down to them.

Enter Carl Edwards. During the final caution flag period, which led to pit stops, he beat out Johnson and Biffle to lead the field to the green flag. But four laps into the final run, Johnson was able to get by him.

The two drivers dueled it out until the end, when Edwards made a pass stick on the outside to get by Johnson.

Edwards secured his first win and confirmed the fact that he was “NASCAR’s newest star”, in the words of Mike Joy. The day before, he won the Xfinity Series race at the track by leading 47 of the 203 laps. He only led nine laps in the Cup Series race, but he led the lap that mattered.

And then came one of the most unique celebrations in NASCAR, the backflip.

After this race, Edwards became one of my favorite drivers to watch. It was hard to watch him beat Johnson, my favorite at the time, but I believed in his talent and the photo finish was incredible.

Later that year, Edwards won again in Atlanta to sweep the races there in 2005. He won again at the track in 2008, and in the Xfinity Series, he won again in 2011.

How about some more close finishes?

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