Five most heartbreaking championship losses in NASCAR history

Auto racing is an inherently cruel sport, and NASCAR racing has seen its fair share of heartbreaking championship losses. Here are five that has been particularly painful for the driver that came out on the losing end. 

5. Lee Petty, 1950

Bill Rexford claimed the 1950 Cup Series title over Fireball Roberts, but it was Lee Petty who was the recipient of heartbreak. At that time, NASCAR president Bill France Sr. did not allow NASCAR drivers to race in other racing series — a rule that Petty broke and was subsequently heavily penalized for. Petty was docked all of his points in July, and would've easily won the title without the penalty. 

4. Darrell Waltrip, 1979

The 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season started out with Darrell Waltrip finishing runner-up to Richard Petty in the Daytona 500 and ended with Waltrip finishing runner-up to Petty for the championship. 

Waltrip led Petty by two points going into the season finale at the Ontario (Calif.) Motor Speedway, but finished eighth to Petty's fifth-place result. That was enough to lift Petty over Waltrip for his seventh and final Cup Series championship. 

3. Bill Elliott, 1992

The 1992 NASCAR championship battle is mostly known for the triumphant story of underdog Alan Kulwicki, who won the championship in what could only be described as the culmination of a Hollywood story. But Elliott's heartbreaking loss — which came after Kulwicki earned the bonus points for leading the most laps in the season finale by one lap over Elliott — was the other side of the story. 

Elliott won the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway that day, but ended up 10 points shy of Kulwicki for the title. Softening the blow was Elliott's 1988 championship, which was the only one he earned during his legendary driving career. 

2. Carl Edwards, 2016 

Edwards, a 28-time Cup Series winner, had already won nearly everything there is to win in NASCAR going into the 2016 championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Edwards was one of the four drivers eligible for the championship during the season finale, and looked to have the title all but sewn up in the closing laps. 

With 15 laps to go, however, the caution flew, re-racking the field for a late-race restart. In a desperation move, Edwards attempted to block fellow championship contender Joey Logano on the restart, which resulted in Edwards hitting the inside wall and Jimmie Johnson winning his record-tying seventh championship. 

As shocking as the heartbreak of losing the championship was, it was nothing compared to the shock felt around the NASCAR world when Edwards announced his sudden retirement from NASCAR competition in January 2017. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in February 2025. 

1. Denny Hamlin, 2025 

Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner and future Hall of Famer in his own right, has won 60 Cup Series races. He looked to be well on his way to a 61st and a long-awaited championship on Nov. 2, leading the championship race with three laps to go. 

However, a blown tire from fellow title contender William Byron resulted in a late-race restart. Hamlin decided to take four tires on the final pit stop, while Kyle Larson took two and was suddenly in the cat bird's seat in regard to the championship outlook. 

Larson stayed ahead of Hamlin in NASCAR overtime to secure his second title and leave Hamlin still chasing his first going into Hamlin's 21st season of competition in 2026.