The eight wildest moments from the NASCAR Playoffs: From fist fights to wall rides

In 2004, NASCAR first introduced a championship system that would go on to become the “Playoffs,” or an elimination-style end to the season designed to maintain Cup Series hype all year round.

But as opportunities for glory were whittled down, tensions inevitably began to rise — and the Playoff format has given us some weird, wild, and frankly mysterious moments as drivers compete to become the next NASCAR Cup Series champion.

Crazy moments from NASCAR Playoffs

Ross Chastain’s wall ride

In the final race before the Championship 4 in 2022, a desperate Ross Chastain knew he needed to make a big move at Martinsville if he wanted to have a shot at the Cup Series Championship; he was sitting in 10th place as the white flag flew, and that wasn’t going to be good enough.

So Chastain ran the side of his Chevrolet into the outside wall at the race track and floored it. The wall provided just enough stability to the driver to race flat-out to the finish, making up just enough positions in the process to shove Denny Hamlin out of championship contention, and to earn himself a slot in the final four.

The video game-esque move was ultimately banned by NASCAR, but the series allowed it to stick in 2022 because, technically, it wasn’t against the rules!

Brad Keselowski throws hands

For years, Brad Keselowski was one of the primary antagonists in the NASCAR paddock, and that was displayed in full force at 2014’s Texas Motor Speedway event. Jeff Gordon looked to be comfortably controlling the race when a desperate Keselowski tried to force a three-wide move that gave Gordon a flat tire.

Gordon approached Keselowski after the race but kept his distance… until Kevin Harvick shoved Keselowski closer to Gordon. What ensued was a massive brawl featuring multiple crew members and plenty of flying fists.

Neither Keselowski nor Gordon won the title that year. Harvick did.

Matt Kenseth wipes out Joey Logano

In 2015, Joey Logano would stop at nothing to secure his slot in the Round of 8 — including wrecking Matt Kensketh for the lead at Kansas Speedway. Logano moved on to the next round of the Playoffs, but Kenseth didn’t.

And Kenseth was understandably irate. At the next race, Martinsville, Logano looked like he was going to take a dominant win — something Kenseth wouldn’t allow.

Kenseth slowed on the track. When Logano appeared behind him to lap him, Kenseth careened into the side of his rival and knocked Logano into the wall.

Kenseth was suspended for the move, but Logano wasn’t able to recover, and he failed to move on to the next round of playoffs.

Pit crew switch-ups

At the 2010 Playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson desperately needed to catch up to Denny Hamlin in order to punch his ticket to the next round of playoffs — but the No. 48 team was cracking under pressure. It seemed that the crew was making simple mistakes during every pit stop, and it could have cost Johnson the race.

Johnson’s crew chief Chad Knaus instead opted for a shocking strategy. He benched the entire No. 48 crew and replaced them instead with teammate Jeff Gordon’s pit crew after Gordon had retired from the race due to intentional contact from Jeff Burton. (And yes, Gordon and Burton also duked it out on the backstretch.)

Knaus kept the No. 24 crew for the remainder of the season, and it earned Johnson yet another title.

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Joey Logano goes after Denny Hamlin

Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin are two of NASCAR’s bigger antagonists, and after 2019’s Martinsville race, the two looked set to come to blows.

On lap 459, Hamlin pushed Logano up into the wall, resulting in a flattened tire for the No. 22. Logano spun — and simmered all the way to the end of the race.

Logano approached Hamlin afterward for a chat that seemed all quite civil until Logano smacked Hamlin’s right shoulder and tried to walk away. Hamlin, refusing to stand for that, lunged at his rival — but not before crew members separated the two men.

Hamlin was still frustrated afterward, telling media, Standing there and having a discussion with him, everything was fine and I think he didn’t get me agitated enough, so he said something and then pokes a little bit and then runs away, trying to get me to come so he could hide behind his guys.

“He’s just not that tough. He won’t stand face to face, and that’s just his style.”

Ryan Newman shoves his way into the finale

Ryan Newman was determined to do whatever he needed to do to make it into the Championship 4, and in 2014, that meant shoving Kyle Larson into the wall to make it happen. It was enough to earn Newman an 11th place finish, which saw him earn a Playoff slot on points.

Heading into that race, it was clear that the battle for the final Playoff spot would come down to Jeff Gordon and Newman — and with Kevin Harvick well off in the lead of the race, Gordon looked set to take score enough points to make it into the finale.

But by advancing just one slot further up the field, Newman knew he going outscore Gordon. Kyle Larson was simply the sacrificial lamb.

Kevin Harvick fails a spin

Kevin Harvick was dominant in 2020… until the final round of the Playoffs. The elimination-style championship format meant that Harvick’s impressive number of wins prior to that point would all come to naught, and that if he didn’t score enough points, he wouldn’t make it to the finale at Phoenix Raceway.

On the last lap, with nothing left to lose, Kevin Harvick dipped to the right, making contact with Kyle Busch. He was hoping to shove Busch out of the way and to make up the points he’d need to move onto the Championship.

Busch immediately looped… but so did Harvick. And while Busch was able to right his car and gas it back to the finish without losing any positions, Harvick wasn’t so lucky. He crashed into the outside wall, and his race — and championship hopes — were over.

A perfectly-timed loose wheel

Back in 2004, NASCAR introduced its first playoff format, then known as “The Chase.” Kurt Busch looked set to take a clear victory when he was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop under green-flag conditions — almost guaranteeing he’d have to struggle for the rest of the race.

But as Busch ducked toward the pit lane, his right-front tire separated from his car and rolled away down pit road.

The rogue wheel instantly resulted in a caution — meaning Busch was able to complete his stop under yellow-flag conditions without losing a lap.

With 150 laps remaining in the season finale, Busch was able to battle his way back up through the field, taking the championship in the process. All thanks to that loose wheel.

Read next: 2024 NASCAR Playoffs: Who made the Cup Series cut, and what to expect from the postseason