John Hunter Nemechek to Austin Dillon: Recounting the Top 10 Worst Blocks in NASCAR History

For every Big One at a NASCAR plate track, there’s always its lesser-known cousin lurking in the background—the bad block. Indeed, it takes one minor miscalculation from a single wheelman to send the entire field haywire mid-draft. It’s the type of mistake that doesn’t make headlines but can still wreak havoc on the trajectory of a race in an instant. Bumping, drafting, blocking—all these skills and much more, are integral to hone for a budding superspeedway specialist.

However, the margin of error at speeds close to 190 mph is thinner than usual. And the unfortunate drivers on this list are prime examples of why that is. So, without further ado, let’s talk about the ten worst blocks in recent NASCAR history (in no particular order).

John Hunter Nemechek blocking Daniel Hemric at the 2024 Brickyard 400

The 2024 Brickyard 400 marked a much-needed redemption for Kyle Larson. After that entire waiver controversy over his inability to make a lap at the Coca-Cola 600, because of his Double Duty commitments at the Indy 500, Larson had nothing left to prove when he crossed the finish line first ahead of Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney. But the race probably lasted two extra laps than it should’ve, all thanks to an unnecessary block thrown by John Hunter Nemechek. 

Heading into Turn 1, Nemechek’s #42 Legacy Motor Club car was hell-bent on maintaining its P14 position after the first overtime restart. To do that, Nemechek had to defend the oncoming run of Daniel Hemric’s #31 Cirkul Chevrolet on the inside. It shouldn’t have made much of a difference. After all, they still had two laps left to battle. But John Hunter got impatient. He veered to the left, across the nose of Hemric’s car. The ensuing contact sent them both ricocheting off the inside wall towards the outside into the path of additional oncoming traffic. Five cars got caught up in the incident, including the vehicles of Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, and Chase Briscoe. The latter was the only one not credited with a DNF finish when the dust finally settled. 

Carl Edwards loses the 2016 championship after a bad block on Joey Logano

This one almost hurts a little. Entering the championship race at Homestead, Carl Edwards won the 2016 AAA Texas 400 a couple of weeks ago to secure his spot in the final 4. This was the first time in six years that Cousin Carl had put himself so close to the championship he never won. And you best believe he was prepared to do everything in his power to claim his first over Jimmie Johnson’s 7th NASCAR Cup series title, which would put Johnson on level with Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty as the most of all-time!

With 10 laps to go, Edwards put himself in the best spot possible. His Joe Gibbs Racing #19 car lined up on the inside on the front row across from Kyle Larson’s #42 Chip-Ganassi Racing Chevy. Fellow championship contender, Joey Logano’s #22 Ford was right behind Edwards, followed by Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson in Row 3. As the field took the green, Edwards attempted a massive block on Logano charging hard on the inside. He must’ve thought he cleared the #22, but that wasn’t the case. The lack of judgment hurt Edwards’ championship chances as Logano sent his car nose-first into the inside wall. Edwards then shot up the racetrack, triggering a multi-car pileup that involved Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Kasey Kahne, and Martin Truex Jr.

Truex’s car erupted into flames, forcing him to make a quick escape. Fortunately, everybody escaped unharmed, but the wreck brought out a 30-minute red flag for cleanup. Edwards ended up with a 34th-place finish, while Joey Logano finished fourth, which put him second in the championship chase behind Jimmie Johnson.

Richard Petty Motorsports teammates at Pocono 2010

Before Legacy Motor Club went by that name, they were called Richard Petty Motorsports. Around 2010, RPM was facing some financial issues. But that’s not the point here. That same year, they were fielding cars for Kasey Kahne, AJ Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler, and Paul Menard. However, in this instance, Allmendinger drew the ire of nearly 10 drivers he caused to wreck, desperate to hold on to his top-ten finish with a single lap to go at Pocono Raceway.

With the checkered flag in sight, Kasey Kahne, trailing behind Allmendinger, was hungry for a pass on his teammate. Kahne dove low on the inside, putting some serious pressure on Allmendinger. But The Dinger was having none of that. He quickly reacted by cutting off Kahne’s advances, forcing him into the grass. A two-hour rain delay moved the race’s start time by two hours. The track was dry, but the infield grass remained wet. Those conditions caused Kahne’s car to slide uncontrollably back onto the track, right in front of a pack of drivers racing toward the finish. 

The out-of-control #9 received a clobbering from the oncoming car of Mark Martin, setting off a chain reaction that left Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Marcos Ambrose, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler, and Martin Truex Jr. all wrecked in a pileup. Kasey Kahne’s vehicle went airborne for a second, almost clearing the confines of the Pocono triangle. Thankfully, everyone exited their cars unharmed that day. But AJ Allmendinger’s block will go down in history as one of the worst ever in NASCAR.

Ryan Newman’s terrifying crash at the 2020 Daytona 500

The 2020 Daytona 500 has a spot reserved in the NASCAR record books for two things. 1) A heart-pounding final lap battle between Ryan Newman, Ryan Blaney, and Denny Hamlin… and 2) one of the scariest crashes the sport has witnessed in recent regard. With the white flag in the air, Newman prepared for a career-defining win after going winless for three seasons prior, entering the tri-oval leading the rest of the pack. Behind him, Blaney pushed hard, with Denny Hamlin’s #11 Toyota glued to his bumper. The draft worked perfectly—until it didn’t.

Blaney gave Newman one last shove down the backstretch. But as they surged through the final corners, Denny Hamlin pushed the #12 a bit too hard. That sent Blaney wobbling. Working hard to regain control, he ducked low, setting up a move for the win. Newman, desperate to defend Blaney’s charge, threw the block. But the timing was off. Blaney clipped Newman’s bumper, sending the #6 Roush Fenway Ford hard into the wall, narrowly missing Denny Hamlin. The impact flipped Newman upside down on the racetrack.

Then came Corey LaJoie. With nowhere to go, LaJoie’s car struck Newman’s driver’s door-first with devastating force. This sent Ryan Newman trapped in his car across the finish line. Fans at the track and those at home watched in stunned silence as the #6 Ford came to rest near pit road, finishing its race upside down in ninth place. At first, it felt like we had just become witnesses to a horrifying tragedy. But thankfully, safety workers worked tirelessly for 16 minutes to free Newman, who was then rushed to Halifax Medical Center. By some miracle, he survived with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Weeks later, Newman called his survival a “miracle,” and returned right before the Darlington double-header. 

Brad Keselowski v. Michael McDowell at the 2024 GEICO 500

Michael McDowell had his best chance to return to victory lane at the GEICO 500 earlier this year. He rolled off his advances from the pole position, leading a race-high 36 laps. The #34 Love’s Travel Stop Ford Mustang driver was in front of the pack exiting Turn 4 on the last lap. Victory seemed tantalizingly close. But Talladega had other plans for McDowell. 

As the pack thundered into the tri-oval, Ford teammate Brad Keselowski, a six-time Talladega winner, surged from behind. McDowell threw a bold block to hold off Keselowski’s outside charge. But when Keselowski shifted low, McDowell’s second block came split seconds late. Keselowski tapped McDowell’s No. 34 Ford, sending it into the outside wall. As cars fell one after the other to the carnage that followed, Tyler Reddick slipped through to claim his first win of the season. Keselowski settled for second, while McDowell’s battered car rested in the infield grass, heartbreakingly credited with a 31st-place DNF. Amid the wreckage, Corey LaJoie’s Chevrolet briefly skidded across the finish line on its side, reminding us of The Big One’s unpredictable nature. 

The move that cost Dale Jr. the 2004 NASCAR championship

In the first-ever Chase for the Nextel Cup, Dale Earnhardt Jr. found himself in a heartbreaking situation that cost him a shot at the championship. With three races left in the season, Earnhardt was in prime position to challenge Kurt Busch for the points lead, but a late-race mishap dramatically dashed those hopes at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Dale Jr.’s iconic #8 Budweiser Chevy had been a force to be reckoned with all day, and in the closing laps of the race, it roared into third place. Looking to make a move on Mark Martin for second place, Junior got past the #99 of Carl Edwards, passing him on the inside. But things went south quickly when he tried to slot in between Martin and Edwards. 

With 14 laps remaining, Junior’s DEI Chevy clipped Edwards’ front bumper. The contact sent the red Budweiser machine slamming the inside wall, leaving Junior’s car in tatters. A surefire top-three finish disintegrated into a disappointing 33rd-place result. Instead of taking over the points lead from Kurt Busch, capitalizing on his engine troubles, Earnhardt would drop to fifth in the Chase standings, 98 points behind. Given the stakes, it was an understandable maneuver from Dale Jr. Regardless, when the chaos cooled down, Edwards, who was making his 10th career Cup start in this race, finished a career-best third until that point.

Team Penske ruined a 1-2 finish at the 2021 Daytona 500

Similar to what happened the year before, the 2021 Daytona 500 also ended in chaos. It is almost as if every single plate race from the Gen-6 era closed out dressed in carnage, and this one was no different. A bold block from Joey Logano set the stage for an even wilder finish. Logano, who had led the last 25 laps, engaged in a tense showdown with teammate Brad Keselowski as the pack charged toward the finish. 

With some help from Michael McDowell on his bumper, Keselowski received a big run down the backstretch, aiming to slingshot past his Team Penske #22 teammate for the win. It was the type of move that could make or break a race. So, it broke the field wide open to everyone’s horror. Defending his track position, Logano backed up into Keselowski to break up his momentum. But Keselowski, sensing his one shot at the prestigious Daytona 500, made his move anyway. The two Team Penske cars collided. What followed was an explosion of fiery chaos that tore apart the field. 

The devastating crash collected several top contenders, including Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, and Austin Cindric. However, with the Penske 1-2 duo out of contention, Michael McDowell had a clear path to his first-ever Cup Series victory under yellow. Hey, at least a Ford benefited from all the Ford-induced wreckage.

The first Daytona Truck race was a spine-chilling affair

It was one of the scariest Big Ones in Daytona International Speedway history. We’re talking about the inaugural Craftsman Truck Series race at the World Center of Racing in 2000. As the field hurtled down the backstretch around Lap 56, rookie Kurt Busch, who was making his first-ever Truck Series start, found himself three-wide with Rob Morgan and Geoff Bodine.

Now, Rob Morgan never won a NASCAR race. For that fact, he was more famous for his ownership role at Morgan-Dollar Motorsports during the early 2000s. However, most longtime NASCAR fans remember Morgan for causing the contact that launched Geoff Bodine’s truck into the catch fence like a missile, tearing through the sheet metal barriers as if it were paper. Morgan tried to block Busch to maintain track position in an ill-timed move, but the younger driver wasn’t backing down. As they barreled down the track at nearly 190 mph, Morgan’s truck moved across the nose of Kurt Busch’s vehicle, triggering a chain reaction that sent him spinning into Bodine. What followed was sheer chaos.

Fans screamed in horror as Bodine’s truck flipped nine times. The wreck involved 13 vehicles, including that of Ryan McGlynn, who collided with the twisted wreckage of Bodine, adding more chaos to the already catastrophic scene. The impact was so violent that it ripped the engine out of Bodine’s hood—somehow landing 355 feet away in Turn 2. It was one of the most violent crashes NASCAR had ever seen. Yet, somehow, Bodine was still alive and talking. He survived the crash with a few broken bones and a concussion. After a 55-minute red flag delay for track clearance, Mike Wallace won the first-ever truck race at Daytona with Kurt Busch in his tow.

2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400: Austin Dillon wrecks from the lead with 9 laps to go

Austin Dillon has some history with the fall race at Daytona. In 2015, he suffered a terrifying airborne wreck that had everyone praying for his safety. He walked away safely. Weirdly enough, two of his five NASCAR Cup Series wins have come at Daytona, although it could’ve been three back in 2019.

Starting 21st, in the middle of the pack, Dillon climbed up slowly to win Stage 2 and found it in him to lead the most laps in the race. However, rain clouds were approaching the World Center of Racing quickly, and everyone knew the race could be over at any moment. So, nobody was leaving an inch on the racetrack. The chaos finally unfolded on lap 119 when race leader Dillon moved to the inside to block Clint Bowyer’s run. But the two cars didn’t clear each other. Dillon’s #3 Chevy slid down the track, locking with Bowyer’s #14 Ford and setting off a chain reaction that sent cars scattering in all directions.  

And just like that, the Daytona high banks lay littered with 18 wrecked machines, including fan favorites like Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Busch. However, with rain on the horizon, the race would run for seven more laps before the cars had to return to the pits for an early ending. That opened the door for Justin Haley to claim his debut victory with Spire Motorsports at the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Brad Keselowski sends Carl Edwards airborne at the 2009 Aaron’s 499

Some say this is where the Brad Keselowski-Carl Edwards beef of the early 2010s kicked off. The 2009 Aaron’s 499 at Talladega was pure NASCAR chaos. Edwards and a 25-year-old Keselowski weren’t in Victory Lane contention for the entire race. Then, they teamed up in tandem to make their way towards the front of the pack. 

As they charged toward the tri-oval, Keselowski knew that if he had to make a move on Edwards, there wasn’t a better time than now. So, Edwards attempted to shut the door on Keselowski, who was forcing the issue on the inside. And that’s when disaster struck at ‘Dega. The slightest contact between Keselowski’s front bumper and Edwards’ left rear quarter panel sent the #99 Ford airborne in moments. 

And if that wasn’t scary enough, Ryan Newman’s oncoming car slammed into the side of Edwards’ car, launching it into the catch fence with terrifying force. Fans gasped in disbelief as debris from the wreck flew into the stands, injuring eight spectators. The images of Edwards’ mangled car at Talladega would continue to haunt the sport for years. 

But here’s the wild part: Edwards, seemingly unscathed, climbed out of his car and jogged across the finish line. The crowd roared in applause, and Mike Joy couldn’t help but call it a moment that brought out “shades of Ricky Bobby.” As Keselowski crossed the line first to claim his first Cup win, Edwards’ fearless moment captured the hearts of fans everywhere.

So, do you think we left out any mentions on this list that rightfully deserve a spot? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.