Remembering one of the strangest finishes in NASCAR history at Iowa

In 2011, the Iowa Speedway witnessed an unusual and memorable NASCAR race finish. On August 6th, the U.S. Cellular 250 event was held, contested by the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The race was largely led by Roush's cars; Carl Edwards and his teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. jointly led 134 out of the 250 laps. Tensions between the teammates escalated as they fought over third position.

A subsequent caution period allowed both drivers to regroup and refocus on the race. As the race resumed, Stenhouse Jr. (No. 6) and Roush teammate Carl Edwards (No. 60) resumed their side-by-side battle right behind leader Elliott Sadler. At the 22nd lap mark, Sadler moved up the track, allowing Stenhouse Jr. to pull up alongside Edwards. Both cars collided, yet Edwards avoided a major incident.

Unusually, Stenhouse Jr. managed to lead by nearly a second going into the final corner. However, the engine in his car detonated, creating an oil slick and smoke, making it difficult for Edwards to maintain control. Moments from the checkered flag, Edwards struck Stenhouse's car, giving him the momentum needed to cross the line first. Stenhouse's car crashed to the right while Edwards was pushed to the left, both spinning across the line as the crowd roared. Both Roush cars were severely damaged.

Despite the damage, Edwards and Stenhouse managed to finish 1-2 with two damaged Roush cars. Edwards commented that he initially thought it was no big deal to drive around him, but once he saw Stenhouse Jr. running up the track, he took action to win the race. Stenhouse celebrated his wild win by climbing out of his damaged car and riding a safety truck back to Victory Lane. The official winning margin was just 0.066 seconds, but this race remains one of the most extraordinary in NASCAR history.