Jimmie Johnson over Bobby Labonte: 2005 Coca Cola 600

2nd closest finish of 2005, Bobby Labonte in the Fedex colors tries to fend off Jimmie Johnson who has a major tire rub at the end of the race. After 22 caution flags, this is how it ends...

[@Gforcebond]

I remember after this race Bobby was pissed. Mainly at himself for giving it up on the last lap that's a heartbreaker for sure for the 600. Shows you how much respect they have for another they are both racing each other at over 190 mph for the win in the 600 and never touched each other but put on a great finish.

[@justinbaker5429]

This was the race that made me a johnson fan for life

[@spellTHEman]

Justin Baker same here man, I was a Stewart fan, but had gotten sick of his crybaby/asshole attitude and I began following Jimmie the 2005 season and I’ve never looked back. As sad as I am that he didn’t win the Roval yesterday, I still am grateful for the incredible times I have had as JJ fan, going around the country to see him race, and celebrating 7 titles. I’m gonna be lost without him as a NASCAR fan when he retires.

[@spellTHEman]

Joe Kaput i keep an eye on Logano because he’s from New England like me, and somehow I actually like Brad K now too. Chase Elliott and whoever sits in the 48 after JJ will be guys I follow as well.

[@mikepainter3111]

No body is a Johnson fan!!!

[@YOUARETHATDUDE]

funny I came here to say this is the race that made me hate #48 with a passion but then again Bobby was my favorite driver

[@danielblaise156]

How could this make you a Johnson fan? Who tf doesn’t love Bobby Labonte???

[@TAH2719]

This really pissed me off, i wanted labonte to win so bad!!!

[@Knox48x]

One of the greatest races of all time! Im a Johnson fan..but he learned something that year Edwards beat him at Atlanta when the 99 was a rookie! Whata a race!!! Win or loose when i see a finish like this it reminds me of why i love NASCAR!! Gotta give it to the 48 for driving it in there like he did on the high side of turn 3. I have been there and seen the sparks come outta the bottom of the cars while they are tryin to win..nothing like it in this world! GO 48 FOR THE 4 PEAT!!!!!!

[@gojiman1649]

Man looking at this 15 years later is absolutely insane for me

[@101lemons]

As a Labonte fan, I cried myself to sleep for about 3 months after this.

[@TheCptTrenchfoot]

Amazing finish. I actually smiled, and I'm a Labonte fan. A high pass on the last turn, last lap.. Like watching Days of Thunder. go Cole Trickle ;]

[@AEMoreira81]

This would be the last photo finish at a non-restrictor place track until the spring 2016 Phoenix race.

[@joekaput747]

martinsville, spring 2007? Vegas 2006?

[@Thomas-ib9iu]

no

[@DaMinecraftPlayer]

That looked EXACTLY like edwards and johnson at atlanta!

[@AEMoreira81]

+DaMinecraftPlayer Or Harvick and Edwards today.

[@nascarfanatic2425]

+Adam Moreira That one was closer.

[@HylianRacer]

I remember this race, I was on the edge of my seat cheering for Bobby Labonte, i actually got it on tape

[@BradyEikleberry]

HylianRacer is it on KZbin

[@thekingscene]

This is Nascar at its best. Good ole clean racing

[@KRT049]

DAMN I MISS THIS CAR!!! We haven't had any good photo finishes since the COY!

[@reidpribble3878]

Facts

[@nascarfanatic2425]

Not that I wasn't happy for Jimmie Johnson winning that night, but I think if Bobby ran the high side in 3 and 4, he would've won the Coke 600. Whoever would've guessed this was the last time Bobby Labonte would be battling for the win?

[@daniellowry660]

Not entirely true he did push Trevor Bayne to victory at Daytona

[@nascarfanatic2425]

@@daniellowry660 Good point. If Bobby Labonte had bailed on Bayne, there's a chance he could've done something his brother couldn't do: win the Daytona 500.

[@joshstrong7762]

This race is why I started watching nascar more regularly

[@weaverracing96]

@ironmantj1991 I've never heard Johnson bitch once. He may be upset, but he never shows it. He puts on his Public-relation mask and gets in front of the cameras and microphones and handles himself with class. Look at the Talladega race in 2006, he got wrecked by his teammate, Vickers, knocked out of the race win, and possibly out of the championship. But he still congratulated Vickers on getting his first victory. I'd like to see Kyle Busch ever do that.

[@Fastjet21]

I felt so bad for Bobby Labonte in that race. he struggled most of 2005 that season. that was also the last time I saw him run that good. Bobby deserved that win more than Jimmie johnson. I hope Bobby wins in the 47 car this year, I would like to see him win a few more times before he retires. anybody that agrees with this, vote thumbs up.

[@lurkintomgaming397]

As a Labonte fan, pain pain pain

[@johni43]

If JJ didnt race for Hendrick, we would not have nearly as many wins. To almost pull off a win with older tires against a Hendrick Car, Labonte did awesome. Newman put up a sorry fight for second. Man, I wanted Bobby to win that.

[@SpaztasticTV]

I remember Labonte kicking his car after this race. It was funny.

[@terrym681]

SpaztasticTV wasn't that bristol when he kicked the car?

[@terrym681]

Not if he finished,when bobby kicked his car it was toast.

[@thunderball009]

I really wanted Bobby to win this race. I have never seen him win a race live. Hope he can do it with TRG in

[@nascar48superfan1]

For everyone here that say that Jimmie Johnson cheat. No he don't cheat, because if he cheat every time he win a race, it's because Jeff Gordon helps him to cheat. And you have to think that Jeff Gordon is 8-time champion(4 as a driver and 4 as a onwer)

[@TheCrowing445]

I'm pretty sure Bobby would tell you he'd enter turn 3 high if he had to do it all over again.

[@ryeinc]

I remember this well. Golly day I feel so bad for Bobby, that win woulda been sweet!

[@brodywinrow9222]

Labonte always was class never raced dirty for a win. Big labonte fan and when he went to petty racing it was all over. 2000 champion.

[@DupontandLowesWarrior]

It Was Unselfish for Bobby to NOT wreck Jimmie

[@DumpedClutch]

I was there off of turn 4, it was fucking crazy

[@goldenjimbo007]

Yeah I'll never forget Fatback's victory earthquake when Bill Elliott got that flat tire at Homestead in 2003. Bobby almost won at Darlington and Martinsville in 2004 too, would have been nice to see him get a win in that calendar year and pull off this Coke 600, but some things just aren't meant to be.

[@TheBossLegacy]

I was On the back stretch in this race never forget it

[@OvechkinRLewisLongo]

Best race that I ever had seen in person... JJ48 FOR LIFE!!!

[@JarrettHuff]

What SHOULD BE on Joe Gibbs's to do list: 1. Resign Bobby Labonte 2. Dump Busch 3. Resign Interstate Batteries 4. Movie to Chevy Impala or Ford Fusion Results:...............LABONTE FOR THE WIN!!!!!

[@chrisuncleahmad]

Would you guys have felt the same way if any of the other drivers had beat Labonte the same way, with the whole narrative of 'This was Bobby's last real shot at a win?' Suppose if had been Edwards' 2nd win ever or a rare win for Mayfield? I would be very interested to see what the narrative of this race had been if Jimmie hadn't dodged Nemechek's wreck- he came VERY close- and the 99 or 19 car had won the same way. Personally, if it had been Mayfield or Newman (And Dodge hadn't won a 600 since '77), I think that'd have been pretty awesome.

[@nascarfanatic2425]

+Chris Kreager I think it was a good finish even w/ JJ winning. I was happy for JJ at the time. He was my 2nd favorite driver at the time. Also, this was the year before JJ's run of 5 years straight in the championship spotlight.

[@beeliam-li2hf]

Best clean nascar racer ever. GOAT !

[@nascarfanatic2425]

+newmanfan39 wasn't Vickers involved in the big one?

[@DsturbedFan728]

this was the best Bobby's run in a while. this race and the aaron's 312 two years later

[@quentindiaz9418]

I was a little kid when this race happened, i should have been in bed a the time, my dad had went work for tree or something that fell down during the night, and my mom allowed me to stay up to watch the ending. I freaking cried my ass off when Bobby lost. I still remember him kicking the side of his car after the race.

[@goldenjimbo007]

Just uploaded it, you're welcome!

[@CamaroThings]

HE DID IT!!!.... gotta love D.W.

[@NascarMicci]

@gracethedog48 I agree with you. Johnson didn't drive dirty to win or anything. He made a clean fair pass and won the race.

[@dmhart67]

if he would of won that race he would of tied his Brother Terry with 22 wins but still with only 1 championsip

[@lolimadethisvid]

95% of the nascar population wanted labonte to win that race, whoever is a jimmie fan should rethink who they cheer for, because i guarantee 80% of them are just people getting on the bandwagon.

[@PYLrulz1984]

The last 7 races of the 05 season as a matter of fact. Leffler did so poor in the ride (not making races, bad finishes), that he got booted out I believe for a bunch of various drivers. Hamlin raced the last 7 races in 05 that way he could keep his rookie status in 06.

[@chrisuncleahmad]

The closest the white/purple/orange version of the FedEx car ever came to winning (IIRC, Denny Hamlin has never driven a white/purple/orange version of this car

[@JakeFromLateFarm]

Chris Kreager Denny actually drove a 2005 white/purple/orange FedEx paint scheme as a tribute to Jason Leffler in 2013 (at Michigan I think?). He also drove the #11 towards the end of the 05 season after Leffler was released, but nevertheless this was the closest the old FedEx car ever came to winning a race--and I wish Bobby would have won with it on this night!

[@spellTHEman]

Amazing that I’ve seen your comment two or three times in the last few years and then Denny wins the 500 in his first race in the white FedEx scheme to honor JD Gibbs

[@IRubbedtheBaconOnIt]

Sometimes I hear that this was Bobby Labonte that got shot down (and that makes total sense--I remember watching Bobby in the 18) but then a good many other places I've seen this exact same finish with the commentators saying that it was Carl Edwards in the 18. Where did that come from?

[@spellTHEman]

IRubbedtheBaconOnIt what they’re saying is that this finish was very similar to Carl Edwards’ win at Atlanta, which I believe was his first cup win. He never drove the 18.

[@goldenjimbo007]

Well he already has a top 5 finish at Vegas this year, one minor highlight anyway =D

[@weaverracing96]

@lolimadethisvid I was a 48 fan back in 2003 because Rusty was getting out of it. I was his fan when he gained popularity 2004 to 2007, and i'm still his fan now that people are detesting him for his success.

[@ROBLOXIANgordonrox24]

@PRickJr2448 Johnson fought for it and won it fair and square. He deserved it. Labonte raced hard, but you can't take away from Johnson's effort.

[@weaverracing96]

other 'off' teams, roush for instance start to either run top5 or have equipment failures. it's just how the chase has made things, multi car teams use their non-chase cars as R&D

[@flagman09]

Yea Im a Bobby fan too...used to disappointment... happy with a top 15. I remember he kicked his car afterwards. Ever since Jimmy Makar left he was never the same...

[@goldenjimbo007]

No it was Leffler, Hamlin didn't race in 2005 until the 2nd half of the season.

[@goldenjimbo007]

You would be 100% correct, almost the biggest last-second-payoff in NASCAR history.

[@mattreal6551]

Back when you could drive the car the way the drivers could feel it. Now it's calculated.

[@WhiteHatBobby]

@rockingham20 Although now B. Labonte will be in Michael Waltrip Racing's satellite team (#47) in 2011, that is an up and coming team. MWR has won at Charlotte and Joliet, so he'll be in better equipment that can win.

[@mattkowal90]

@PRickJr2448 If LaBonte won the race it would have been special, snapping a then 47 race winless streak and winning on the 10th anniversery of his first cup win the 1995 Coca Cola 600, after 22 Cautions for 103 of 400 laps and 5 hrs and 13 mins behind the wheel.

[@tjmick1992]

Was this the race with like 24 cautions?

[@williamgrantham4481]

No. Only 22 Cautions & 1 Red Flag

[@williamgrantham4481]

6 Hours Race

[@Knox48x]

How did he deserve to win that race more? That looked like a pretty bad ass clean pass to me

[@zandylovesrisk]

it was Denny Hamlin not Jason Leffler

[@WhiteHatBobby]

This is one of the classic calls of racing. This went up against Todd Harris' awful Danica cheering on ABC that day, and it was clear Mike Joy & Co on Fox won the day with one of those calls that make you wonder what's next.

[@danielwhirley6779]

One word forJJ humble.

[@Cynon]

@lolimadethisvid Jimmie's success comes largely due to the Chase and the COT. He's fast, but there are faster, better drivers out there. The only problem is that they don't have teams that are specifically built for them.

[@weaverracing96]

not everything is the exactly the same, teams are always trying new things. generally the non-championship teams will be their R&D teams, which is why you'll see some teams have ON/OFF weekends. If the teams all kept the exact same equipment they'd never move forward as an organization.

[@IRubbedtheBaconOnIt]

Okay... so from what I can gather it would have been an awesome Jimmie/Matt/Jeff B/Jeff G/Tony/Denny battle at Homestead. That's the kind of championship that needs to rejuvenate NASCAR.

[@llama62]

Ouch. Especially coming from a gordon fan. I'm a gordon fan but I don't mind Johnson.

[@rattmausch]

I really wanted Bobby to win this. I mean, Jimmie can win every race but Labonte has stuggled to win the last few years or so.

[@mengers06]

I miss the racing like this, where the announcers start yelling and you can't understand a damn thing. Can't get racing that high of a quality with the damn COT.

[@j2mesp4c]

Better Than Danica Leading Those Laps At Indy On That Day!!!!!

[@kkrobinhutch]

AWSOME great racing by jimmie GO 48

[@Knox48x]

Carl never slammed Johnson into the wall because Carl was on the outside just like this pass..haha Your right about the 3 time champion it would be 6 if he had a little more luck aka kurt busches tire flying off at Homestead where Jimmie finshed the season in 2nd 8 POINTS away from Kurt! Johnson is a few wins away have as many as Gordon has but only has been the sport half as long! 7 years and 41 wins and 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS! Hate to tell ya bud but Johnson owns this sport right now. GO 48 4Peat!!!

[@TreverCapito]

Yeah! Go Jimmie!

[@weaverracing96]

listen to what they've been saying about jr's new car, how they always talk about how it was built 'for' him. team equipment isn't always the same because different drivers like different personalities in the car, alot of it is done with the set up, but each driver wants to have a certain 'character' built into the frame. gordon likes tight, snug cars. johnson likes cars that are characteristically free. i think the different in equipment quality will be shown when the chase starts and rcr and

[@TheStewartfan1420]

@e521soediv no,its more exciting with the wing

[@jb18724]

jimmie is MAGIC!

[@bronxville305226]

actually neither Labonte or Johnson led the most laps in that race. It was actually Vickers who did

[@lolimadethisvid]

@Cynon44 i know that, im not a hater, but i know so many people that like jimmie because he has the best crewchief and team in the business, me being a matt kenseth fan, i particularly dont like the cot, because matt doesn't really like it :)

[@RIEKSONE]

THIS IS NASCAR..............

[@43labontepetty]

johnson is just lucky that bobby isn't like other drivers that would have come up on him in the corner and put him into the wall if they had to.

[@williamgrantham4481]

0:49 #30 Larry Grantham (R) Vs #31 William Grantham Talladega Fall Race

[@williamgrantham4481]

"Photo Finish"

[@gmjssc]

Someone needs a hug :)

[@NigarT]

18 should have put his ass in the fence. But it was a hell of a move by Johnson.

[@bronxville305226]

man Vickers shoula really won that race. He had the best car all night long and he got taken out during green flag pit stops and he really shoulda won that but on the last lap i was pulling for Labonte over Johnson

[@burtonfan313]

GOOOOO BOBBYYYYYY!!!!! YOU SO RULE!!! Go getchya a win in 09!!

[@brodywinrow9222]

Sadly never happened, sucks!!!

[@ironmantj1991]

@weaverracing96 Im sorry seems to me hes goin the same way jeff has. I respect johnsons driving abilaty the dude can drive and win alot of races and he has shown that he is capable of wining chamionships i mean for the past like what 3 years its been all him at the top at the end of the season but i like kyle busch now for sure when they were at darlington this year denny hamlin was faster when kyle was leadinghe would usaly try to race hard to keep the lead but he pulled of and let hamlin pass.

[@BCNation1]

awesome!

[@bronxville305226]

actually Burton woulda won in 06 w/o the chase by a point over Matt Kenseth and Stewart would be 3rd then Johnson then Hamlin

[@grandchampion4u]

One of the best finishes to date.

[@jm1922]

everyone is getting sick of johnson winning...nascar needs to make changes...nascar isn't scripted...the 48 scripts the season themselves...they know the circumstances and they know when they have to perform....the only way to prevent them from winning the title is resetting the points for the last race and sending some driver out there to purposley crash the 48....that is the only way....either you wreck him and take his car out of the race...or he wins the title

[@weaverracing96]

@PRickJr2448 Racing doesn't work like that. In racing if you 'deserve' to win something, you win it. If you don't win it, it's because you didn't deserve it. Everyone says Mark Martin /deserved/ to win the championship in 2009. No he didn't, if he 'deserved' to win it, he'd have won it. Labonte has had dozens of other chances to win this race, and hasn't. Evidently he doesn't deserve to win it. It's just how things are.

[@golhart]

@BCNation1 no shit, so sick of john winning

[@Knox48x]

I hate even saying this because it no longer exist but in fact Johnson would have 2 championships under the old system not 1 but that is neither here nor there because it doesn't exist anymore

[@dmhart67]

last chance to win a race for labonte...

[@SISI0887]

Hell yea and man is waltrip negative!

[@ROBLOXIANgordonrox24]

@golhart Hell no what? Hell no, as in Johnson doesn't deserve the win, and should bring inferior equipment every week to give others a chance?

[@kevind3619]

goddamn

[@wiiiswicked3]

there only a 10 race champion thats the way i look at it

[@ROBLOXIANgordonrox24]

@golhart what? Hell no, as in Johnson doesn't deserve the win, and should bring inferior equipment every week to give others a chance?

[@maisely]

Yeah, this shoulda been labontes

[@Mcdnldmchl]

Man, this race was awesome cause i just couldn't believe that Jimmie Johnson pulled off the win by driving on the outside for the win over Bobby Labonte.

[@Gforcebond]

he stil sucks he's going to have to win 10 championships in a row to gain my respect

[@williamgrantham4481]

0:21 Jimmie Vs Labonte

[@weaverracing96]

@rockingham20 He has to put his lap there for them to fall into, though. What I'm saying is yeah, 48 catches alot of breaks. But it's because he's been smart enough and good enough to put him in position to capitalize upon such luck that he takes full of advantage of whatever he can get and has the success that he does. He makes alot of his own luck by being right there when it counts.

[@ROBLOXIANgordonrox24]

@jm1922 Or you bring better equipment with a better crew chief and a better driver. Would solve it.

[@Gforcebond]

@MrStewielewis2010 Chad Knaus FTW not jimmie

[@williamgrantham4481]

#31 William Grantham Wins Over #38 Becky Lynch

[@williamgrantham4481]

Daytona Duel Photo Finish