Say what you will about NASCAR, but one thing that is beyond a shadow of a doubt is that its flagship race, the Daytona 500, always has racing up until the very end. And now you can watch every single finish from the past 34 years, all in one handy video.
First spotted by the always-excellent and friend of the show Alex Nunez over at Road & Track, this video supposedly took three hours to compile, but it's half-hour of racing goodness is totally worth it. If you Google "past winners of the Daytona 500" you'll probably just get a list of names next to a year, with maybe their team as well. But this puts it all into perspective.
In 1990 you have Dale Earnhardt in the lead, in front of a four-car pack, going into the final laps, looking like he's going to take yet another win, when suddenly he develops mechanical trouble, and scoots off to the side, leaving the three cars behind to duke it out in a free-for-all battle of speed.
Jeff Gordon, who is now practically an elderly pensioner at 42, as athletes go, grabbing his first win at the Daytona 500 in 1997. He was only 26 then, and the announcers refer to him as the "young and flashy one." He's also said to "love the NBA," as if that's a Thing, and also the new-fangled contraption of "video games." Now he almost seems kinda boring.
In 2004, you see Dale Earnhardt, Jr., win just three years after his father was killed in the very same race.
The Daytona 500 is one of the biggest spectacles in American sports, and its endings are the final flourish. Make sure you watch them all.