Bobby Hillin Jr. after his upset victory at Talladega Superspeedway in 1986. (NASCAR Photo)
Bobby Hillin Jr. after his upset victory at Talladega Superspeedway in 1986. (NASCAR Photo)

NASCAR’s Most Surprising Upsets – Part 1

Regan Smith shocked the NASCAR world with a victory in the 2011 Southern 500. (NASCAR Photo)
Regan Smith shocked the NASCAR world with a victory in the 2011 Southern 500. (NASCAR Photo)

Regan Smith

Furniture Row Racing’s first victory in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series proved to be one of the biggest upsets in series history. A strategy call to keep Smith on track in the No. 78 Chevrolet during a late-race caution period in the 2011 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway moved him to the lead.

He survived two restarts and a challenge from Carl Edwards, but Smith earned his only Cup Series victory and the first of what proved to be many victories for Furniture Row Racing, which won the series championship in 2017.