Do we have a new NASCAR controversy brewing?
If you watched today’s Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, you saw Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher by .001 seconds in the closest finish in NASCAR history.
It seemed that scoring originally called Buescher the winner, but after reviewing the video NASCAR ruled that Larson edged him out at the finish line.
But then people started looking at the finish line…
(That tweet is from RFK Racing, by the way – which is Buescher’s team. So it seems they’re still not happy about the call).
As you can clearly see, the finish line is not only crooked, but it’s painted further back on the apron of the track below the white line, which is where Buescher was running when he crossed the line.
Obviously, fans immediately took to social media to question whether the #5 of Larson actually beat the #17 of Buescher, or whether Larson just had a shorter distance to the finish line.
Well, NASCAR was quick to jump out ahead of the controversy and clear up the questions:
As it turns out, the finish line painted on the track is unofficial, and the finish is actually determined by a line that is established by a high speed camera that captured the exact moment of the finish.
Here’s a good explanation of it by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic:
So despite what it may or may not have looked like, when it was all said and done, Larson beat Buescher to the (official) finish line by .001 seconds – and in the process, gave us the closest finish in NASCAR history.
