Kyle Larson’s Memorial Weekend ‘Double’ Attempt Is A Tribute To Old School Racers
In his competitive desire, Larson resembles the racers of yesteryear, who would go anywhere to get their racing fix.In his competitive desire, Larson resembles the racers of yesteryear, who would go anywhere to get their racing fix.Controversy erupts after historic NASCAR finish when fans notice the finish line is crooked: 'Roughly 1 inch'
Controversy erupted at the Kansas Speedway late Sunday after NASCAR witnessed a historic finish.
A late race-caution sent the AdventHealth 400 into overtime, setting up a fantastic two-lap shootout to the checkered flag. On the overtime restart, driver Chris Buescher took the lead and seemed poised for his first win of the season, leading driver Kyle Larson into the final turn. But Larson somehow managed to drive to Buescher's outside — and it was a drag race to the start-finish line.
What happened next was the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history: a margin of victory of 0.001 seconds or "roughly 1 inch," according to NASCAR.
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At first, it looked like Buescher had prevailed. His transponder — a device NASCAR uses for timing and scoring — had registered him ahead of Larson.
But after NASCAR officials checked their high-speed cameras at the finish line, they determined that Larson won the race. But controversy quickly erupted when fans noticed the finish line painted onto the race track is not straight.
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It turns out, according to NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck, that the finish line painted onto the racing surface is not the exact finish line.
Instead, high-speed cameras set up in the pit area shoot a "laser" toward the finish line, and that line is the one that counts as the official start-finish line. The high-speed cameras "take photos at about 6,000-8,000 frames per second when any car crosses the finish line," explained Fox Sports reporter Bob Pockrass.
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In fact, the technology is the same laser technology used at the Kentucky Derby.
The picture that NASCAR officials used to determine that Larson had won clearly shows his No. 5 car ahead of Buescher's No. 17 car.
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"They showed us the picture they create using the lasers. We were just wondering if they were using the painted line or not — they don't," said Scott Graves, crew chief for Buescher's team. "It's actually they have a photo system that is a lot more accurate than that. They showed us the picture of it, and it is what it is."
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Bubba Wallace gets one-race suspension after crash that NASCAR COO described as 'intentional'
NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace has been slapped with a one-race suspension after running into Kyle Larson's car during a race on Sunday. After both men had exited their cars, Wallace approached and repeatedly shoved Larson.
Video footage of the episode shows Wallace's car hit the wall after apparently being squeezed by Larson — Wallace's car then appears to bump into Larson's car, which moves away, before Wallace's car comes up from behind and hits Larson's car. Larson's car then clips Christopher Bell's car — all three racers were unable to continue, according to NASCAR.com.
Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace FIGHT after wreck at Las Vegas | NASCAR ON FOX HIGHLIGHTS www.youtube.com
When asked whether he had engaged in retaliation, Wallace said that his "steering was gone" after he was pushed into the fence.
But during remarks on SiriusXM radio, NASCAR COO Steve O'Donnell noted that the incident is thought to have been "intentional" — O'Donnell characterized NASCAR's actions as "specific to what took place on the racetrack."
\u201c\ud83d\udcad "When we look at this incident, you're not only endangering one, but there's a lot of cars out there at speed..."\n\n\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f #NASCAR COO Steve O'Donnell joined #SXMSpeedway and explained the one race suspension handed down to Bubba Wallace following his actions @LVMotorSpeedway.\u201d— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90)) 1666129674
"I want to apologize for my actions on Sunday following the on-track incident with Kyle Larson and the No. 5 car," Wallace said in a statement on Monday. "My behavior does not align with the core values that are shared by 23XI racing and our partners, who have played a crucial role in my incredible journey to the top of this great sport."
"I want to apologize to NASCAR and the fans, along with Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Toyota for putting them in a situation in the Playoffs that they do not deserve," he continued. "I compete with immense passion, and with passion at times comes frustration. Upon reflecting, I should have represented our partners and core team values better than I did by letting my frustrations follow me outside of the car. You live and learn, and I intend to learn from this."
\u201cReflection.\u201d— Bubba Wallace (@Bubba Wallace) 1666049422
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