[autotag]Kyle Larson[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Buescher[/autotag] exited Turn 4 on the final lap of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway and raced to the line in a dead heat. As the two drivers took the checkered flag, Buescher went to the top of the scoring pylon. However, NASCAR quickly reversed the decision and said Larson won by 0.001 seconds, the closest finish in Cup Series history.
Following the event, social media was abuzz about the finish line not being straight and why Buescher won the race in timing and scoring. On Tuesday morning, NASCAR Cup Series managing director Brad Moran jumped on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and explained how the sport concluded that Larson won the event.
“We don’t go off the accuracy of a painter that paints a line on the racetrack,” Moran said. “It’s for a visual for the fans, for the teams to get a visual, but when we get talking this close, we make sure finishes are right like many other sports. We have a laser line that is pencil thin, and this camera takes anywhere from 4,000 to 20,000 frames per second, and that’s how close it is that we see at the start-finish line.”
OFFICIAL: The margin of victory was 0.001 seconds.
That is the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history. pic.twitter.com/QbXn0i8H9u
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 6, 2024
“There are obviously different textures in the asphalt and concrete and by no means is that line – not that it was out by a lot or anything like that – but we obviously have a much tighter tolerance on who wins a [Cup Series] race or any race for that matter in NASCAR.”
Moran’s comments should put the debate on the painted finish line to rest, as NASCAR uses a laser line that is “pencil thin” to determine the finish. Even if the transponders on the No. 17 car say it crossed the line first, the photo finish determines who wins the event. It is more accurate, and in this case, it worked out in Larson’s favor.
[lawrence-related id=11492]