With 63 laps remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February 2024, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. crossed the start-finish line at what appears to be the same time, according to X user @nascarman_rr. Fast forward to May 2024, and Larson was the story again by winning the closest finish in Cup Series history at Kansas Speedway.
However, what would happen if two or more NASCAR drivers end the race in a tie for the victory? NASCAR has a set of tiebreaker rules for the extremely rare circumstance, according to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass.
First, NASCAR would award the win to the driver with the most laps led during the race. If that were the same, the next tiebreaker would be the greatest number of laps completed in second place, third place, etc. Finally, if the tie somehow survives past that point, the driver who scored the highest position at the “earliest point” in the race will officially win the event.
It is a very in-depth set of rules for something that has never happened, but it is better to be prepared than not. The closest finish in Cup Series history is now 0.001 seconds at Kansas in 2024, trumping Darlington Raceway in 2003 and Talladega Superspeedway in 2011. It is possible to have a tie for the victory in NASCAR, and if it does happen, the sport is well prepared for the situation.
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