The thrilling finish for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race led to some serious questioning about how the start-finish line was painted at Kansas Speedway. Kyle Larson just barely inched ahead of Chris Buscher in a photo finish, but the verdict of Larson being crowned the winner was soon surrounded by controversy.

With a difference of 0.01 seconds between the two cars taking the checkered, it was officially the slimmest margin of victory in Cup Series history. However, Buescher was in absolute disbelief, and despite seeing the visuals, he stated, “I still can’t see.” Not only that, but RFK Racing also took a jibe at NASCAR’s officiating by sharing the crooked painted line via X with the caption, “Just gonna leave it there.”

This soon became a big talking point among the NASCAR community, and many even suspected favoritism or foul play. However, NASCAR has now cleared the air regarding the confusion regarding the finish at Kansas. Stating that the painted start-finish line is just a visual reference for the fans and the team. And how the use of sophisticated technology helps them make the close call in deciding the final results.

The start-finish line is not used to determine the race winner

A painted line does go through serious wear and tear, especially when the track is rubbered up and burnouts are performed by the drivers. So was the case with the start-finish line at Kansas Speedway. However, the visual of a close call between Larson and Busecher being paused and slowed in front of the painted line led to a lot of confusion and chatter on social media.

NASCAR’s Cup Series Managing Director, Brad Moran, cleared up the confusion regarding the photo finish call at Kansas while speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He said, “We don’t go off the accuracy of paint or the painted line on the racetrack. You know, it’s for the fans, for the visual. For the teams to get a visual but when we get talking this close, we make sure the finishes are right like many other sports. We have a laser line that is pencil-thin. This camera takes anywhere from 4,000 to 20,000 frames per second.”

For anyone who saw the visual of the finish line at the racetrack, it was clear that it wasn’t aligned straight. But surprisingly, Moran didn’t think it was off by much to cause a stir. “There’s different textures in the asphalt, concrete and by no means that line was out by a lot or anything like that; we obviously have much tighter tolerance on who wins the Cup race or any race for that matter in NASCAR,” he added.

While it was a huge win for Larson and Hendrick Motorsports, once again, the Ford Mustang just couldn’t get into the victory lane despite all their hard work.

The Ford contingent is still looking for their first win in 2024

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This wasn’t the first time that the Ford car found itself at the bitter end of the race results. Out of the 12 races this season, the Mustang Dark Horse could have been a winner at three events. The first close call came when Ryan Blaney, in a similar fashion, lost against Daniel Suarez in a three-wide photo finish at Atlanta. Meanwhile, fellow Ford drivers Brad Keselowski and Michael McDowell’s battle at Talladega allowed Tyler Reddick to steal the victory. And last Sunday’s result added another instance where Ford cars just couldn’t get past the finish line.

While it is true that the likes of RFK Racing, Team Penske, and SHR are late in catching up with their rivals, there has been progress in recent races, and the Fords are now in the picture to compete for wins. Not to forget, the Mustang Dark Horse has been a real powerhouse in qualifying rounds, but this needs to be reflected in the races. The good news is that they have plenty of time to get back to winning ways. And we’ve seen a trend of them picking up pace at the business end of the season, so it is only time that Ford drivers find their winning rhythm.