Kyle Larson won his first race at Indianapolis, a legendary track and a milestone in his career. But his celebration led to another controversy. NASCAR made some controversial moves during the race that drew the attention of all the other teams, especially reigning champion Ryan Blaney.
To some, it seemed as if NASCAR and Hendricks had an undeserved affinity that no one acknowledged. After all, no one expects favoritism in this sport. Ryan Blaney has publicly challenged NASCAR, but Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels, believes his claims have no merit.
Ryan Blaney’s victory slipped or snatched?
The Brickyard 400 was back after a three-year hiatus and huge cheers were expected. However, the excitement quickly turned negative due to controversy. NASCAR’s decisions during the race sparked heated debate and overshadowed what should have been an exciting comeback. Ryan Blaney had a good chance to win, but NASCAR’s decision essentially killed Blaney’s chances and gave Kyle Larson a path to the podium.
It all started when Brad Keselowski ran out of gas. NASCAR did not call for a reset, and Kyle Larson was awarded the points advantage. Blaney was upset by NASCAR’s decision. As many have pointed out, this decision by NASCAR showed a little bit of favoritism. The fact that NASCAR did not allow the field to be realigned after Brad Keselowski’s retirement only reinforced that idea. This quickly erased any advantage Blaney had as a control car. However, Larson’s crew chief was blindsided by the question and denied this. Cliff Daniels said in a press conference: “We’ve seen it so many times in Cup racing that it makes no difference between 5th and 10th and 20th. We all know that’s the rule.” But NASCAR broke the rules not just once, but multiple times, and Brad Keselowski, a veteran of the sport, quickly recognized their bias and eventually called on the governing body to take action against it.
Brad Keselowski calls out NASCAR!
Kyle Larson had a fairytale ending at Indianapolis. After trying and failing to win the “double” in May, he came to the Brickyard 400 in the same colors and lo and behold, he won. It almost seemed destined, or as NASCAR fans would say, orchestrated. Many people thought the outcome of this race was a bit odd, and while Brad Keselowski didn’t accuse anyone of cheating, it drew everyone’s attention to another strange decision by NASCAR.
After Brad Keselowski pitted on the last lap of the race, the race resumed after the restart and Kyle Larson took the lead. And Ryan Preece crashed on the last lap and couldn’t start his car, so it was left stranded on the track. One would think this deserved a warning, but NASCAR did not issue one right away. Instead, the warning was only issued when Kyle Larson passed the checkered flag.
Brad Keselowski arrived
It seemed as if NASCAR had paved the way for Larson to win. Furthermore, the fact that Larson was designated NASCAR’s “golden child” and that fans had previously favored him did not leave a good aftertaste. Larson’s attempt at a “double” and how he earned a free pass from the governing body, while unknown to anyone, is still fresh in fans’ memories. So fans left nothing to be desired by criticizing NASCAR and its ever-changing rules in the comments to Keselowski’s post. Fans ultimately compared it to WWE, pointing out that the whole thing seemed scripted.
What did you think about everything that happened?
