Kyle Larson’s Controversial Brickyard 400 Triumph Shows NASCAR’s Latest Blunder in a Long History of Restart Controversies

Kyle Larson continued his stellar run in the 2024 Cup Series campaign with a win at the Brickyard 400 on Sunday. While he registered his fourth victory of the season, the Hendrick Motorsports driver attracted some controversy in the process. Just when Larson thought he made it large at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, NASCAR’s debatable call took away the charm from the win.

In the recent past, the ruling body has been severely criticized for the inconsistency in its decision-making. With the notion of Hendrick Motorsports being favored by them already running large, things did not go well for NASCAR on Sunday. In fact, it only ended up adding another blunder to their name.

Kyle Larson joins Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano in an unwanted list following the Brickyard 400 controversy

Earlier in May this year, Kyle Larson left Indianapolis in agony with his ‘Double’ attempt turning out to be unsuccessful. Fast forward to last Sunday and things drastically changed for the 31-year-old Californian driver. Larson made up ground in the final 32 laps from being P12 to taking the lead and eventually triumphing in the Brickyard 400.

That said, his road to victory was filled with controversy. Just before the second-to-last restart, Larson ran third behind Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney. Keselowski then went down the pit road as he ran out of fuel. The RFK Racing racer exited before the green flag saw the HMS driver sneak into his spot. Not only that, Larson appeared to have taken off on the restart before he was supposed to, ending Ryan Blaney’s winning prospects.

What created more controversy was NASCAR not penalizing or identifying this incident. In the ruling body’s eyes, Larson didn’t do anything wrong and did not jump the restart. However, even the #5 driver’s onboard shot suggested otherwise. Naturally, this decision from NASCAR infuriated plenty, including drivers and fans.

However, this isn’t the first time the governing body has managed to make a blunder of this sort. Earlier in April this year at Richmond, Denny Hamlin registered his second win of the 2024 campaign. The #11 driver too was then guilty of jumping a late-race overtime restart before JGR teammate Martin Truex Jr.

Interestingly, the decision was termed “the correct call” from NASCAR’s perspective. Later, Hamlin confessed to going pretty early in the zone considering the governing body’s flexibility on the restart box entry. The JGR driver escaped punishment then and registered a victory, reminding people of Joey Logano’s antics that handed him a similar fate.

Interestingly, it again involved Martin Truex Jr, this time at Michigan International Speedway in 2019. Back then, the FireKeepers Casino 400 continued for two extra laps with Erik Jones losing his left rear tire. On the restart, although Logano was first, it looked like he jumped the restart with Truex Jr behind him in second place.

While the likes of Truex Jr, Kyle Busch, and Kurt Busch tried to highlight the jump, the #22 driver escaped any punishment as he raced to victory. As reported by motorsports.com, NASCAR found nothing that raised a red flag with four cameras pointing at the restart zone. No matter how much controversy is stirred, it seems like drivers tend to get away with the benefit of the doubt time and again.

That said, Ty Majeski ended up on the other side of such an event last week.

Ty Majeski failed to trick NASCAR with his restart violation at the TSport 200

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Like Kyle Larson at the Brickyard 400, quite a few drivers have escaped from being punished for jumping the restart and gone on to register victories. While those dubious NASCAR calls have helped their cause, they almost haunted Ty Majeski in the latest Truck Series race. The #98 driver enjoyed a dominating performance at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park last year. However, it turned out to be a tricky one last Friday.

Majeski failed to score any points in Stage 1. What a nightmare of a start to the race! When Ty Dillon spun in Turn 3 on Lap 43, a caution came out. In the resulting restart, Majeski was found guilty of jumping the restart and surprisingly, this time around NASCAR identified it and punished the 29-year-old. Because of the ruling, the #98 driver found himself in the rear of the field.

That said, Majeski didn’t give up and fought hard. His amazing run in Stage 2 saw him end third at the end. Not only that, the ThorSport Racing driver led the final 56 laps of the TSport 200 and took the checkered flag, finishing 4.129 seconds ahead of Christian Eckes. As reported by Racer.com, Majeski deemed the restart punishment “a close call”.

While it almost hampered his race, Majeski ensured nothing came between his first win of the 2024 campaign. Having said that, this only goes to show how NASCAR’s inconsistency with the restart call has affected the outcome of several races. While Majeski could have easily not won, Kyle Larson faced no such issue in Indianapolis.

It remains to be seen how NASCAR plans to go about rectifying this inconsistency. After all, a call of such sensitivity could be a game-changer in the championship race.