Racing fans have taken NASCAR to task several times this year. From excessive Next-Gen car parity to scrapped pylons, the sanctioning body has dealt with a load of criticism this year. But the foremost complaint that flagged off the season was about controversial finishes. The very first race, the Daytona 500, churned out a long debate about who among the two Hendrick drivers deserved the win.
Last weekend, we witnessed a similar situation playing out. Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher aggressively fought for the lead and performed a picture-perfect finish. Even though fans thought Buescher was the winner, NASCAR’s verdict favored Larson. Thus continues the debate, which experts fear will drag out at Darlington as well.
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Darlington Raceway has witnessed its fair share of controversies. In 1979, an epic battle ensued between Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty. The two drivers exchanged leads several times in the last 80 laps. In the end, Waltrip won, with Petty and Bobby Allison inches behind him.
Then fast forward to 2023, Ross Chastain got into the bad books of Hendrick people. With six laps to go in the Goodyear 400 race, Chastain went rogue as he drove into Larson aggressively. Both ended up slamming the wall, and their