Conspiracy theorists are as common today as pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, and after every race at Daytona and Talladega, they multiply tenfold.
This year’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega was no different as social media was flooded with those who believed NASCAR let Kyle Larson violate the “below the double painted line rule” because the sanctioning body wants Larson to win his third Cup Series championship.
Granted, if you watch the video of the race’s final lap when the pack comes through the trioval, it does appear that Larson’s two left-side tires went below the double line. However, if you freeze-frame it on YouTube and enlarge it, as I did, you will see that his two left-side tires are between the double lines, not below them. This doesn’t constitute a violation according to the NASCAR rulebook.
In the chapter governing event procedures, under driver responsibilities, it states in 8.3.2.J:
“If NASCAR determines that a vehicle goes beneath the double painted lines to improve its position it will be black-flagged. If NASCAR determines that a vehicle forces another vehicle beneath the double painted lines in an effort to advance its own position, the vehicle may be black-flagged.”
Then in 8.7.2.A, which covers “Track-Specific Procedures”, it states:
“‘Below the double painted lines’ is defined as when the vehicle’s left side tires are below the left of the inside double painted lines that separate the apron from the racing surface.”
Note that it says “below” the double painted lines, not on them. Now, on the backstretch on the final lap at Atlanta, Bubba Wallace clearly went below the double line. That dropped him from third to 29th, making him the last car on the lead lap.
Today, NASCAR has more data and video to review than ever before when a decision must be made. Officials were reviewing that information at Talladega which was why there was a delay before Larson was declared the winner.
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Having covered the sport for four decades, I can tell you I have seen and been made aware of things that occurred that caused me to raise an eyebrow. Those include debris caution flags when it was difficult to spot debris. This was a common occurrence before the races were televised. A question about whether the restrictor plates were equal in size when they were distributed by NASCAR was a huge topic at each Daytona and Talladega race before the tapered spacer was introduced. I could go on with several others, but I think you get my drift.
Now, conspiracy theories and common sense can’t co-exist. Unfortunately, there seems to be a tremendous lack of common sense nowadays. However, just for an instance, toss aside the conspiracy theorist cap and replace it with a common sense one.
First, if NASCAR had found Larson guilty of going below the double line, that would have dropped him from first to 14th, the last car on the lead lap. That certainly would have made the championship fight much closer and in all probability carry it to Homestead. Which do you think NASCAR would prefer? A championship decided at Martinsville or one that goes to the season finale at Homestead? Which one would bring better TV ratings?
I don’t think one has to possess an engineering degree to answer these questions. I know which one would be more exciting to cover, and it’s definitely not a championship that’s decided at Martinsville.
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.