Thrilling Kansas NASCAR race ends in controversial finish
The NASCAR Cup Series was in Kansas City this weekend and fans were treated to a barn burner of a race, with a track record 37 lead changes. That's not what anybody was talking about afterwards, though.
On the final lap, Denny Hamlin drove into the side of Kyle Larson's car while racing for the lead, a move which put Larson into the wall and allowed Hamlin to take the win. He was promptly met with a chorus of boos as he celebrated the checkered flag.
While the finish can be chalked up to hard racing for the win, it is a near-certainty that Hamlin (of all people) would not have taken it well had he been on the receiving end. He has been a vocal critic of overaggressive driving and has notably and recently feuded with Ross Chastain over it.
Speaking of Chastain, he was involved in his fair share of drama, too. Kyle Busch was upset with his driving early on in the race and after the finish, he was involved in a physical scuffle with rookie Noah Gragson.
It's a shame that the final lap and the extracurricular activity will garner all the headlines with this one, because the afternoon was full of action, with plenty of twists and turns. Just one for instance, pole-sitter William Byron hit the wall early, went multiple laps down and still rebounded to finish third.
There were also 11 caution flags during this race, including eight within the span of 100 laps at one point. Contenders Busch and Christopher Bell were among those who were unable to complete the race due to crash damage.
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