Kyle Larson on Talladega Yellow Line Finish: ‘I Knew It Was Close’

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Kyle Larson said he knew his last-lap run along the Talladega yellow line was close when he charged to the win in Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, but he had not seen a photo or video of it by the time he spoke after the race.

Photos of the finish spread across social media Sunday night and appeared to show the left-side tires of Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the double yellow line as he came from outside the top 10 to the lead. NASCAR reviewed the finish and let the win stand.

Larson: ‘I knew it was close’

“I don’t know,” Larson said in his post-race news conference. “I haven’t seen it, but yeah, I knew it was close.”

Larson said he would have been angry with himself if he had gone below the line, “because we crossed the finish line first.”

“I’ve never done that in a Cup car, and to get it called back would have sucked, but yeah, I’m not sure,” he said. “Like I said, I knew it was close, but I haven’t seen a picture. I haven’t seen a video.”

Larson said he was already celebrating before he reached the line. “I was fist pumping already. Like my momentum was taking me past the 47. I was fist pumping before I ever got to the line,” he said. “So yeah, that would have been embarrassing if we didn’t win.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drives the No. 47. Larson beat Hendrick teammate William Byron to the line by 0.041 seconds, with Stenhouse third.

What NASCAR said

NASCAR told The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck that Larson’s left-side tires were on the yellow line but never below it, and ruled the pass legal. NASCAR then clarified its explanation twice. It first said both tires had to be fully below the line for a penalty, then said one tire below the line could be a violation. In both versions, NASCAR said Larson never had a tire below the line.

https://x.com/jeff_gluck/status/2114502450287985014

NASCAR also told Gluck that SMT data showed Byron, Stenhouse and Cole Custer did not lift on the final lap to help Larson.

Fans push back

The ruling did not end the debate. Fans posted still frames and alternate camera angles of the finish, and some replies to NASCAR’s victory-lane posts called the win unfair and accused Chevrolet drivers of helping Larson, claims NASCAR’s review of the SMT data did not support.

https://x.com/MattWeaverRA/status/2114490456239227285

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was among those who backed the call, posting that the move “looks fine to me,” as Pit This Time reported Monday.

What’s next

The win was Larson’s first at Talladega and stretched his Chase lead to 73 points over Denny Hamlin with two races left. The Cup Series races next at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia, on Sunday, November 1, at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.