Overreaction Monday: Spring Kansas

When NASCAR needs an exciting race, off to the intermediate tracks they must go. For the third time this season, NASCAR has a finish where the margin of win was .003 or less. During the same weekend where the Kentucky Derby ripped off the Atlanta Cup finish, the Cup Series followed it up with a doozy of their own. Adulation for one team while heartbreak for another. However, the racing weekend had more to offer than simply the Cup Series finish. Look at F1 for example: Max Verstappen did not win. He must be washed up now. However, this Overreaction Monday will only be looking at the NASCAR slate during this spring Kansas weekend. Outside of another bonkers finish, what else can be exaggerated to start the week?

Learn to Paint Kansas

It is certainly no hyperbole to say that the finish to the AdventHealth 400 will be remembered as one of the best of all-time. Kyle Larson by the thinnest of margins bests Chris Buescher coming to the checkered flag. A finish so close that the FOX pylon had Buescher as the winner for the majority of the cooldown lap. However, NASCAR’s photo finish procedure showed visual evidence that Larson’s car barely clipped Buescher’s at the line. Despite this, fans are (rightfully) pointing to the edge of the start/finish line with questions.

In the slow motion replays of the cars approaching the line, eagle-eyed viewers notice that the finish line is not painted straight. The banked portion of the tri-oval finish line extends slightly further than the apron does. When the replay shows Larson beating Buescher to the front part of the finish line, it looks as if Larson has a slight advantage based on how the line is painted.

Now, NASCAR does not go off where the painted line is. Their system uses two high speed photo cameras based on their scoring line. As for the scoring loop saying Buescher won, the placement where that data is collected is slightly behind the official line seen above. Usually, that does not become an issue. However, when the finish is the matter of about 3 inches, it can throw it off. So those who are claiming foul play due to the line, tough luck. With that said, Kansas Speedway, paint your line better.

Unlucky Ford

Did an executive from Ford walk under a ladder while smashing a mirror as a black cat strolled by them? After sweeping the 2023 championships, Ford cannot buy a win. Through this weekend, the manufacturer is 0-for-30 in races this season. However, the sport gods have decided to further rub salt into the wound by handing them excruciatingly painful second place finishes. When looking at the margins on paper, it feels like a joke:

• Ryan Blaney at Atlanta – .003 margin of defeat
• Ryan Sieg at Texas – .002 margin of defeat
• Chris Buescher at Kansas – .001 margin of defeat

Next up, a Ford driver will finish second when it is a literal tie at the line but the Chevy/Toyota driver on the other end of it led more laps.

While the lengthy defeated streak continues this weekend, Kansas was encouraging for the Dark Horse body. Buescher did not luck his way into that finish. He was a Top-5 car all race long. Additionally, the fastest car on track at the end of the race (prior to the last caution) was Brad Keselowski. The time to panic is still not here. Despite losing by .001 seconds, Ford should be encouraged by the past couple of weeks. Talladega should have been a Ford win and Kansas saw Fords run competitively throughout the race. However, they might need to do an exorcism if another close race sees them in second again.

Load the Schedule with Intermediates

As Kyle Larson said in his postrace interview, the schedule needs more intermediate tracks on it. For whatever reason, the NextGen car thrives on the cookie-cutter intermediates that fans grew to despise during the previous generation of car. Only NASCAR could look to make a great short track/road course car and wind up with the best intermediate vehicle imaginable. With this car, Texas has become a somewhat enjoyable endeavor. The past few weeks have been filled with gripes about this car ruining the short tracks, road courses, and superspeedways. However, that all went away (for now) after that Kansas race.

Kansas Speedway has been an underrated track for some time now, but the NextGen has brought out the appreciation in full force. Tonight only furthered that. Stage 1 went flag to flag with a battle for the lead. Even though Stage 2 saw that tone down, there was still enough action to keep anyone satisfied. With the cautions in the final stage, it set up a race to the end with various strategies playing out. What more could a fan want?

Could it be considered an overreaction to want more intermediates on the schedule? At this point, maybe not. The NextGen severely lacks the ability to put on compelling races at almost every other track. At this point, NASCAR should heavily consider scrapping a road course or two to bring back Chicagoland and Kentucky. It seems that Richmond is losing a date. That should be filled with an intermediate track. If the NextGen can make Texas passable, maybe it can work its magic on Kentucky Speedway.

Brett Moffitt Deserves a Ride

A familiar face returned to the Craftsman Truck Series for the first time in 2024. Former champion Brett Moffitt stepped into the TRICON 1 truck at Kansas and drove it to a Top-5. For the 1 truck, it was the second Top-5 of the season after Bell secured one in Las Vegas. While many were expecting a solid run from Moffitt, it is still impressive for the man to wheel a truck to a Top-5 right off the shelf. It is further proof that Moffitt should be driving somewhere fulltime this season.

Last year, Brett Moffitt drove the 25 AM Racing entry in the Xfinity Series. For a new team, Moffitt’s season was a success. He averaged a 17.9, which ranked him fifteenth best out of the fulltime drivers. Out of his 5 DNFs, only one was for a crash (Homestead). However, the organization decided to bring Moffitt back for the 2024 season. With that move, it seemed to seal Moffitt’s fate to being largely absent for this season. That is a shame, since Moffitt has proven he has the talent to remain in the lower series of NASCAR. In top equipment, Moffitt is a championship contender. In B-tiered equipment, Moffitt is able to elevate to past expectations.

However, Brett Moffitt struggles to bring in funding. Last year, almost every race was self-sponsored by the team. Although there is talent, the lack of funding seems to be too large of an impediment to keep Moffitt racing in the national series. Hopefully, Moffitt will continue to make the most of his opportunities to prove he should be in a ride for next season.