Kasey Kahne's Brickyard 400 Victory is not Tarnished

Despite the fact that NASCAR once again made a mistake when it came to the overtime line, Kasey Kahne’s Brickyard 400 victory is anything but tarnished.

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Kasey Kahne’s first NASCAR Cup Series victory since the 2014 season did not come without its share of controversy. Kahne drove his #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to Victory Lane at yesterday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana for the first time since he did so at Atlanta Motor Speedway back in 2014. In doing so, he ended his 102-race winless streak.

But when controversy strikes, there will always be those quick to devalue someone’s accomplishments. Kahne’s victory, despite the fact that it came after a race that lasted more than six hours from start to finish, was no exception. But this controversy should not tarnish his 18th career Cup Series victory in any way, shape or form.

On the final restart of the race, Kasey Kahne maintained the lead through turn 2 of the 2.5-mile oval. Behind him, however, a wreck took place involving Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard and Ty Dillon. Kahne had a long way to go before he crossed the overtime line while the wreck was taking place, yet the caution flag did not come out. A few seconds later, once he actually did cross the overtime line, the caution flag was flown, and the race was deemed official since he had crossed the line. Kahne was declared the winner.

Naturally, many fans have been quick to voice their displeasure with NASCAR for ending the race the way they did, in some cases claiming that NASCAR “fixed” the race and picked their own winner. Given the fact that NASCAR did wait to throw the caution flag until Kahne crossed the overtime line, those comments of displeasure are fair.

But for people to take out their frustration with NASCAR on Kahne and call his victory tarnished is ridiculous. He drove from 19th to 1st in a race that lasted over six hours long from start to finish, and for his win to be considered illegitimate just because of NASCAR’s mistake is a joke, especially with how hard he worked over the course one of the longest races in NASCAR history.

For those who think Kahne’s win was illegitimate and only earned because of NASCAR “fixing” the outcome, what do you suggest should have taken place?

Had the caution flag come out when the wreck happened, the race would not have ended, and another red flag situation would have caused a potential issue with the sun going down since there are no lights at IMS, thus making Kahne the winner anyway.

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And while the caution flag really did not even need to fly at all for close to two miles after the wreck since it happened coming out of turn 2 and Kahne was only halfway down the back straightaway, do you really think the reaction from fans would have been different if NASCAR waited even longer to throw the flag, especially if the final running order didn’t change?

Even if they allowed more racing to take place after the wreck since Kahne eventually did cross the overtime line before the caution flag flew, would fans really be happier if they still threw the flag and didn’t let the race end under green flag conditions? Somehow, I doubt it, especially if the results would not have changed, which they likely would not have seeing as how Kahne had a decent gap over 2nd place Brad Keselowski.

Blaming NASCAR for an anticlimactic ending to a race that last more than six hours is one thing. Even that may be going too far, since it’s not their fault that IMS doesn’t have lights, nor is it their fault that weather caused a lengthy delay right after the race began.

But taking out your frustration with NASCAR on Kahne by deeming his victory illegitimate is a disgrace to the sport. It’s not like he just showed up on the last lap, only to have the race called while he was leading. It’s not like NASCAR handed him the win. No; he drove in that long race from start to finish and managed to be up front when it mattered most. He earned that win, and no one will ever change that fact.

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Do you think it is fair to say that Kasey Kahne’s Brickyard 400 victory is tarnished because of NASCAR’s mistake? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions, and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.

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Kasey Kahne’s Brickyard 400 Victory is not Tarnished

By Asher Fair | Jul 24, 2017

Despite the fact that NASCAR once again made a mistake when it came to the overtime line, Kasey Kahne’s Brickyard 400 victory is anything but tarnished.

More from Beyond the Flag