Depending on your view, Kyle Busch either pulled off an amazing move with only feet to go to win Saturday’s Mountain Dew 250 Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, or went out of bounds breaking a rule laid out by NASCAR.
What’s not in dispute is that Busch was in second place on the final lap of a green white checkered flag run behind leader Aric Almiorla. The roles were reversed from a year prior when Almirola was behind Busch on the final lap; a year ago Almirola was content to finish second behind Busch and felt perhaps that Saturday that Busch would remain behind him and payback the favor.
It didn’t turn out that way.
Coming out of turn 4 and into the tri-oval, Busch moved below Almirola while third place Johnny Sauter went high. Busch looked to lose control nearing the line sliding sideways across the line and ahead of Almirola. Sauter held on for third.
According to NASCAR’s electronic scoring, Busch won by .002 of a second; the closest margin in Truck Series history. Almirola however saw it differently, saying that Busch had gone below the double yellow line marking the boundary to advance his position; an illegal move under NASCAR’s rules. Almirola went to NASCAR officials after the race and was told that Busch had slipped down with two wheels across the line but had done so in order to maintain control of his truck.
“My perspective is, I feel like I won the race,” Almirola said. “NASCAR’s perspective is, we ran second. I guess, we lose. I’m disappointed in that.”
“I don’t even know if I got near it, below it, next to it, on it, I have no idea,” Busch said. “All I know was I was trying to save my truck and keep it straight and hopefully make it past the start/finish line before the rest of the guys.”
Behind Sauter, Matt Crafton and Ricky Carmichael rounded out the top-five.
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