Confusion surrounds wild Texas NASCAR Truck finish
Although Christopher Bell was declared the race winner, many initially believed Chase Briscoe was actually ahead at the time of the race-ending caution.
Timothy Peters, Chevrolet Silverado wrecks
Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
As the field came to the white flag, Austin Wayne Self spun out of Turn 4. Self came down the track in front of Timothy Peters, who made heavy contact before violently flipping through the infield. He was uninjured in the spectacular accident.
While the running order is usually decided by the last scoring loop when a caution occurs, that changes for the race finish. According to the NASCAR rule book, "vehicles will be scored based on their respective track position. The determination of the respective track position and a reasonable are judgment calls that will be made by NASCAR officials."
But clear evidence of Bell’s win was never shown during the broadcast. The video footage from FOX Sports 1 had Chase Briscoe’s No. 29 Ford ahead of the No. 4 Toyota. That image fueled confusion on social media from drivers, media and fan alike with many concluding that Briscoe was the actual winner. But after TV had gone off the air, NASCAR clarified the confusion with a tweet from Executive Vice President Steve O’Donnell.
But it turns out that the lights lining the fence at TMS are not official caution lights. NASCAR released the following screen shot of the actual moment of caution, showing Bell ahead by a mere 0.002 seconds.
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