Buescher (Seventeen) and Larson (Five) crossing the finish line within 0.001 seconds of each other. Getty Images
Recent events have drawn many eyes to the racing world. From historic finishes to maiden wins, here is the latest in the world of racing. The 150th Kentucky Derby on May 4 at Churchill Downs in Louisville ended with a three-way photo finish, the first since 1947.
Mystik Dan beat out Sierra Leone and Forever Young by a nose, the shortest possible named advantage a horse can win by. A few days after the race, second-place horse Sierra Leone’s jockey, Tyler Gaffalione, was ordered to a film review, where it was found he had made repeated contact with Forever Young by touching the other horse with his left hand near the end of his race. Gaffalione was fined $2,500 but not suspended.
Another close finish happened at the 2024 AdventHealth 400 on May 5, the twelfth race of the current NASCAR series. Chevrolet’s Kyle Larson and Ford’s Chris Buescher had the closest finish in NASCAR Cup series history. While Buescher was originally believed to have won, upon further review, it was shown that Larson had beaten him by 0.001 seconds. This finish was also the second-closest finish in NASCAR history, the closest being when Tyler Reddick beat Elliott Sadler at the 2018 PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona in the Xfinity Series by 0.0004 seconds.
Also on May 5, Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix, the sixth round of the championship, ended with a maiden win for McLaren’s Lando Norris after six years and 110 entries in F1. The British driver had previously held the record for the most podiums without a race win (fifteen). Just earlier in the week, the driver had retired from the sprint race after a collision with a couple of other cars in the opening lap. Norris finished the race with a 7.7-second lead to the runner-up, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
IndyCar announced that it is set to enter its hybrid era at its Mid-Ohio race from July 5-7, with its new hybrid engine making its long-awaited competition debut. The engine, which was announced in 2019, was originally set to be introduced in 2022, but after the COVID-19 Pandemic and multiple supply chain delays, its launch was continually pushed back. The hybrid power unit is expected to contain many features to give the driver more control over the vehicle and options to overtake. Officials expect them to make the sport even more competitive than before.
With many exciting events happening in such rapid succession, consider tuning into a racing series. The summer is set to be riveting for the sport.