ROMULUS — This NASCAR Cup Series season has been a wild one. From Tyler Reddick’s win in the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway to Chris Buescher’s overtime victory at Watkins Glen International, 2024 has been full of unpredictable finishes that have stumped readers who participate in the Finger Lakes Times’ weekly NASCAR contest.
So much so that the prize pot ballooned to $1,600 — $50 is added each week there is no winner — heading into this past weekend.
However, the 1-2-3 finish of Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and William Byron at the Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Sunday was correctly predicted by reader Wyant Keefer. Keefer collected all $1,600 in winnings. It’s the biggest prize in the history of the contest and the first correct prediction since May 2022.
At the time Larson crossed the finish line, Keefer was unaware he had won. He was at del Lago Resort and Casino on Sunday, where every television was dedicated to NFL football.
“Where I was at, they didn’t have the race on TV, so I didn’t find out until afterwards,” Keefer said about the race. “I found out later that night who won. I couldn’t believe it.”
Keefer plays the FLT contest every week and is a first-time winner of the prize pool. A fan of Larson and the way he has been driving, Keefer penciled him in for the win and put his longtime rival Bell in second. He took a smart guess on third with Byron.
“I’ve always liked Kyle Larson and I thought Bell was doing well in the races recently,” Keefer explained. “And I just took a guess at the third slot!”
Larson raced to his Cup Series-high sixth victory of the season to easily advance to the third round of NASCAR’s playoffs, winning on The Roval — the hybrid road course/oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Larson led a race-high 62 laps in the No. 5 Chevrolet to win in a runaway. He beat longtime rival and title contender Christopher Bell by 1.511 seconds.
With winter approaching, Keefer said he’ll put some of the money toward new tires and the rest will go to savings.
