Did Ryan Martin Actually Red Light vs Swanstrom at NPK Ohio? Controversy Ensues

Would it really be racing without a little bit of drama involved?

This time, we take a trip back to No Prep Kings Ohio from earlier this season. The race in question had a couple of heavy hitters going at one another as Justin Swanstrom took aim at Ryan Martin. Naturally, Martin has been the front-runner for a while so Swanstrom seemed to be ready to dial up an impressive tune to try to catch him. Whether or not this haymaker would pay off would be another story, though, that would have to be spelled out on the drag strip.

Unfortunately, the story that would actually end up unfolding on the track would be something a little bit less competitive.

As the drivers staged their cars and watched the lights drop on the tree, it was off to the races. However, Swanstrom’s win light would automatically be triggered as Martin’s lane showed a red bulb, meaning he had jumped early. The controversial part is that it didn’t seem like he actually did jump.

Martin took this loss gracefully, congratulating his competitor following the race. Fans on social media took things in a different direction, though, as they reviewed the tape over and over again. As one astute YouTube viewer pointed out, when the footage is reviewed at .25 speed, the lowest speed setting on YouTube’s video player, it’s pretty obvious that Martin didn’t leave before the light turned green.

At the end of the race, Martin seemed incredibly confused by what happened as he claims to have waited for the light to turn green before leaving. However, the race would go down in the books as a loss for the man who would eventually go on to win the season championship.

So, what do you think? Did Martin get shafted or is something else going on here?