It wasn’t quite a photo finish for the Albert Lee Appliance Cup Sunday on Lake Washington. But after a penalty in the hydroplane race’s final laps and an official’s review, J. Michael Kelly and the Graham Trucking U-5 boat took home the Albert Lee Cup at Seafair.

For Graham Trucking, a business in South Seattle owned by Islander Rob Graham, it was the company’s third-consecutive cup win, and second with driver J. Michael Kelly.

“It feels pretty good. When you don’t expect one and you get three, it’s pretty amazing,” Graham said.

The win didn’t come without controversy. Oberto driver Jimmy Shane, who drove the Graham Trucking boat to a cup victory in 2013, passed Kelly in the race’s final laps to cross the finish line first. But Shane was penalized for bumping Kelly, which pushed Kelly and Graham Trucking into first place.

Graham said after reviewing some of the footage, he thought the right call was made.

“They made it so fast,” he said. “A couple of refs got together and that was about as fast of a group effort as you can get. Unfortunately not everybody is going to agree with the calls.”

It wasn’t the first time controversy marked the end of the annual race. Graham noted contentious circumstances were generated during his company’s first cup victory, with Shane driving the boat.

“This particular race seems to end in controversy more times than not,” he said.

Graham said he stuck around the racing pits after the event until 9 p.m. Sunday evening, and was up and at it again at 4 a.m. Monday morning, waiting for Starbucks to open and back to the business of moving freight. Seafair is the busiest time of the year for Graham, who oversees his business while having a hand in race sponsorship and entertaining some 300 guests in his company’s hospitality tent during Seafair weekend.

Heading into Sunday’s race, Graham said a three-peat would be an amazing accomplishment.

“It’s not something people get to do in their racing career,” he said. “There are so many different winners, people put their best stuff and then some into Seafair.

“Everybody wants to win Seafair badly.”