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The closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history, one year later
May 5, 2024, did not have the markings of a historic day for NASCAR.
As the Cup Series field prepared to take on the Kansas Speedway in the 12th race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, persistent rainfall in Kansas City forced a lengthy rain delay. A race originally slated to start at 3 p.m. ET was pushed back over two hours as NASCAR did their best to dry off the track.
But when the AdventHealth 400 finally went green on that cloudy Kansas afternoon, NASCAR fans were treated to not only a great race, but also one of the greatest finishes in NASCAR history.
With seven laps to go, Martin Truex Jr. was in the process of hunting down race leader Denny Hamlin. Fuel mileage was a concern up and down pit road, and the AdventHealth 400 looked like a race that would be decided by a few measly miles of gas.
That was until Kyle Busch spun from fifth with seven laps to go. With the entire field coming down pit road, the race would no longer be a fuel-saving marathon, but an all-out sprint to the checkered flag.
Hamlin and Chris Buescher won the race off pit road by taking two tires, and were set up on the front row for the overtime restart. Just behind Hamlin and Buescher were the Hendrick Motorsports teammates of Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, while Truex Jr., who had taken four tires on the previous pit stop, was mired back in 10th for the race’s final restart.
When the green flag flew, it didn’t take long for Larson — perhaps the most aggressive driver in the Cup Series field — to make his move. The 2021 Cup Series champion dove to the inside of Hamlin and was running second to Buescher on the exit of Turn 2.
As the field roared into Turn 3 with two laps to go, Truex Jr.’s fresh tires were flexing their muscle. The 2017 Cup Series champion had gone from 10th to third in a single lap, and had Buescher and Larson in his sights when the white flag waved.
While Truex Jr.’s advance stalled due to a battle for third with Elliott, Buescher and Larson were fighting for the win in the final corner. As Buescher moved up the track to block, Larson sent his Chevy deep into Turn 3 on the outside, drawing even with Buescher on the exit of Turn 4.
As the two drivers raced to the line, they made contact and bounced off of each other before taking the checkered flag.
THE CLOSEST FINISH IN NASCAR HISTORY. KYLE LARSON VS. CHRIS BUESCHER.
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 6, 2024
Unbelievable. https://t.co/UFL4P04KTc pic.twitter.com/UtePBqmuZd
Initially, everyone in the building, including the television and radio announcers, thought Buescher had edged Larson for the win. About 30 seconds after the race was over, however, NASCAR declared Larson the winner by a scant 0.001 seconds, the closest margin of victory in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series.
A day that started with dreary skies and pouring rain had turned into a magnum opus for NASCAR.
The race wasn’t just a moment in history, however, as the ramifications from the finish would be felt throughout the season. Buescher ended up missing the Cup Series playoffs entirely, a fate that would’ve been avoided had the photo finish at Kansas gone his way.
“Not so much playing it in my head every night, but when it’s brought up, it still stings,” Buescher told Yardbarker at World Wide Technology Raceway in June 2024.
It may still sting for Buescher, but it’s a race he and the rest of the NASCAR world will never forget.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
More must-reads:
- NASCAR power rankings: Defending champion rises after surprising Texas triumph
- NASCAR makes decision on victory celebrations after Connor Zilisch fall
- The 'NASCAR Cup Series winners' quiz
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