Closest race in NASCAR history! Kyle Larson nips Chris Buescher at Kansas in photo finish

No NASCAR race has had a closer finish.

Kyle Larson weaved his No. 5 Chevrolet through the front of the pack Sunday night at Kansas Speedway, where he had restarted in overtime on the second row. The No. 17 Ford Mustang of Chris Buescher, which won Stage 2 and had a strong run, held a narrow lead.

Larson zoomed through and around the bunch, and it appeared to be a four-wide finish among the Cup Series cars of Larson, Buescher, Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr.

Larson and Buescher, who respectively finished first and second, were separated by an official 0.001 seconds, marking the closest finish in NASCAR history — and every bit as close as Saturday’s photo finish in the Kentucky Derby.

“I didn’t know if I won or not,” Larson said post-race. “I was pumped for the finish. I can’t remember if it was (crew chief) Cliff (Daniels) or Tyler (Monn), my spotter, who said the 17 got it. I was like, hey, good job today, because that was a great race.

“Then I got to about Turn 3, and Tyler was going crazy on the roof. Just an incredible, incredible finish there.”

Elliott came in third, Truex fourth and Denny Hamlin — who won Stage 1 and then controlled the end of the race — finished fifth.

Here’s a look at the race’s biggest moments as they unfolded:

Lap 267: WHAT A FINISH!!!!! Kyle Larson surges to the front and crosses the finish line alongside Chris Buescher!

Lap 265: Green for overtime!

Lap 264: Denny Hamlin takes the bottom on the inside for the overtime restart, with Chris Buescher alongside him on the outside. Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Noah Gragson are behind them.

Lap 263: Denny Hamlin beat Chris Buescher and Kyle Larson off pit road.

Lap 262: Most cars head down pit road with five to go under caution, including Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. Most are taking two tires.

Lap 260: Kyle Busch spins! Caution! He’d been running in fifth.

Lap 258: Kyle Larson is losing speed and has dropped to sixth. Martin Truex Jr. has surged up to second.

Lap 257: Denny Hamlin’s lead has grown to roughly 1.5 seconds, but he still hasn’t pitted since Lap 194 (64 laps ago).

Lap 245: Chris Buescher is closing in on Hamlin, pulling to roughly a quarter-second of him. The No. 5 Chevrolet of Kyle Larson, on fresher tires, is up to third, trailing Hamlin by about one second.

Lap 235: Denny Hamlin and Chris Buescher have passed each other several times, and Hamlin is currently out in front by roughly 0.34 seconds.

Lap 224: Denny Hamlin passes Chris Buescher for the lead again!

Your Top 10: Hamlin, Buescher, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Todd Gilliland, Michael McDowell, Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott.

Lap 211: Chris Buescher takes the lead from Denny Hamlin! Another great battle for the lead.

Lap 205: Green again! Denny Hamlin gets out to the race lead.

Lap 203: Everyone pitted except Todd Gilliland, Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Justin Haley, Bubba Wallace and Michael McDowell.

Lap 202: Leaders are pitting now, under caution, with 65 laps to go.

Lap 197: Guess what? Another caution! Joey Logano spins from 16th in Turn 4.

Lap 197: Green for another restart! Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson are leading. Seventy laps remain.

Lap 190: Another caution right away! Harrison Burton gets loose and spins out in the back of the field.

Lap 189: Green for the restart! Kyle Busch gets to the lead from the inside.

Lap 187: Austin Cindric is done for the day.

Lap 185: Looks like Denny Hamlin made contact with Austin Cindric, who then spun into the wall, collecting Bubba Wallace and Michael McDowell.

Lap 184: And a big wreck comes on the backstretch! Austin Cindric, Michael McDowell, Bubba Wallace among those involved.

Lap 183: Green again!

Lap 181: Jimmie Johnson’s car is being removed from the track under caution. Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch will lead us to green on the upcoming restart.

Lap 176: First non-stage break caution — a big crash for Jimmie Johnson! The No. 84 Toyota got clipped and spun into the wall in Turn 1. Corey LaJoie and Austin Hill involved as well.

Lap 174: Green for the final stage!

Lap 171: Denny Hamlin lost positioning on pit road and fell to 10th, behind Ryan Preece (initially 11th before Chris Buescher’s penalty). Kyle Larson had beaten Buescher in the race off pit road for the lead.

Lap 170: And a penalty on Chris Buescher’s team: He’s sent to the rear after a crew member went over the wall too soon. Had been a great day for Buescher.

Lap 169: That’s the first stage win of the season for the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

Your Top 10 from Stage 2: Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson.

Stage 2

Lap 165: Chris Buescher wins Stage 2!

Lap 162: Kyle Larson has trimmed Chris Buescher’s lead to less than a second, but it looks like the No. 17 car is running away with the stage win late. Three to go.

Lap 151: Daniel Suarez slammed the wall off Turn 2 when trying to stay on the lead lap battling leader Chris Buescher and has likely has right front damage.

Lap 144: Kyle Larson gets around Kyle Busch to take second! Chris Buescher still leads.

Lap 135: More than halfway through in this 267-lap race, so this is an official race (no rain is currently in the area). Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman, Noah Gragson, Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain are your Top 10.

Lap 124: Chris Buescher is now the leader. Tyler Reddick had stayed out and led a few laps before pitting.

Lap 120: An issue on Kyle Larson’s left front tire, and a slightly slower pit stop by the No. 5 team. He’s now behind Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 119: John Hunter Nemechek, who’d previously been hit with a speeding penalty, overshot his pit stall on pit road and has to back up.

Lap 118: Kyle Larson pits from the race lead.

Lap 109: Kyle Larson has opened a lead of more than three seconds, followed by Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 95: That was a really impressive move from Chris Buescher. Kyle Larson had flown past Ross Chastain and Christopher Bell, and Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs came up on both sides. Buescher found a hole between Chastain and Bell in the middle, briefly making those five drivers even for second place.

Lap 90: Green for Stage 2 and what a move by Chris Buescher! The No. 17 Ford shoots up through the middle of the race track and briefly goes five-wide, then moves all the way to second place.

Lap 87: Denny Hamlin lost seven spots on pit road during the stage break pit cycle. Christopher Bell picked up three positions from the first pit stall and is back in the race lead alongside Ross Chastain.

Lap 81: Your Top 10 points-getters after Stage 1: Denny Hamlin, Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Noah Gragson and Chase Elliott.

Stage 1

Lap 80: Denny Hamlin wins a wild Stage 1!

Lap 77: Ross Chastain trying to make a move on Denny Hamlin for the lead late in Stage 1. Christopher Bell is up to fourth, and Chris Buescher fifth.

Lap 70: What a race this has been. After Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson had as good of a battle for the lead as you’ll see, Denny Hamlin powers ahead and gets away from Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson.

Lap 67: Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson are close for the lead.

Lap 65: Denny Hamlin has made his way into second place, passing Ross Chastain and Ty Gibbs! Kyle Larson has a tight lead late in Stage 1.

Lap 53: Your Top 10: Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Noah Gragson and Austin Cindric.

Lap 51: The battle for the lead between Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson keeps getting better. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin has quickly surged up to fourth.

Lap 41: Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson are now side by side for the lead!

Lap 40: It’s a good battle between Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson for the “lead” — Derek Kraus still leads the race, so these won’t be counted as official lead changes. Chastain pulled away to the outside of the track after the two had been running door to door.

Lap 38: Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson are battling for the lead in P2 and P3, respectively. Derek Kraus started last and hasn’t pitted yet.

Lap 33: There won’t be a competition caution today, and green flag pit stops have already started. Ross Chastain and Kyle Larson are among those who pitted; Only 12 drivers have yet to pit.

Lap 25: Your Top 10: Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Noah Gragson, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Austin Cindric.

Lap 22: There’s been a lot of movement through the field early on the wider track. Ross Chastain is still leading, with a significant lead over Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell. Chris Buescher is up to P5 after starting 12th. William Byron started 36th and is already up to 19th.

Lap 11: Ross Chastain has led for most of the early goings here, and Kyle Larson is up to P2.

Lap 8: Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain have been pacing the field from the front row, and Kyle Larson is surging toward them.

Green flag, 6:25 p.m.: Finally green! Cars had been running pace laps for an extended period of time as the end of pit road was still being dried.

6:03 p.m.: “Race fans, on behalf of AdventHealth, drivers, start your engines!” Jimmie Johnson, from inside the cockpit of the No. 84 AdventHealth Toyota before the AdventHealth 400, gives command to fire the engines!

5:58 p.m.: The invocation has been given and national anthem has been performed! Jimmie Johnson will give command in roughly five minutes.

5:50 p.m.: Drivers will be introduced momentarily, standing next to their cars on pit road. It’s still drizzling a little, and the rain is moving out of the area.

5:30 p.m.: There’s still rain in the area, but the forecast is looking more promising. The jet driers are still on the track; Drivers will be introduced from their cars.

5:20 p.m.: Looks like we could be racin’ soon! Teams have been told to go to their cars at 5:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. local time). Driver introductions would be at 5:45 p.m., and the invocation would start at 5:55 p.m. with engines firing shortly thereafter.

4:55 p.m.: Trucks are back out drying the track. Still no estimated start time as rain could continue.

4:40 p.m.: There’s still steady light rain at the track right now, and it will need at least an hour to dry as they don’t have wet-weather tires. NASCAR is preparing for an evening race, and the rain is now expected to continue into the next hour.

4:05 p.m.: Rain has picked up in Kansas City, with more on its way up, so NASCAR has shut down some of its driers on the track.

3:50 p.m.: An update to the personnel leading today’s pre-race festivities, when we get to them: Jimmie Johnson will be stepping in to give command in place of Richard Petty. Johnson will be driving the No. 84 Toyota for Legacy Motor Club and starting 19th.

3:30 p.m.: More rain remains possible south of Kansas Speedway, where the start of today’s AdventHealth 400 is under a rain delay. The 1.5-mile track does have lights, so the NASCAR Cup Series is hopeful it will race today.

3:05 p.m.: Rain had briefly stopped, but more rain is possible coming from the south. The delay is expected to last about an hour or two, and racing at night under the lights will be possible.

3 p.m.: The trucks are out drying the track. More rain is expected within the next hour, and the race has been delayed.

2:25 p.m.: Today’s scheduled pre-race events: Driver introductions begin at 2:30 p.m. The invocation will be given at 2:54 p.m, and the national anthem will be performed at 2:55 p.m. Richard Petty will give command to fire the engines at 3:02 p.m., followed by green flag at 3:13 p.m.

2:15 p.m.: The NASCAR Cup Series cars do not have rain tires and the wet-weather package today in Kansas. A delay is very possible, but the race is expected to be run today regardless.

2 p.m.: Happy Race Day! The NASCAR Cup Series is back at Kansas Speedway, where green flag is scheduled for 3:13 p.m. There’s some light rain south of the track, and teams are covering their cars, but rain is expected to be completely out of the area by mid-afternoon.

It’s the third race on a 1.5-mile track this season. 23XI Racing drivers have won three of the past four races at this specific intermediate speedway in Kansas (Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace in 2022, and Tyler Reddick in the last playoffs).

The exception? Their boss won there last spring.

Christopher Bell wins NASCAR-best 12th pole of Next Gen era

No driver has won more poles since the introduction of the Next Gen car than Christopher Bell.

All 12 of Bell’s career pole positions have come following the start of the 2022 season. He outpaced Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson with a 29.491-second lap during Saturday’s qualifying session and will start from the pole for the first time this year.

Who are the favorites in the AdventHealth 400?

Considering the aforementioned success that the 23XI Racing drivers have had at Kansas — not to mention Hamlin’s three wins there of his own — and how well those cars have run on 1.5-mile tracks this season, Hamlin and Larson are heavy favorites this week.

Kyle Larson remains the betting favorite — at +265 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, and +250 odds on FanDuel Sportsbook — followed by Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr.

Larson, who dominated this season’s first race on an intermediate speedway, is a recent winner at Kansas, as well. Each of Hamlin’s last five finishes at Kansas have been in the Top Five, and his drivers have won the last three races that he didn’t.

The Observer’s Shane Connuck is going with Ty Gibbs to get his first win in a Cup car. The No. 54 Toyota Camry has been fast this year, racking up six Top 10 finishes (three Top Fives) in the 11 races. Like many of his Toyota teammates, the grandson of Joe Gibbs has been strong on intermediate tracks. Gibbs, last year’s Rookie of the Year, came in 14th in the only race he’s finished at Kansas in his young career. He’s due for his first checkered flag, and today’s race track is a good place for it to happen.

How to watch and stream the NASCAR race at Kansas

Race: AdventHealth 400

Place: Kansas Speedway (Kansas City, Kansas)

Date: Sunday, May 5

Time: 3 p.m. ET (Green flag at 3:13 p.m.)

Purse: $7,894,315

TV: FS1, 3 p.m. ET

Streaming: FOX Sports

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps)

Stages: Stage 1 ends on Lap 80; Stage 2 ends on Lap 165; and the Final Stage ends on Lap 267.

Starting lineup for the AdventHealth 400

This story was originally published May 5, 2024 at 2:06 PM.

Shane Connuck

The Charlotte Observer

Shane Connuck is a former journalist for The Charlotte Observer