The 2024 NASCAR Cup season witnessed yet another thrilling historic finish. Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher (Images via IMAGO and X)
The NASCAR Cup Series race in Kansas saw history being made as the Hendrick Motorsports driver secured his second victory of the 2024 season in impressive fashion. He defeated the RFK Racing driver in an epic battle on the final lap by a margin of 0.001 seconds, marking the closest margin of victory in the sport’s history.
Kyle Larson started the race in fourth position and consistently maintained his position among the leaders throughout the event. After facing 267 laps, 26 lead changes, and seven caution periods, the driver of the No:5 Chevy Camero ZL1 found himself in a battle on the final lap with Chris Buescher, who was leading in the No:17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.
The duo was closely followed by the No:9 HMS Chevy and the No:19 Toyota Camry. Despite several passing attempts, Larson was unable to secure the lead due to Buescher’s strong defense. However, on the final turn of the race, Larson made contact with the No:17 Ford, causing him to lose momentum.
This gave Larson enough time to overtake Buescher and cross the finish line ahead of him. The finish was so close that Buescher’s team initially celebrated, believing they had won. However, after NASCAR reviewed the footage, Larson was declared the winner. RFK Racing protested the results, claiming the finish line was uneven, but NASCAR quickly resolved the confusion by using a camera on the finish line to determine the winner.
Discussing his impressive victory, Kyle Larson emphasized that it was a fun and exciting race. He highlighted the excitement of all the stages, especially the final stages with the crashes and caution periods.
With another loss, Ford finds itself in an embarrassing situation. In the 2024 NASCAR season, they competed in 30 races across all three categories, but failed to secure any victories. This also marks the third closest finish they have lost in the Cup this year.