Analysis: So far, 2024 shaping up to be an all-time NASCAR season

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Zach Sturniolo

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Dominators. Multiple photo finishes. Story lines. The 2024 NASCAR season has had it all — and just through the opening 12 weeks of action.

The year is still young, with Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway marking the one-third mark of the 36-race campaign that will lead through the championship race in November at Phoenix Raceway. Already, though, the on-track action has proven to be some of the best ever seen throughout the course of one season.

RELATED: Kansas results | Best photos from Kansas

Sunday’s photo-finish nail-biter between Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher produced the closest margin of victory in Cup Series history at 0.001 seconds — besting the previous 0.002-second record set in 2003 between Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch at Darlington Raceway, then tied in 2011 with a three-wide finish at Talladega Superspeedway with Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer.

Finishes like that are typically regarded as a once-a-season occurrence — if you’re lucky — which is why that record stood for some 21 years. But we were treated to a stunner back in February at Atlanta Motor Speedway, when Daniel Suárez edged Ryan Blaney by 0.003 seconds in a three-wide finish, with Kyle Busch caught between for third place just 0.007 seconds behind the No. 99. (And, oh by the way, the Xfinity Series had a doozy of its own at Texas Motor Speedway, where Sam Mayer nabbed the win from Ryan Sieg by 0.002 seconds.)

Parity can be a beautiful thing in sports — nearly evidenced once again Sunday at Kansas by Buescher, who is now painfully dubbed the driver who came closest to winning a Cup race without actually winning it. But the counter to parity is dominance, an assertion that a driver or group of drivers will be the ones to beat on a weekly basis.

Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have ruled the year so far, winning 10 of the 12 events, but the story lines only grow stronger. Larson and Hamlin have traded barbs in consecutive weeks, with Hamlin fending him off for the victory at Dover and Larson striking back a week later with an overtime win at Kansas. Byron is looking to bring the No. 24 Chevrolet back to championship prominence for the first time since 2001, when Jeff Gordon was lighting up the Cup Series with his fourth title in seven seasons.

MORE: Byron forges own path with No. 24 after Daytona 500 win

James Gilbert | Getty Images

Winners build legacies. And legacies can grow superstars. And as defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney recently told the Kansas City Star: “It starts with success on the race track.”

Kyle Busch, winner of 231 Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series races combined, is in search of his third Cup championship. So, too, is Joey Logano, the 2018 and 2022 title winner. But first, both are looking to end winless streaks, with Logano winless since March 2023 (Atlanta) and Busch since last June (World Wide Technology Raceway). Brad Keselowski, the 2012 Cup champ and third-year co-owner of RFK Racing, is seeking his first win since taking over the No. 6 Ford and has come mighty close this season with two runner-up finishes, though neither as close as teammate Buescher’s.

The story lines are seemingly endless, with still so much ahead.

Larson’s month of May is only beginning as he pursues the rare double — competing in both the Indianapolis 500 and Charlotte’s Coca-Cola 600 in the same day on Sunday, May 26. With a Kansas win ahead of Darlington (Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, Larson could be set to accomplish some unprecedented things over the next few weeks.

Still ahead are return trips to the Chicago Street Course, the Cup Series’ inaugural visit to Iowa Speedway and a stock-car return to the Indianapolis oval for the Brickyard 400.

So often, we may be blinded by what might be wrong or in need of improvement on a lap-by-lap basis. The pursuit of perfection will never end, whether in racing or life — nor should we ever stop moving forward to make the product as extraordinary as possible.

But Sunday felt just about perfect. It’s important to enjoy the beauties, thrills and pure joys of stock-car racing when these exceptionally historic — and exceptionally rare — positives are right in front of us.

Folks, these might just be the good ole days.

Posted on May 7, 2024December 10, 2024 by Alex Cadavid

Rev Racing driver Nick Sanchez will sport a special throwback look on Friday in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Darlington Raceway.

The No. 2 Gainbridge Chevrolet will don red and black colors to celebrate the 20th anniversary of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program.

LEARN MORE: NASCAR Drive for Diversity

“It’s a really cool scheme honoring the diversity program,” Sanchez said. “Big thanks to Gainbridge for allowing us to run it and honor Rev Racing and the Drive for Diversity Program for everything they’ve done over the past 20 years. It’s a big anniversary and a big year for them, so to honor them is really awesome.”

Rev Racing has been the home for both NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity driver and pit crew development programs and has produced some of the sport’s biggest stars. Cup Series drivers such as Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez all got their start with Rev Racing. Other drivers and countless pit crew members were also able to jump-start their careers with help from the D4D program.

Courtesy of Rev Racing

For Sanchez, however, the connection to the D4D program goes even deeper than the backing of a full-time ride. Rev Racing team owner Max Siegel and the D4D program have been in his corner since he decided to become a professional driver as a teenager.

“I started with Rev in Legend Cars,” Sanchez said. “Through all that, I was able to climb up through each division, and in the process, Max and I decided to create a new (division entry) in the Truck Series.”

Sanchez made history for Rev Racing earlier this year when he got to Victory Lane at Daytona to kick off the organization’s second year competing in the Truck Series. Not only did Sanchez deliver Rev’s first national series win, but he also added another chapter to the program’s rich history.

“It’s really cool to be with a program from Day 1 in my journey in stock car racing, all the way to where I am now,” Sanchez said. “Last year, the first year in the Truck Series, was a huge year; this year, already a first win in the national series is an even bigger accomplishment, and getting to share that moment with a lot of people I started at Rev with was really a joy.”

As Rev Racing marks two decades of influence in the sport, the organization’s future looks bright with promising talent in the pipeline.

“I hope that in the next 20 years the (D4D) program will keep introducing drivers to the sport and give people an opportunity to drive in NASCAR,” Sanchez said.

Be sure to watch Sanchez in the Buckle Up South Carolina 200 this Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Press Release

SEEKONK, Mass. — Seekonk Speedway is happy to announce that longtime local business, J&R Precast, located in Berkley, Massachusetts, has been signed as the title sponsor of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event on Saturday, June 1.

The June stop for NASCAR’s oldest touring series will mark their sixth race of the 2024 season, as the series heads for the halfway point of their 16-race schedule. NASCAR’s top Modified competitors will do battle for 150 laps around the Action Track of the East. A full card of local racing – including the Sportsman, Sport Trucks and Late Models – are also on the schedule for June 1. Tickets for the race are available now online at SeekonkSpeedway.com.

Grandstand gates will open prior to that at 4 p.m. The racing card will begin at 5:30 p.m. with NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour qualifying. The qualifying racing for Seekonk divisions will follow at 6 p.m., followed by Seekonk feature racing and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour J&R Precast 150 to conclude the night, estimated for 8 p.m.

J&R Precast is a family-run precast concrete business that began operations in the late 1950s. Located in Berkley, they are proud to be a fourth generation business. Over the years, J&R Precast has grown consistently through a dedication to quality and a relentless commitment to customer service. As a result of this commitment to their customers, they are Southern New England’s premier precaster.

J&R Precast provides quality precast concrete products including Redi-Rock retaining walls, gravity walls, and reinforced walls. They manufacture commercial and residential precast products for use in drainage, septic, stormwater, transportation, and other precast product applications. They even offer the opportunity to work with you on a custom project, if you give them a call.

For more information, visit jrprecast.com or call 508-822-3311.

“I’ve been part of the Seekonk Speedway local racing community for many, many years,” Bob Katon Jr., president and CEO of J&R Precast, said. “I was a car owner with Dick Houlihan and we won a lot of races, and I’ve also owned a car on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for many years and supported many other teams in racing. Our business is proud to stand with Seekonk on such a major race like the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour J&R Precast 150 on June 1. We’re excited to have some of our employees there and enjoy a night at the Action Track of the East.”

J&R Precast will have many invited guests in the turn one Hospitality Pavilion for the night on June 1.

“Seekonk Speedway is proud to partner with J&R Precast for a major event like this,” Ed St. Germain, Director of Business Development at the track, said. “The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is NASCAR’s oldest touring series for a reason. These high-horsepower machines pound the ground and put on a great show for our dedicated race fans. We’re happy to have Bob and his team at J&R Precast joining us in a partnership to showcase the Whelen Modified Tour to our great fans on June 1.”

Seekonk Speedway’s 2024 season includes events on Friday, Saturday and even some Sunday’s. Fans can purchase tickets online at SeekonkSpeedway.com, where you can also find the full season schedule. Fans are encouraged to visit the track on social media for the latest news and information surrounding the third-mile.

Posted on May 7, 2024May 7, 2024 by Zack Albert

Listen to the NASCAR officials’ radio-scanner channel for any great length of time, and you’re likely to hear the phrase, “per the camera.” It’s a callout from one official to another, confirming with a high-speed camera’s image the outcome of narrow margins that are too close to call by trusting the naked eye.

In some instances, that prompt is followed by the correct order of car numbers to determine the race off pit road. Other times, it’s to give proper credit to a lap leader during a green-flag run. Sunday’s “per the camera” moment was for all the Kansas checkered-flag marbles.

The oh-so-slim margin at the end of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway relied on a high-speed camera to determine that Kyle Larson had beaten Chris Buescher to the start/finish line by 0.001 seconds. The margin was the closest in the series’ history.

The same technology was used just one day earlier to decide horse racing’s crown jewel, the 150th Kentucky Derby, won by a nose by Mystik Dan. There, the winning speed was far slower — a lap average at 36.485 mph this year on the 1.25-mile Churchill Downs course — but the technical details used to capture what could be missed in a blink is no less complex.

NASCAR uses a line-scan photo-finish camera and software system called FinishLynx, made by Massachusetts-based Lynx System Developers. FinishLynx has applications in a variety of motorsports series, including IndyCar, Formula 1 and MotoGP, and has also been used in cycling’s Tour de France and in track and field events.

The image from Sunday’s Cup Series finish showing Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet just ahead of Buescher’s No. 17 Ford is a composite of thousands of tiny, vertical image slices from the start/finish line. When cars cross the line, the camera captures several thousands of precise, timestamped images per second to create the photo-finish result image. The camera is always on; the image-capture process is activated by the first sign of motion at the finish-line focus point — in this instance, the appearance of Larson’s front splitter breaking the plane to complete the final lap.

That composite image was made available shortly after the checkered flag to the NASCAR control tower, where race officials made the final ruling — per the camera. The finish was so close that timing and scoring data initially showed Buescher ahead because it fell within the transponders’ margin of error – a razor-thin 1.5 milliseconds.

The camera — which is set up each week in an empty, barricaded pit stall and aimed at the start/finish line on the frontstretch — is calibrated at least once daily during a race weekend. A separate camera is trained on the pit-road exit, and data from both is fed through the FinishLynx software, which has a primary and a backup. The semi-grainy feel to Sunday’s image quality, officials explained, was due to the nighttime finish and the longer distance from the camera’s location to the start/finish line across Kansas’ large patch of tri-oval infield grass. A daytime finish at, for instance, Martinsville Speedway — where the line is much closer to pit road — would be far clearer.

That focal point at the leading edge of the start/finish line cuts through any imperfections in the on-track line painting — which isn’t laser-measured by the grounds crew, and can include checkered-flag designs, track names and/or sponsor logos depending on the event. The physical start/finish line can also be altered by fans writing messages in that area during pre-race track access and the wear and tear of Goodyear rubber from a full field of stock cars crossing it hundreds of times. The camera’s line is the final judge.

WATCH: Larson wins by an eyelash in Kansas

The level of precision and speed of photo-finish technology wasn’t always the norm. The first Daytona 500 in 1959 wasn’t decided until days after the finish, when photographer T. Taylor Warren‘s single frame reversed the initial scoring decision, handing the victory to Lee Petty over Johnny Beauchamp.

NASCAR Research & Archives Center | Getty Images

Nearly 15 years later and back at Daytona, the only instance of a dead heat in Cup Series history took place in the contest for third place in the 1974 Firecracker 400. A more primitive high-speed camera system — 300 frames per second — was in place for the photo finish, which featured Buddy Baker’s No. 15 Ford racing door-to-door with Cale Yarborough’s No. 11 Chevrolet.

NASCAR Classics: Watch 1974 race action

In an account reported by Gary Long for the July 6 edition of the Miami Herald, the images took nearly 40 minutes to develop in the darkroom, but the small negatives that came out were inconclusive. Prints would be necessary, meaning another 30-minute wait that Baker and Yarborough spent trading good-natured barbs.

After a half-hour, along comes NASCAR President Bill France Jr. with a pile of photos. “Who got it?” he was asked. France replied with a laugh, “We can’t figure that out yet. It’s that close.”

They never did. The finish was ruled a tie, and officials pooled the third- and fourth-place prize money to split evenly — after an adjustment for contingency bonus awards — between Baker and Yarborough.

If such a deadlock happened in current-day NASCAR, even with more modern technology in the competition department’s hands, a tiebreaker system is in place to determine the finish. In the event of a dead heat, the higher finishing position is awarded to the driver who leads more laps. If that category does not settle the tie, the driver with the most laps spent in second place earns the tiebreak (then third place, fourth, and so on until the tie is broken).

Posted on May 7, 2024May 7, 2024 by Staff Report

TNT Sports and Amazon Prime announced Tuesday that Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join their respective broadcast teams for coverage of NASCAR events starting in 2025.

Earnhardt will provide on-air analysis and commentary for the five NASCAR Cup Series races that TNT will broadcast during the summer months as part of NASCAR’s landmark media-rights deal announced last fall. Next season will mark NASCAR’s return to TNT for the first time since 2014, and the network will join FOX, NBC, Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery as broadcast partners starting next year through 2031.

Earnhardt joined the NBC Sports broadcast booth in 2018, after his full-time career in the Cup Series concluded the previous year. The 15-time winner of NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award won 26 times during his Cup career, including two Daytona 500 triumphs. Earnhardt also won consecutive championships (1998-99) in the Xfinity Series, where he remains active as a team owner and occasional participant as a driver.

TNT also announced that Earnhardt will be a contributor for Bleacher Report’s social and digital platforms in partnership with his Dirty Mo Media productions company. The groups plan to launch a series of video interviews for select guests in ride-alongs with Earnhardt at the wheel during TNT’s five-race schedule.

“It is such an exciting time to welcome TNT Sports back to NASCAR,” Earnhardt Jr. said in a network release. “I remember watching the races on TNT back in the day, and it’s so nostalgic to see them return to the sport and to be a part of their team. I’m looking forward to joining their team and also getting the chance to work with Bleacher Report creating content that our fans will enjoy.”

TNT Sports indicated that more information about production, programming and on-air personnel “will be shared in the coming months.”

Turner Sports’ time in the sport dates back to 1983 with TBS, then known as SuperStation WTBS. NASCAR coverage shifted to sister network TNT in 2001.

Starting in 2025, Prime Video will exclusively stream five NASCAR Cup Series races following the FOX portion of the broadcast schedule. Prime Video will also present exclusive coverage of practice and qualifying for almost the entire first half of the NASCAR Cup Series season (excluding the Busch Light Clash, Daytona 500, Duel at Daytona, and NASCAR All-Star Race).

Prime Video will utilize in a number of capacities throughout its coverage, with specifics to be announced in the coming months.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dale as an official member of the Amazon family, and build our NASCAR coverage around him,” said Jared Stacy, Director of Global Live Sports Production, Prime Video. “One of the most beloved figures in racing history, Dale has an unrivaled passion for the sport. We are so excited for him to connect with NASCAR fans next season on Prime Video.”

For a complete list of compatible devices to stream NASCAR on Prime Video in 2025, visit amazon.com/howtostream.

Posted on May 6, 2024May 6, 2024 by Staff Report

Each of NASCAR’s national series will step back in time with Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway. From Trucks to the Cup Series, vehicles will be donning iconic motorsport paint schemes at the track ‘Too Tough to Tame.’ Once again, fans get to have their voices heard on which throwback scheme they think is best.

Voting is now open, and the rules are simple: Fans can vote up to five times per day using their email address. Be sure to vote for one throwback paint scheme per national series before voting closes. Remember, each series vote will close the morning of the series’ race day at 9 a.m. ET.

The winning schemes will earn bragging rights for the weekend and be awarded a ‘Best in Class’ trophy during pre-race ceremonies at Darlington.

Be sure to watch the Goodyear 400 this Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Zach Sturniolo

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — To the 1.5-mile oval sitting in America’s heartland, the following is a love letter to you, the darling known as Kansas Speedway.

Somehow, some way, NASCAR racing at Kansas Speedway keeps getting better. But there may be no topping the action we were treated to Sunday.

We were just witness to the closest margin of victory in NASCAR Cup Series history — a literal photo finish. Side-by-side racing from green flag to checkered. Two-wide, three-wide, four-wide, five-wide? You bet. Four cars across the checkered flag within 0.074 seconds of each other at an intermediate track.

What we were privileged to be privy to Sunday was an all-time classic that will etch Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher into NASCAR lore for eternity after No. 5 stole the win by 0.001 seconds, besting any of the tightest finishes the top level of stock-car racing has ever seen.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“That race from start to finish was amazing,” Larson told FOX Sports after collecting the checkered. “That first stage was incredible. The second stage at the end was fun, and then that whole last stage with the wrecks and cautions and then fuel strategy and tires running long and all that was wild.

“You guys (the fans) got your money’s worth today, and I’m just proud to be a part of the show.”

And what a show it was. Drivers continuously crossed each other over, diving left and right to make moves and capitalize on the runs built from using different lanes around the track. Those battles ranged from the lead all the way back throughout the field — highlighted by exceptional, close-quarters racing between Larson and Ross Chastain in Stage 1.

“That was just incredible racing,” Larson said. “Way stressful racing for me, not really in the race, but that’s what you get with stages and stage points and a playoff on the line. You wouldn’t have seen us racing that hard (with a) previous era (of) points. So that was a lot of fun.

“I was obviously frustrated at myself — and I’m sure Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) was too — with how hard we were all racing, but when I got done with that stage, I gave Ross a big thumbs up, and we gave each other a big thumbs up under that caution because it was just fun, clean racing, and it was just a blast. It was that way, it felt like, the whole race.”

While Daniels was able to play a pivotal role in managing the adjustments needed for Larson’s car to perform, he was left as a spectator while his No. 5 Chevrolet darted through traffic in the fight for the win.

“It’s exciting and stressful, which is just what you want,” Daniels told NASCAR.com. “That’s what we want for the excitement in our sport. And with this car right now, I think the intermediate-style tracks are clearly far and above the best races that we produce.”

Logan Riely | Getty Images

But why is Kansas continuing to deliver some of the best action — if not the best action — on the Cup Series schedule?

“I think there’s a lot more tools in the toolbox for the driver and the crew chief here,” Daniels said. “Air-pressure changes are sensitive; wedge and height changes are sensitive to the car; track position is very sensitive to the balance of the car; lanes can be very sensitive. Having the tools in the toolbox of the driver where he can change the inputs of the car and there’s a lot more that he can work with and really similar for the teams, I just think it opens up the options so much more to advance yourself or to kind of punish your tires and maybe punish yourself.”

There are also features about the track’s configuration, Larson added, that help contribute to the insane moves seen Sunday — like Buescher’s daring five-wide split up the middle while racing for second.

“I think from my perspective, it’s got grip, but it’s got progressive banking, so you kind of move your angles around and stuff,” Larson said. “The way this car is, you can get good drafts and all that. The leader is typically at a disadvantage, I feel like, on these mile-and-a-halfs because it seems as though you abuse your right-rear tire more, so it’s hard to get away. You’ve got the draft plus you’re abusing your tires more. So it just keeps the field bunched up. I think with the old car, we’d probably get out to like an eight-second lead here. The couple-second lead that I got in the second stage was as big as you’d probably see in the Next Gen era on a mile-and-a-half.

“It’s always been good, though. Even with the other car it was always a good track. I think a lot of it has to do with the progressive banking and how that kind of affects the handling of the car.”

RELATED: Classic Kansas races to relive

Denny Hamlin, a three-time winner this season, came home fifth, the first car behind the mad dash to the finish line off Turn 4 in overtime. Despite coming just short of what could have been a fourth victory of the year thanks to a late caution, Hamlin was enamored with what Kansas provided — especially after an hours-long rain delay dampened the early afternoon.

“I felt the racing was fantastic. This race track is just built for this car,” Hamlin said. “I mean, it’s one that you can move around and certainly make some moves when you need to. And so I’m really happy for the fans that stayed to get to see great finish like that. That’s what they stayed here for and glad we got to reward them with that.

“It’s just a perfect place for the Next Gen car because you can avoid the wake. We obviously can’t run behind each other, but this is a track where you can maneuver your car around and make speed. You know, I thought that even though we got put to the teens most of the day, we were able to drive back up to the front every single time.”

Sunday’s finish will live in NASCAR history forever. The beauty of it, though?

We get another trip to Kansas in the playoffs come September.

RELATED: Buy tickets for Sept. 29

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Cameron Richardson

Have you ever?

Sunday’s 402-mile thriller at Kansas Speedway delivered the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history as Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher to the line by 0.001 seconds. It’s the second win of the year for Larson, who joins Denny Hamlin and William Byron as multi-time winners in 2024.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Kansas

Kansas saw a handful of comers and goers out front throughout the day. Ross Chastain looked like a true contender for the race win early but didn’t have the speed when the lights came on at the 1.5-mile facility, ending up with a 19th-place finish.

Michael McDowell was caught up in a wreck early in the final stage but rallied for his third top 10 of the year.

As the Cup Series gets set for a three-week stint in the Carolinas, see which drivers are trending upward and in the wrong direction.

THREE UP ⬆️

1. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Started: 4th

Finished: 1st

What happened: Larson had the dominant car of the day. At one point, it looked like a slow pit stop might have cost the team a win, but on an overtime restart, the No. 5 was in prime position. Larson worked his way to the outside of Buescher on the final lap and beat him to the line by just an inch.

What’s next: Larson fans can only salivate right now thinking about what the No. 5 team’s next few weeks could look like. He’s the most recent winner at both Darlington and North Wilkesboro, which is where the Cup Series will be the next two weekends. After that, it’s off to attempt the Memorial Day weekend Sunday double with the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600.

2. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Brittney Wilbur | NASCAR.com

Started: 13th

Finished: 4th

What happened: Truex’s No. 19 woke up in the closing moments as he chased down the leaders, who were saving fuel, just before Kyle Busch spun to send the race to overtime. The 2017 champion took four tires on the final pit stop and rallied to secure a fourth-place finish. With consecutive top-five finishes and a worst result of 18th this season, Truex’s average finish is a whopping 8.9 — nearly a whole position better than next-closest Chase Elliott, who currently has a 9.7 average finish a third of the way through 2024.

What’s next: Even though he’s been winless through 12 races this year, there’s an argument to be made that he’s been the best Cup driver of the season. Truex could use a turnaround at Darlington next Sunday in the Next Gen car as he’s scored a best finish of just 18th in the last four races at “The Lady in Black.” However, Truex has a pair of Coke 600 trophies and finished third in the longest NASCAR event last season.

3. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

James Gilbert | Getty Images

Started: 18th

Finished: 7th

What happened: Bowman picked up his third consecutive top-10 finish Sunday at Kansas. Starting midpack, Bowman ground his way to the quality result amid a slew of cautions in the final stage and took two tires on the final pit stop just before overtime to gain and hold track position when the checkered flag flew.

What’s next: Maybe flying under the radar isn’t what the No. 48 team wants with the other three Hendrick teams all winning already this year, but it feels like a win is imminent for Bowman. It may not come this month as he finished 33rd at Darlington last year and was just outside the top 10 in last year’s Coke 600, which marked his return to action last year after injury.

THREE DOWN ⬇️

1. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Started: 11th

Finished: 34th

What happened: Logano had a silent day before his spin in the final stage, spending just 10.5% of Sunday’s race inside the top 15, according to NASCAR Loop Data. A 34th-place result is the fourth consecutive finish outside the top 10 for the two-time Cup champion.

What’s next: A return to the Carolinas doesn’t bode well for the No. 22 either, as Logano was 18th and 21st at Darlington and the Coke 600 last year, respectively. However, the Team Penske stable always manages to find a gear in the summer so while a win may not be in the near future, don’t count out the defending-championship organization just yet.

2. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR.com

Started: 2nd

Finished: 19th

What happened: Halfway through Kansas, it appeared Chastain was in the mix to snag his first victory of 2024 after having hotly contested battles with Larson and Denny Hamlin for the lead. However, a strategy scramble amid caution after caution early in the final stage shuffled Chastain to midpack, and he wasn’t able to bring the No. 1 Chevy back to the front.

What’s next: Chastain’s last top-10 result came at COTA back in March but Darlington could turn it around for the Alva, Florida native. No. 1 finished fifth in last year’s Southern 500 and was battling for the win late in the spring Darlington race last year before a tangle with Larson.

3. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Started: 15th

Finished: 20th

What happened: From the drop of the green flag, it appeared 23XI missed their setups Sunday, as neither Reddick nor Bubba Wallace was in the mix at Kansas. Reddick was able to muster three points in Stage 2, but when the checkered flag flew, No. 45 was down in 20th on the final results sheet.

What’s next: A Talladega win did not get Reddick on a hot streak as he’s now finished outside the top 10 twice since then, but this should turn around when the Cup Series returns home to the Carolinas. Reddick was runner-up to Larson in last year’s Southern 500 and rounded out the top five in last year’s Coke 600.

Posted on May 5, 2024May 6, 2024 by Dustin Albino

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — They beat and they banged. A literal photo was needed to declare the winner of Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher raced back to the checkered flag when the two drivers made contact out of Turn 4. The No. 5 Chevrolet was scored ahead of the No. 17 Ford by 0.001 seconds, the closest finish in the 76-year history of the NASCAR Cup Series.

“I felt like I was pretty defensive on it and was going to make a drag race coming to the finish line and got to banging doors a little bit and lost some momentum,” Buescher said. “I was aggressive trying to cover it and needed to draft to keep speed up down the straightaway for us. Watching the replay, I just can’t see it right now. I’m sure it will come in. It hurts to see the pylon say we get it and then not.”

RELATED: Race results

Larson got a great run down the backstretch on the final lap and drove it hard into Turns 3 and 4. He thought he was going to pound the wall on corner exit, but ended up getting a run through the corner that was enough to inch ahead of Buescher.

While driving down the backstretch on the cool-down lap, Buescher thought he was the winner. By the time he got to the frontstretch, NASCAR declared Larson victorious, scoring his second triumph through the first third of the NASCAR season.

“I got to the start/finish line and had no clue if I won or not,” Larson said. “I didn’t honestly care because I was like, ‘Man, that was freaking awesome.’ I think I asked if I won or not and (Cliff Daniels, crew chief) said timing and scoring showed the 17. I was like, ‘Cool.’ Then, my spotter was going crazy shortly after that. Just incredible.”

Surpassing the 0.002-second photo finish between Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch at Darlington Raceway in 2003 and Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer at Talladega Superspeedway in 2011 is a bummer for Buescher. Being that close puts the added sting on finishing runner-up.

“It sucks to halfway celebrate down the backstretch and pull up to the front straightaway and get told no,” Buescher said. “I don’t know how everything transpired right now. It sucks in a lot of ways. Second hurts a lot worse than third.”

While Buescher missed out on his first victory of the 2024 season, he gets satisfaction out of how strong his No. 17 car performed. The 53 laps he led Sunday are the most Buescher paced the field since last summer at Richmond Raceway. He had led 26 laps total during the first 11 races of the season. His second-place result is his first-ever top-five finish on a 1.5-mile track.

Logan Riely | Getty Images

From the jump of the initial green flag, Buescher charged through the field. He soared from his 12th-place starting position to finish fifth in the opening stage. At the beginning of the second stage, he diced through the middle of a five-wide battle to gain four positions. When Larson had an issue during his green-flag pit stop, the No. 17 car cycled to the lead to win his first stage of the season.

“We had [speed] from the get-go,” Buescher said. “We drove forward and led a ton of laps today. It’s huge for us to have that and know we are in contention. We’ve got to keep that up.”

Buescher entered Kansas with four consecutive finishes of 15th or worse. By earning 51 points throughout the race, he jumped to 11th in the regular-season standings, 33 points above the elimination line.

“This group has done a nice job of stepping up,” Buescher said. “Knowing where we came from last year and where we’re at right now, it’s good to see momentum. Second hurts way worse than third or fourth. A top-five day is great, but to be that close and not just second but within — I don’t know, I can’t even see it on the photo right now.”

The series heads to Darlington Raceway next on May 12 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), where Buescher finished third in the playoffs last fall.

Posted on May 5, 2024May 5, 2024 by Reid Spencer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In the closest finish in NASCAR history, Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher to the checkered flag by roughly one inch to win Sunday night’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.

After Kyle Busch’s spin on Lap 261 of a scheduled 267 sent the race to overtime, Buescher took the lead on the restart of the two-lap shootout, only to have Larson pull even on the backstretch on the final lap.

Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet and Buescher’s No. 17 Ford banged doors twice coming to the finish line. Buescher held the edge a foot from the stripe, but Larson surged ahead to win in a photo finish, with timing and scoring showing a margin of 0.001 seconds.

The victory was Larson’s second of the season, his second at Kansas and the 25th of his career. The win was the sixth this season for Hendrick Motorsports, the most in the NASCAR Cup Series so far this year.

“That was wild,” said Larson, who had faded from second to fourth before Busch’s spin. “I was obviously thankful for that caution. We were dying pretty bad. Was happy to come out third (off pit road), and figured my best shot was to choose the bottom and try and split three-wide to the inside.

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“Worked out my car turned well and was able to get some runs. Got through (Turns) 1 and 2 really good down the backstretch and had a big tow on Chris, and got him to kind of enter shallow, and I just committed really hard up top.

“Wasn’t quite sure if we were going to make it out the other side. I got super loose in the center, and then we’re just trying to… I’m trying not to get too far ahead of him to where he can side-draft, and then I was just trying to kill his run. It was crazy.”

In the frenzied overtime, Chase Elliott was third, 0.059 seconds behind Larson, followed by Martin Truex Jr., who trailed the leader by 0.075 seconds.

The caution for Busch’s spin negated the fuel-saving measures that had dominated the race’s final stage. The lead-lap cars pitted en masse on Lap 263, with most taking right-side tires only and Truex opting for fresh rubber on all four corners.

Fifth-place finisher Denny Hamlin was first off pit road and chose the bottom lane for the overtime restart with Larson behind him and Buescher to his outside. But Larson ducked to the inside entering Turn 1, abandoning Hamlin and allowing Buescher to surge into the lead.

Buescher, who scored his first career top five on an intermediate speedway, held the top spot until Larson surged ahead by a half-car-length on the backstretch to set up the wild drag race to the finish line.

“That sucks to be that close,” said Buescher, who overcame a penalty for a pit crew member over the wall too soon during the Stage 2 break. “It was a great finish for us, a really strong day. A lot of speed in this Castrol Edge Ford Mustang, and we really needed that. Needed a win more, and I thought might have had that one.

“Had a lot of speed there firing off. We were really good really all day, and really proud of that. Had some good strategy to get us back up there and tried to cover what I could and gave him half a lane too much, I suppose, but good hard race right there down to the line. But, yeah, it just hurts.”

The race featured 27 lead changes among 10 drivers and seven cautions for 43 laps. Except for stage breaks, the race ran caution-free until Lap 176, when contact from Corey LaJoie’s Chevrolet sent seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson spinning in a three-car accident that slowed the race for seven laps.

Three more cautions followed in rapid succession, creating varying strategic options as drivers either chose to pit for fuel or to stay out. Truex, who had ample fuel, was closing fast late in the race on then-leader Hamlin, who was saving gas when the caution for Busch’s spin forced the overtime.

Pole winner Christopher Bell ran sixth, followed by Alex Bowman, Busch, Noah Gragson (scoring his third straight top 10) and Michael McDowell.

“That race from start to finish was amazing,” said Larson. “That first stage was incredible. The second stage at the end was fun, and then that whole last stage with the wrecks and cautions and then fuel strategy and tires running long and all that was wild.

“You guys got your money’s worth today, and I’m just proud to be a part of the show.”

MORE: 2024 Cup standings | 2024 Cup schedule

The Cup Series shifts to the Carolinas for the rest of May, with the Darlington throwback race on tap next Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection in the Cup Series garage at Kansas concluded without issue, confirming Larson as the race winner. No vehicles will be taken back to the NASCAR R&D Center for further inspection.