Posted on 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.

Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher cross the finish line at Kansas Speedway.
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 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.

RELATED: Race results | Relive highlights from Kansas thriller

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 official camera photo of the finish

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.

SHOP: Get race winner gear

“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. 

Posted on by Staff Report

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin is calling his shot again.

The perennial NASCAR Cup Series title contender and past championship runner-up made another bold claim during Sunday’s pre-race show on FS1 at Kansas Speedway. Egged on by FOX Sports analyst and former Cup driver Clint Bowyer, Hamlin declared he would win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

“This is it. This is the year,” Hamlin told FOX Sports. “This is the year it’s going to happen.”

MORE: Current Cup standings | Full Kansas preview

It’s not the first time Hamlin has made that assertion — most recently stating “it’s our year” after winning the 2023 playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway last fall. One week ago, Hamlin won at Dover Motor Speedway to score his third win of 2024 — and just days after calling his shot on his podcast, “Actions Detrimental.”

“The Great Hambino” came through, leading a race-high 136 laps and celebrating at the start/finish line, swinging the checkered flag like a baseball bat in his best Babe Ruth impersonation.

Whether Hamlin finally pulls through and wins a title in his 19th full-time season at the Cup level remains to be seen, but momentum seems to be favoring Hamlin and his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team through the first third of the year.

MORE: Denny Hamlin through the years

First, he’ll have to get through Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, where he will roll off from the 14th position.

Posted on by Staff Report

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Rain has put the start of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway on hold.

The AdventHealth 400 was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET before inclement weather rolled over the 1.5-mile oval. When weather permits, FS1, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have live broadcast coverage of the 12th Cup Series race of the year.

MORE: Track latest Kansas weather

Christopher Bell and Ross Chastain will lead the field to the green flag when the race gets underway. Noah Gragson qualified a career-best third, with Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch completing the top five.

Denny Hamlin, the race’s defending winner, will start from the 14th position. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, who was fastest in Saturday’s practice and won the track’s most recent race in September, will start 15th.

William Byron was fastest in both 10-lap and 20-lap average speed in Saturday’s session but hit the wall during qualifying, ruining his lap. The No. 24 Chevrolet will start 36th after the team repaired the right-side damage.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — William Byron posted the fastest 10-lap and 20-lap averages in Saturday’s Cup Series practice session, but wall contact in qualifying derailed the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports’ driver’s starting position.

Byron will be credited with a 36th-place starting spot in Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) as the team made repairs to the right side of Byron’s green, black and white Chevrolet.

MORE: Starting lineup at Kansas | Full Kansas preview

In time trials, Byron carried significant speed into Turn 1 and, like most competitors, pinned his No. 24 car next to the outside retaining wall. But that speed proved too strong, forcing his car to push upward and into the wall, scraping against the SAFER barrier through Turn 2 and ruining the lap.

“I just was a little tight coming up to the green there and then just overcommitted a little bit,” Byron explained Saturday. “There’s definitely a lot of throttle to get out there to have a fast lap, and I’ve got to look back but probably a combination of my angle and a little too much throttle and a little tight balance. So just all those things and hit the wall. I hate it, but our car’s really good, so we’ll just have to work a little bit harder.”

Byron, already a three-time winner in 2024, was not concerned with the damage to his vehicle as the body simply scraped against the wall without a hard impact.

“It’s just the right side,” Byron said. “You know, the right sides are really tough in these things, but we obviously want to get the toe and everything, you know, fixed as good as we possibly can and and all the components. Looked like the fenders were a little bit caved, so we’ll probably have a little work to do, which I hate, but our car is really good. So we just gotta, like I said, I have to pass a lot of cars.”

With 13 career wins — 11 of which have come since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022 — Byron appeared in a light mood despite the Saturday setback. That stems from a deep-rooted confidence that permeates the No. 24 team, led by crew chief Rudy Fugle. But there was a tinge of reflection upon last week’s race at Dover Motor Speedway, where a mistake on pit road mired Byron back in traffic before he was eventually collected in a crash, leading him and the team to an earlier qualifying position than usual.

“I mean, I’m frustrated. Like, I’m really frustrated,” Byron said. “But it’s just like, typically qualifying is really good for us. Our metric from last week hurt us a little bit, going a little bit sooner. So probably just took less grip in the race track and overestimated all those conditions and hurt us. So, typically, qualifying is pretty solid for us. It’s part of it.”

Sunday will feature a charge from the rear of the field if Byron wants to contend for his first career victory at Kansas, the 1.5-mile oval where he scored a personal-best third-place finish last spring.

“I think the only thing that’s different is just that it’s cool out so it’ll probably be a little tougher to pass,” Byron said. “But you know, try to get a chunk of them at the beginning and have our balance close and have a good cycle. Probably miss out a little bit on Stage 1 points which stinks, but (we’re) just really after the end of the race, so should be good.”

RELATED: Cup standings

The points chase is no small item on the team’s to-do list in search of the 2024 regular-season championship. Byron enters Sunday’s contest sixth in points, 62 markers back of points leader and Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson.

“We’re really down on stage points,” Byron said. “We have 59 stage points. I think Kyle has like (126). I just looked at that before coming out here. So this isn’t gonna help that. But I mean, we’ve just got to keep working on that, getting points throughout the race. Even when we run really well, it seems like we’re not getting a ton.”

But if the No. 24 team exudes the same speed Sunday that it displayed Saturday, Byron could be celebrating a big payday by evening’s end in the Midwest.

Posted on by Dustin Albino

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Still fresh to the NASCAR scene, Kaden Honeycutt has yet to get a plethora of opportunities. But he’s finally found a stable situation with Niece Motorsports in the Craftsman Truck Series.

In a schedule that is currently set to be 11 truck races throughout the 2024 season, Honeycutt notched his first career top-five finish in a national series race with a fourth-place finish at Kansas Speedway on Saturday night.

Honeycutt entered the weekend with a ninth-place average finish in three prior starts this season. He kicked off the season with a sixth-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway before returning to his short track core, earning a 12th-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway and a ninth-place outing at Martinsville Speedway.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

Kansas was the first time visiting a true intermediate track with one of the top teams in the series. His preparation work backed that up, knowing that the No. 45 team’s crew chief, Phil Gould, would be bringing a hot rod to the track.

“This was probably the most studied track that I’ve had on my schedule,” Honeycutt said. “I’ve struggled here the last couple of years, just not knowing what to do. Now with all our partners at Chevrolet that have helped us on sim and for me to get better and know what to do when I show up, it’s so helpful to have all the backing that we have from Chevrolet.”

Throughout Saturday, Honeycutt continued to improve as he laid more laps down at Kansas. The No. 45 Chevrolet was middle-of-the-pack in practice and qualified in a dissatisfying 23rd place. As soon as the green flag waved, however, he charged through the field and finished fifth in the opening stage.

During the second stage, Honeycutt continued to impress and even contended for the race lead early in the stage. He bettered his position to fourth with the halfway point looming.

When the final stage went green, Honeycutt shined. He battled series points leader Corey Heim fearlessly for the lead until a cycle of green-flag pit stops began. Heim pitted one lap before Honeycutt, who had made just one green-flag pit stop in his career prior to Kansas. He keyed up his veteran spotter TJ Bell on the radio, wanting to know what his marker was for getting on to pit road.

It wasn’t perfect, but Honeycutt managed the deficit, losing just two spots.

“That was my second green-flag stop ever,” he said. “My first one was here in the playoffs. TJ did an amazing job spotting for me, telling me where my mark was and not speeding on pit road. I didn’t make a whole lot of mistakes and was able to get in and out and still salvage a top five.”

Kaden Honeycutt talks to reports after the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Kansas.
Zach Sturniolo | NASCAR.com

Over the final 40 laps, Honeycutt maintained his track position and took the checkered flag in fourth. It was his best career finish in 24 truck starts – and the best finish for Niece Motorsports through the first half of the regular season.

“Whenever you run up front and contend for a win like that, you want to finish the job off,” Honeycutt stated. “Just needed to be better myself on pit road and being able to navigate the air better, attack the corner differently when I was racing [Heim] to try to take the lead from him.

“It’s still an amazing night for my guys. Another career-best finish for myself. I wanted to win, right? Phil is fantastic at this race track and my guys are as well. We will come back to Charlotte and be better, clean up my mistakes and try to win this year. You’ve got to crawl before you walk, and that’s the next goal.”

Aside from his partial schedule with Niece, Honeycutt is competing in the zMAX CARS Tour in both a late model stock and a pro late model, in addition to competing in dirt late models throughout the 2024 season. He’s also a highly-touted simulator competitor and qualified for the NASCAR iRacing Road to Pro Series, which led to a move to JR Motorsports in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series last season.

Honeycutt is trying to follow in Carson Kvapil’s footsteps, who nearly missed out on winning his first Xfinity Series race last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway. While a fourth-place effort at Kansas stung, Honeycutt can also see the bigger picture.

“That we’re hard-nosed, grassroots racers,” Honeycutt added. “This is what we want to do; this is what we fight for every day of our lives. Every opportunity that I have and Carson has, we try to maximize it the best we can. That’s why I’m a little hard on myself for not winning, but you have to remember you have to take steps at a time in order to get to the win and run up front.

“Being my first time ever even running in the top five in that scenario, I felt like I did a good job.”

Honeycutt won’t return to the Truck Series until late this month at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Between now and then, he will compete at North Wilkesboro Speedway the week of the NASCAR All-Star Race in the pro late model race and late model stock events.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Corey Heim took control of Saturday night’s Heart of America 200 in the final stage and charged to his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season, despite fighting a loose handling condition in the closing stages.

Heim took the lead from Nick Sanchez on Lap 70 of 134 at Kansas Speedway and stayed out front the rest of the way, gaining time through a cycle of green-flag pit stops in the middle of the final stage.

Runner-up Zane Smith, the 2022 Truck Series champion running a part-time Truck Series schedule this season, closed on Heim over the final 10 laps but was still 1.088 seconds behind when Heim crossed the start/finish line.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

The victory was Heim’s first at Kansas and the seventh of his career. The driver of the No. 11 Tricon Garage Toyota claimed his first victory of the season on March 23 at the Circuit of The Americas road course in Austin, Texas.

“I can’t say enough about these guys at Tricon Garage, man,” said Heim, who has finished in the top 10 in all eight Truck Series races this season. “Top to bottom, we executed so well today with the pit crew, everyone back at the shop…

“What a truck! It was free for most of the race, so I can’t say it was easy. Even with the balance I had, the truck had so much potential to get better. I’m kind of out of breath now—it was a handful those last 30 laps.”

Despite his second-place finish, Smith was disappointed with the result. After winning the second stage, Smith lost seven positions, thanks to a slow stop under caution on pit road and couldn’t catch Heim to challenge for the win.

On Lap 104, following a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Smith trailed Heim by 3.743 seconds and cut all but roughly one second off that margin before the finish.

WATCH: Smith discusses Kansas performance

“You can’t lose (seven) spots on pit road,” said Smith, who was making his fourth start of the season in the No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Chevrolet. “That one got away there.”

Christian Eckes finished third, followed by Kaden Honeycutt, whose fourth-place run was a career-best.

Brett Moffitt, the 2018 Truck Series champion, came home fifth in his first start of the season. Sanchez was sixth after starting from the rear of the field, due to his No. 2 Chevrolet failing pre-race inspection three times.

Tanner Gray, Dean Thompson, Daniel Dye and Matt Crafton completed the top 10.

Heim holds the series lead by seven points over Eckes.

MORE: 2024 Truck Series standings | 2024 Truck Series schedule

Both Heim and Smith will race in Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 Cup Series race (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Kansas, Heim as a substitute for injured Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones and Smith in his full-time ride with Spire Motorsports.

The Truck Series will next race at Darlington Raceway on May 10 in the Buckle Up South Carolina 200 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NOTE: Post-race inspection was completed without issue in the Craftsman Truck Series garage, confirming Corey Heim as the winner.

Posted on by Dustin Albino

It was a standard practice session at Kansas Speedway. The teams that were expected to be the frontrunners entering the weekend backed up that educated guess. Qualifying was a different story, with just two Toyotas advancing to the final round and William Byron, who had the fastest car on 10 and 20-lap averages in practice, slapped the wall and will start 36th. I’m still leaning Toyota heavy this weekend, believing that the manufacturer will show out in the AdventHealth 400.

RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineups

Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: Denny Hamlin

Starter 2: Kyle Larson

Starter 3: Christopher Bell

Starter 4: Martin Truex Jr. 

Starter 5: Tyler Reddick

Garage pick: Bubba Wallace

NEXT IN LINE: William Byron, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Noah Gragson 

RISING: The Noah Gragson comeback tour made its most recent stop at Kansas. The No. 10 car looked to be the best Ford in the field through practice and qualifying, cracking the top five in single-lap speed and dropping to 12th – still the fastest Ford – on 10-lap averages. Gragson backed that speed up in qualifying with a career-best third-place starting position. Gragson is coming off consecutive top-10 finishes and continues building momentum. 

After a dismal month of April, Christopher Bell needed something to go his way. It finally did at Kansas, as he scored his first pole award of the 2024 season. Toyota has been lights out at Kansas in the Next Gen era, and the No. 20 team has three top 10s in those four races. It feels like this is the weekend where Bell can get his season turned in the right direction.  

FALLING: With how fast Byron was in practice, it’s possible that I regret pulling the No. 24 car from my lineup entirely. But he even said following scuffing the wall through Turns 1 and 2 on his qualifying lap that it’s going to be an uphill battle to earn stage points in the opening stage. Knowing how strong Byron has been to start 2024, this is more of a strategic maneuver as there will be opportunities aplenty to have the No. 24 car in your lineup this season.

Qualifying 25th isn’t ideal for Wallace, but that’s where he will take the green flag from at one of his best race tracks. The 23XI Racing cars were both inside the top 10 on the long run in practice, which is why he’s still in my lineup.
 
FEATURED MATCHUPS:  

Denny Hamlin vs. Kyle Larson: Kansas is in the wheelhouse of both drivers, as they’ve combined to win four of the last nine races. And I feel like a broken record, but Hamlin was another Toyota driver who didn’t turn down a heater in qualifying yet cracked the top five on 10-lap averages in practice. Larson was solid across the board and qualified fourth, so I’m going to flip my pick from earlier this week and go with the No. 5 car. 

Bubba Wallace vs. Chase Elliott: Elliott had a solid practice and qualifying session on Saturday and is the most recent winner on an intermediate track. Wallace will be disappointed in his qualifying effort, but it shouldn’t affect his race much as he’ll need to weave throughout the field. Sticking with a recent Kansas winner in Wallace, though Hendrick Motorsports once again showed up with speed that rivals Toyota. 

Tyler Reddick vs. Christopher Bell: With how tough of a month Bell has had, you might think he crossed paths with a black cat, walked under a ladder or even shattered a mirror. After winning the pole, he said his primary goal is to just see the checkered flag on Sunday. Reddick was the first to the checkered flag last fall despite not being content with his speed. The bad fortune must stop sooner rather than later for Bell, and it could come as early as Sunday. Making the switch to the No. 20 car. 

Martin Truex Jr. vs. William Byron: Truex had a quiet Saturday, despite being inside the top five on long-run pace. Byron looked like he was the class of the field until he got into the wall during his qualifying lap. The bodies of the Next Gen cars are incredibly durable and there was no cosmetic damage to the No. 24 car, so the only hindrance he believes will be track position. A lot can change over 400 miles, but I’m sticking with the No. 19 car not knowing if the damage will actually change the handling of Byron’s car.

Posted on by Brandon White

WINCHESTER, New Hampshire — In more than 75 years of racing in the NASCAR Modified racing, few cars have developed a reputation like Ole Blue.

Owned by Boehler Racing Enterprises, numerous legends like Ryan Preece, Tony Hirschman, Bugs Stevens and Wayne Anderson have taken trips to Victory Lane in the iconic blue No. 3 Modified. Despite this, Ole Blue had not taken home a checkered flag since Rowan Pennink won in the car at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in 2017.

RELATED: Complete results from the Granite State Derby

Jake Johnson wrote another successful, if not overdue, chapter in Ole Blue’s proud story on Saturday evening at Monadnock Speedway. Reaching this milestone required Johnson to fend off a tremendous challenge from defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Ron Silk for what would also be his first series victory.

The significance of the moment was not lost on Johnson, who was determined to park the car in Victory Lane once again when he signed on to be the team’s full-time driver for the 2024 season.

“There’s so many people behind the scenes when it comes to the No. 3 car that make this happen week in and week out,” Johnson said. “It’s just an honor to be here in Victory Lane with them and get that long awaited win.”

Growing up, Ole Blue was one of the first cars Johnson connected with as he took an interest in racing. A diecast of the car signed by Stevens was on display in Johnson’s living room throughout his childhood.

Johnson initially did not imagine one day scoring a victory in the famous Modified. The start of his own racing career saw him pursue several different disciplines, which included winning the Snowflake 100 in a Pro Late Model at Five Flags Speedway in 2020.

Once he reached an agreement with the Boehlers to race for them on a part-time basis starting in 2022, Johnson was ready to embrace the heavy expectations of driving such a famous car. He earned two poles in his rookie season, which he followed up with a career-best runner-up finish at Thompson the following year.

The momentum from Johnson’s season-ending runner-up carried over into the start of 2024. Prior to Saturday’s Granite State Derby, Johnson had yet to record a finish outside the top 10 and sat third in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings behind Silk and Justin Bonsignore.

Patience proved to be crucial for Johnson at Monadnock. Starting sixth following a redraw of the top eight starters, Johnson methodically climbed his way to the front of the field before making the race-winning pass on Silk with 48 laps remaining.

Silk pressured Johnson tremendously over the closing stages until bouncing off the outside wall during the final restart of the evening on Lap 134. That enabled Austin Beers, who started 17th after a poor qualifying effort, to claim second for himself.

Beers believed his poor track position would have been a major detriment on Monadnock’s fresh pavement, but was impressed with his overall speed and how many passing opportunities there were.

He was also grateful the Granite State Derby did not exceed its advertised distance.

“We were actually blowing up at the end,” Beers said. “It started clicking with three to go and I was losing power hoping it would hold on. It was really fun with this repave. I didn’t think we were going to have passing, but we proved there can be passing here.”

Like Beers, Johnson was also pleased with the repave and how competitive the on-track action was all evening.

Navigating his way through traffic gave Johnson plenty of notes to study ahead of the next two legs in the Whelen Granite State Short Track Cup, which will also take place at Monadnock and feature $20,000 in available bonus money.

Considering how strong Ole Blue was in Saturday’s Granite State Derby, Johnson has plenty of reasons to be confident ahead of a return visit to Monadnock on July 20 for the Duel at the Dog 250.

“The competition was tough today,” Johnson said. “This is a beautiful facility and I’m excited for these next two races.”

For now, Johnson and Boehler Racing Enterprises have plenty to celebrate following their victory at Monadnock, as everyone with the organization knows the legacy of Ole Blue in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is alive and well after so many decades.

Patrick Emerling came home third Saturday evening, with Craig Lutz and Matt Hirschman completing the top five. Rounding out the top 10 were Justin Bonsignore, Brian Robie, Joey Cipriano III, Anthony Nocella and Silk.

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour returns to action in two weeks when the series heads to Riverhead Raceway for the Miller Lite Salutes Wayne Anderson 200. FloRacing will have live coverage of all the on-track action starting at 8 p.m. ET.