Kyle Larson beats Chris Buescher at Kansas in closest NASCAR finish ever: 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.[Read More](5-5-2024)
#5-Kyle Larson won the AdventHealth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. The win is his 2 win of the year, 2nd at Kansas and 25th career win.
#17-Chris Buescher finished 2nd followed by #9-Chase Elliott, #19-Martin Truex, Jr., #11-Denny Hamlin, pole sitter #20-Christopher Bell, #48-Alex Bowman, #8-Kyle Busch, #10-Noah Gragson, and #34-Michael McDowell.
#11-Denny Hamlin led the most laps during the race and had the lead when the caution came out with 5 laps remaining. Hamlin restarted the race as the lead with Buescher second and Larson third. Buescher took the lead on the restart and led at the white flag. On the final lap, Larson made a move on Buescher off turn four and beat him to the line by .001 second, the closest finish in NASCAR history.
The start of the race was delayed by more than three hours because of rain.
Stage 1 was won by #11-Denny Hamlin. Stage 2 was won by #17-Chris Buescher.
There were 28 lead changes among 10 drivers and 7 cautions for 43 yellow flag laps.
The average speed of the race was: 126.481mph.
See race details at: Race Results, Driver Points Standings, Owner Points Standings, Cumulative Report, Penalty Report.
Race Fast Facts – Kansas:
Kyle Larson won the AdventHealth 400, his 25th victory in 343 Cup Series races.
The margin of victory was .001 seconds, the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.
This is his second victory and sixth top-10 finish in 2024. This is his second victory and 11th top-10 finish in 19 races at Kansas Speedway.
Chris Buescher (second) posted his fourth top-10 finish in 17 races at Kansas Speedway. It is his sixth top-10 finish in 2024.
Chase Elliott (third) posted his 11th top-10 finish in 17 races at Kansas Speedway.
Josh Berry (15th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Kyle Larson leads the point standings by 29 points over Martin Truex Jr.
(NASCAR)
Cup Series Playoff Standings after Kansas:
Race 12 of 26 in the regular season
1) #11-Denny Hamlin [3 wins], 411
2) #24-William Byron [3 wins], 362
3) #5-Kyle Larson [2 wins], 467 [points leader]
4) #9-Chase Elliott [1 win], 412
5) #45-Tyler Reddick [1 win], 374
6) #20-Christopher Bell [1 win], 296
7) #99-Daniel Suarez [1 win], 250
8) #19-Martin Truex, Jr., 438, -29
9) #12-Ryan Blaney, 367, -100
10) #54-Ty Gibbs, 338, -129
11) #48-Alex Bowman, 336, -131
12) #1-Ross Chastain, 331, -136
13) #17-Chris Buescher, 316, -151
14) #8-Kyle Busch, 314, -153
15) #14-Chase Briscoe, 290, -177
16) #6-Brad Keselowski, 287, -180
See the Driver Points Standings and Owner Points Standings.
Race updates:
Checkered flag: Kyle Larson wins in a photo finish. Timing and scoring has Buescher ahead by .001 second.
Lap 268 – White flag for Chris Buescher, then Larson, Truex, Elliott and Hamlin.
Lap 267 – Green flag with two to go. Hamlin and Buescher up front.
Lap 264 – Pit road is open. Leaders come in. Off pit road: Hamlin, Buescher, Larson, Elliott, Blaney, Gragson, Bowman, Nemechek, Heim, and Truex. All but Truex took only two tires.
Lap 261 – Caution is out for a spin by Kyle Busch. Hamlin, Truex, Buescher, Keselowski, and Larson the top 5.
Lap 260 – Truex has now moved to second.
Lap 258 – Ten to go. Hamlin leads. Buescher has backed off to save fuel and is now 1.5 second back. Truex is now in third, 2.2 seconds back.
Lap 255 – Buescher’s team tells him he is “right on the number” to make it to the end on fuel.
Lap 253 – 15 to go. Still no change up front. Hamlin and Buescher both saving some fuel. Hamlin’s lead is .6 second.
Lap 243 – 25 laps to go. No change in the top 5.
Lap 235 – Hamlin leads Buescher by .28 second. Third place Larson is 1 second back, then Busch (-1.7) and Truex (-3).
Lap 230 – Buescher took the lead for one lap before Hamlin going back out front.
Lap 216 – Hamlin back to the front. Then Buescher, Busch, Larson, and Gilliland.
Lap 209 – Now Buescher to the lead.
Lap 207 – Hamlin to the lead.
Lap 206 – Green with 62 to go. Gilliland, Hamlin, Buescher, Haley, Wallace, McDowell up front. They stayed out. Then Busch, Chastain, Gragson, and Bell.
Lap 203 – Six drivers that did not pit earlier come down for service. They can make it the rest of the way without pitting. Off pit road: Busch, Chastain, Gragson, Bell, and LaJoie.
Lap 199 – Caution out for a spin by #22-Logano after he checked up to avoid #14-Briscoe. Larson now the leader.
Lap 197 – Green flag with 70 laps to go. Busch leads Larson.
Lap 196 – Twelve drivers on the lead lap choose to pit with 72 laps remaining, among them #11-Hamlin and #17-Buescher.
Lap 192 – Caution out once again. Spin by #21-Burton in turn 2.
Lap 191 – Green flag. Busch the leader with Larson second, then Truex, Gibbs, and Chastain.
Lap 186 – Caution involving #23-Wallace, #34-McDowell, #2-Cindric. Hamlin pinched Cindric into the wall. Cindric then clipped the rear of Wallace, spinning him out, then got into McDowell on the way down the track. Busch took the lead just before the caution and is the leader.
Lap 183 – Green with 84 laps remaining. Larson leads Busch, Truex, Gibbs, Reddick, Chastain, Bowman, Gragson, Byron, and Elliott.
Lap 178 – Johnson is done for the night.
Lap 176 – Caution in turn 2 for an accident involving #84-Johnson, #33-Hill, and #7-LaJoie.
Lap 174 – Green flag for the start of the final stage. 94 laps remaining.
Lap 170 – Pit stops during the stage break. All lead lap cars pit. Off pit road: Larson, Buescher, Busch, Briscoe, Gibbs, Truex, Chastain, Reddick, Elliott, Gragson. Buescher penalized for a crew member over the wall too soon.
Lap 166 – Caution for the end of stage 2. Buescher wins it. He is followed by Larson, Hamlin, Busch, Truex, Gibbs, Bowman, Reddick, Chastain, and Gragson.
Lap 161 – Five laps left in stage 2. Buescher continues to lead with Larson, Busch, Hamlin, and Gibbs following.
Lap 150 – #99-Suarez with some right front damage after getting into the wall. Larson has moved into second place behind Buescher.
Lap 145 – Buescher leads Busch by 1.3 second. Larson, Gibbs, and Truex round out the top 5.
Lap 135 – The race is halfway and now an official race.
Lap 127 – Pit stops now complete. The top 10 are: Buescher, Gibbs, Busch, Larson, Truex, Hamlin, Bowman, Bell, Gragson, and Chastain.
Lap 123 – #45-Reddick, #23-Wallace, and #31-Hemric up front. They have not pitted. Then Buescher, Gibbs, Busch, Truex, Larson, Hamlin, and Bowman
Lap 121 – Slow stop for Larson. They had trouble on the left front.
Lap 119 – Green flag pit stops in full swing.
Lap 115 – Expect green flag pit stops again soon.
Lap 110 – Larson leads Buescher b 3 seconds. Third place Gibbs is 4.1 seconds back. Hamlin now 7th, Chastain 10th.
Lap 91 – Larson back in the lead. Chastain falls to 8th after a five-wide battle. Buescher up to second.
Lap 89 – Green flag for the start of the second stage. Chastain leads.
Lap 85 – Leaders pit. Off pit road: Chastain, Bell, Larson, Gibbs, and Buescher. #42-Nemechek was too fast on pit road. Hamlin lost seven spots when he had trouble getting around #33-Austin Hill to get out of his pit box.
Lap 81 – Caution for the end of stage 1. Hamlin wins it. He’s followed by Chastain, Larson, Bell, Buescher, Gibbs, Truex, Buescher, Gragson, and Elliott.
Lap 76 – Five to go in stage 1. Hamlin leads over Chastain, Larson, Bell and Buescher.
Lap 69 – Hamlin, Larson and Chastain all battling for the lead.
Lap 64 – #11-Hamlin takes the lead from Larson.
Lap 61 – 20 to go in stage 1. Larson leads with Hamlin .4 second off the lead. Then Chastain, Gibbs, and Buescher.
Lap 55 – Larson leads with #54-Gibbs battling Chastain for second.
Lap 47 – Chastain and Larson continue to battle for the lead.
Lap 43 – Chastain takes the lead from Kraus. Larson follows .22 second off the lead.
Lap 38 – #16-Kraus leads. He has not pitted yet. Then Chastain, Larson, Gibbs, Buescher, and Bell.
Lap 33 – Green flag pit stops beginning.
Lap 31 – 30 laps complete: Chastain, Larson, Bell, Gibbs, and Buescher the top 5.
Lap 15 – Chastain continues to lead. #5-Larson has moved to second, with #20-Bell, #54-Gibbs, and #10-Gragson rounding out the top 5.
Lap 3 – Chastain takes the lead.
Lap 2 – Bell leads the first lap.
6:25pm/et: Green flag at Kansas. #20-Bell and #1-Chastain up front. First stage is 80 laps. Official race is 134 laps.
6:15pm/et: Pit road is being dried. Once that’s complete, the race will begin.
6:03pm/et: Engines have been fired.
6:00pm/et: Engines to be fired at 6:03pm/et
5:55pm/et: Pre-race ceremonies are underway.
5:25pm/et: NASCAR will have drivers report to their cars at 5:30pm/et and start pre-race ceremonies at 5:55pm/et.
4:55pm/et: Rain has let up enough that track drying has begun.
4:40pm/et: Rain continues. It will take about an hour to dry the track once rain stops.
4:25pm/et: Still raining.
3:55pm/et:rain has picked up more. Track drying continues more slowly.
3:50pm/et: Rain has picked up a bit at the track. Track drying continues but will be slower
3:40pm/et: Track drying is progressing well. No estimate for a start time yet. There is one more rain cell that could potentially impact the track.
3:00pm/et: NASCAR is about ready to start the track drying process. It will likely take about 60-90 minutes.
2:45pm/et: Still some light rain at the track.
2:30pm/et: the start of the race will be delayed for a bit due to the rain showers.
2:05pm/et: A light rain shower has moved over the track. The start of the race could be delayed slightly.
9:00am/et: Weather is not expected to be an issue today. The National Weather Service calls for a slight chance of rain between 2:00 and 3:00 local time, but only a 20% chance.
Race details:
Broadcast: FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 267 laps / 400.5 miles
Stages: 80 / 165 / 267
Average time of race: 3:14:16
Pit road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 55 mph
Fuel Window: 65 laps
Timing (all times local & subject to change)
Invocation: 1:54:20 p.m.
National Anthem: 1:55:00 p.m.
Command: 2:02:00 p.m.
Green Flag: 2:13:00 p.m.
Paint Schemes
Cars to the rear: None.
Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the AdventHealth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway have been made.
Pole winner #20-Christopher Bell chose pit stall 1.
Outside pole sitter #1-Ross Chastain took the 8th stall, with an opening in front of it.
See all pit choices on the Kansas Pit Stall page.
Pre-race inspection in the NASCAR Cup Series garage at Kansas Speedway is complete. There were no issues.
#20-Christopher Bell won the Busch pole for the AdventHealth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway with a speed of 183.107mph for his 1st pole of the year, 3rd at Kansas and 11 of his career.
#1-Ross Chastain will start second followed by #10-Noah Gragson, #5-Kyle Larson, #8-Kyle Busch, #54-Ty Gibbs, #2-Austin Cindric, #34-Michael McDowell, #9-Chase Elliott, and #14-Chase Briscoe.
See the complete qualifying results and the AdventHealth 400 Starting Lineup.
Kansas Speedway – Qualifying Fast Facts:
Christopher Bell won the Pole Award for the AdventHealth 400 with a lap of 29.491 seconds, 183.107 mph.
This is his 11th pole in 156 NASCAR Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and sixth top-10 start in 2024.
This is his third pole in nine races at Kansas Speedway.
Ross Chastain (second) posted his third top-10 start of 2024 and his fourth in 11 races at Kansas Speedway.
Noah Gragson (third) posted his first top-10 start at Kansas Speedway. It is his third in 12 races this season.
Josh Berry (17th) was the fastest qualifying rookie.
(NASCAR)
Qualifying Order
Practice for the AdventHealth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway is over. The results:
#45-Tyler Reddick 181.001
#24-William Byron 180.222
#23-Bubba Wallace 179.736
#10-Noah Gragson 179.366
#11-Denny Hamlin 179.146
Slowest: #84-Jimmie Johnson 174.921mph
Most laps run: #23-Bubba Wallace, 35 laps
Best 10 consecutive lap avg (of 37 drivers): #24-William Byron 178.229
Notes: There were no issues during either session.
See the fastest speeds, best 10 consecutive lap average, laps run on the AdventHealth 400 Practice speeds page.
Crew Rosters
The entry list for the AdventHealth 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway is posted. 38 teams/drivers [for 40 spots] are listed, including #15-Riley Herbst, #33-Austin Hill, #84-Jimmie Johnson.
See the full entry list on the AdventHealth 400 Entry List page.
Goodyear Fast Facts — Kansas Speedway
Race rules and information:
