Sunday’s race in Kansas came down to the final microseconds of the final lap to call a winner. Kyle Larson was a mere 0.001 seconds ahead of RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher when he crossed the start/finish line. Analyzing the race and its nerve-racking finish, is there something that Buescher could’ve done to stop Larson and keep the win for himself?
Buescher had been the one who took the white flag after the race’s overtime restart. He looked poised to win in the lead until the final backstretch. Making use of a gap that he’d left in the outside lane, Larson squeezed himself through and pulled up alongside him. The duo then drag-raced it out to the checkered flag, where it was decided that the Hendrick star had come out front.
Denny Hamlin, who’d been up close with these two drivers during the race, had the best view to see the action unfold. Taking the mic in his podcast “Actions Detrimental”, he spoke about the mistake that Buescher made by choosing the wrong lane to run before heading down the backstretch. He noted that running higher was the #5 car’s strong suit and that shouldn’t have been let to happen.
His words went, “I think running the middle [lane] in one and two is what I would have done. Run the middle, you then force the #5 car in a place where he hasn’t completed a ton of passes all day which is the bottom. You force him into the bottom and now you come off the corner. If you’re clear which you should be given the lead he had entering Turn 1, he’s going to have a worse run than you going down the backstretch.”
Hamlin’s explanation for why Larson wouldn’t have run high at that point was that there would’ve been too much distance for new tires to get there. He continued to note that the situation worsened when Buescher chose to run low and let Larson run higher than him. The #5 car then gained through the straightaway and used the momentum resulting from the same to pull alongside him on the outside.
Should Buescher have blocked Larson to stop him from winning?
Before reaching the flag, Larson banged hard against Buescher’s Ford twice and caused it to slow down a tad bit. This particular move hasn’t been taken well by many. While blocking Larson would’ve been a step that the RFK driver could’ve employed, he chose to race clean and sacrificed a victory lane visit. Talking on “Door, Bumper, Clear”, veteran spotter Freddie Kraft spoke about the same.
He said, “I think Chris probably is gonna win the race if Larson doesn’t hang a left and just door the f*** out of him coming down the front straightaway. He hit him real hard.”
Despite the aggression that Larson displayed, Buescher does not hold any ill towards him. He clarified the same on his X handle after the race. Regardless of the outcome, the duo will now be tied together forever having produced the closest finish in NASCAR history.
