RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Snap-on Tools Ford Mustang, was credited with a 37th-place finish after an unfortunate early retirement in Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Cindric jetted off from the seventh position and hovered around the top 10 for the duration of Stage 1, finishing 12th as he endured a tight condition. Crew chief Brian Wilson called the 25-year-old driver to pit road for the second time for a service of four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment under the Stage break. Cindric restarted 11th on Lap 89 when the race resumed but dropped to 18th after a hectic restart. He returned to the attention of the Snap-on crew on Lap 117 under green for a four-tire stop and finished Stage 2 in the 16th position. Pleased with the handling improvements, Cindric told the team over the radio that the car was the best it had been all day. After another trip down pit road, he restarted 14th for the third and final Stage. Calamity struck with just under 85 laps to go, heavily damaging the No. 2 Ford Mustang and forcing its retirement.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “A lot of cars there trying to overdrive the corner to try to get in front of one another. The 22 slid up on the 20, the 20 slid up on the 11 and I was the first thing to hit before the wall. I tried to back out when I saw the situation the 11 was getting put in. It is just racing. Nobody I can really be frustrated with. It is unfortunate. I felt we had a really solid run going, nothing overly spectacular but I thought the guys did a really good job all weekend and executed a great race up until that point.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/CARDELL CABINETRY FORD MUSTANG
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney secured a 12th-place finish Sunday night at Kansas Speedway in the No. 12 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang. Following a lengthy delay to the start of the race due to rain, Blaney made up ten spots in the first 20 laps prior to the start of green flag pit stops on lap 32 as three 12 team’s adjustments worked on the balance in the early going. Despite reporting a tight-handling condition on the ensuing run, Blaney came away with a 16th-place finish in Stage 1. Blaney continued to fight the tight condition at the start of the second segment but maintained pace as he searched around for grip on the track. After cycling to 16th in the running order following green flag stops that included an adjustment to free him up, Blaney raced to an 18th-place result in Stage 2. The final stage featured several cautions as the restarts produced three and four-wide racing, allowing the 12-team to go off-sequence with their strategy, but a caution with under 70 laps to go brought all the lead lap cars to pit road prior to the final run of the night. Blaney began his charge through the field and made his way into the top-10 with 32 laps to go before a single-car incident with seven laps to go set up one final round of stops prior to the overtime restart. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler made the call for right side tires only, gaining Blaney five spots on pit road before he lined up on the inside of row three to take the green flag. Blaney held his line in the inside lane but was unable to carry the momentum off of turn two before taking the checkered flag 12th.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Proud of the effort from everyone on the 12 group tonight – [crew chief] Jonathan [Hassler] made a great call at the end there to get us in the first few rows for the final restart. We just fought the balance all day and couldn’t make up enough track position early on. We’ll take what we can from it and shift our focus to Darlington.”
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano was involved in a late-race incident Sunday night at Kansas Speedway, resulting in a 34th-place finish for the Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang. After a nearly three-hour rain delay, Logano took the green flag from 11th before issues with front turn saw the Shell-Pennzoil Ford settle into 15th in the running order during the opening run. During the first green flag pit cycle, Logano hit pit road with the second wave of cars on lap 33 for four tires and a round of adjustments before crossing the line 21st in Stage 1. Logano struggled with a lack of rear grip and a loose Ford Mustang on exit of the corners during the second segment, but the balance began to neutralize over the course of the run in a 21st-place showing in Stage 2. A trio of cautions to begin the final stage stemming from three and four-wide racing on the restarts tightened up the field as Logano was scored 15th coming to the green flag with 70 laps to go, but the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford broke loose off the exit of turn four on the opening lap of the restart, sending Logano sliding into the infield to bring out the yellow. With both rear tires down, Logano was towed to the 22 team’s pit stall for four fresh tires before rejoining the field in 35th, two laps down before taking the checkered flag 34th Sunday night.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “Tough end to the night for our 22 team, for sure. I liked the direction we were going with our balance but we just lacked pace on the longer runs. We got ourselves towards the front there late but, unfortunately, lost all that momentum in one corner and that was it for us.”
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 12. Coverage begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Date: May 5, 2024 Event: AdventHealth 400 (Round 12 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval) Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/85 laps/102 laps) Note: Race extended one lap past its scheduled 267-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish. Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 2 Winner: Chris Buescher of RFK Racing (Ford)
● Note: Herbst is a fulltime driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and is not eligible for points in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Haley Notes:
● Haley earned his third top-20 of the season and his third top-20 in his seventh start at Kansas.
● Haley equaled his previous best finish at Kansas – 18th, first earned May 2023.
● Haley’s 18th-place finish was a team-best for RWR at Kansas. The previous best-result was J.J. Yeley’s 22nd-place finish in July 2020.
Herbst Notes:
● This was Herbst’s sixth Cup Series start, his first at Kansas and his first at an intermediate track.
Race Notes:
● Kyle Larson won the AdventHealth 400 to score his 25th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his second at Kansas. His margin of victory over second-place Chris Buescher was .001 of a second, the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 43 laps.
● Thirty-one of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Kansas with a 29-point advantage over second-place Martin Truex Jr.
Sound Bites:
“It was a really good day for the No. 51 team. Our Ford Mustang Dark Horse was really good on the long run. If we didn’t have that caution at the end, I think we could’ve ended up with a few more spots, but it was still a great finish. We’re gaining each race and it’s been a lot of fun to see the improvement coming out of RWR.”– Justin Haley, driver of the No. 51 Children’s Mercy Kansas City Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“I can’t think everyone at Monster Energy and RWR enough for the opportunity to race today. Cup Series racing is tough, but I feel like I learned a lot that I can take back and work on for the next one.” – Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 15 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 12 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
No. 17 Castrol Edge Ford Leads 53 Laps at Kansas; Brad Keselowski Finishes 11th
KANSAS CITY (May 6, 2024) – Chris Buescher finished second Sunday in what was likely the most heartbreaking scenario possible, a photo finish that is now known as the closest in NASCAR’s history.
The No. 17 Castrol Edge Ford Mustang led 53 laps in total, won stage two, and took the white flag as the leader, but was scored second when all angles were reviewed by NASCAR late Sunday night at Kansas Speedway. Teammate Brad Keselowski finished 11th in what was an up-and-down afternoon for RFK altogether.
“It sucks to celebrate on the backstretch and then pull up to the front straightaway and be told no,” Buescher said following the race. “I don’t know how everything transpired honestly. Not right now. It sucks in a lot of ways. Second hurts, a whole lot worse than third. To be that close a couple of times this year now and not be able to get the win, the speed is great and we did a good job today and was a good recovery from the end of Stage 2 there, but we don’t have a trophy right now.”
6 Recap Keselowski and the No. 6 team experienced a rollercoaster race, one that was initially delayed by rain the area for several hours. Once the green flag eventually dropped just past 5 p.m. local time, Keselowski fired off 30th. He quickly began a surge through the field though, gaining 16 spots alone in the first stage to finish 14th at the end of the opening 80 laps.
Stage two ran caution-free as the Consumer Cellular Ford remained inside the top-15 the duration of the run, ultimately crossing the stripe 13th at the end of the stage (lap 165). From there, a flurry of cautions flew – three within 20 laps – as Keselowski lost spots on pit road due to various issues.
He fought back inside the top-15 by lap 199 when the yellow waved for the sixth time. With varying pit strategies playing out over the final 100 laps, Keselowski ultimately worked his way into the top-10 with a handful of laps remaining. The race looked to run green until the end, but a caution with five laps remaining changed everything.
Scored fourth at the time, Keselowski joined the field on pit road, taking four fresh tires with nearly 10 cars in front taking just two tires. That put the No. 6 just outside the top-10 on the final restart, and he went on to cross the line 11th.
17 Recap Buescher experienced one of the better comeback efforts of the season, all in all leading the race four different times. A solid qualifying effort on Saturday put him 12th on the grid to start the 400-mile race.
Like teammate Keselowski, Buescher surged through the field early, advancing into the top five just 25 laps in. He drove to a fifth-place finish to end the first stage, earning key stage points early. He began stage two in the same position, and by lap 110 had driven to second. During a green-flag pit cycle around lap 120, Buescher inherited the lead and maintained it for the next 43 laps, driving to the stage two win, picking up a valuable playoff point.
In the ensuing pit stop in the stage break, the No. 17 team was called for a penalty (over-the-wall too soon), setting Buescher to the tail end of the field on the restart. What seemed like a feat too tall to overcome at the time, Buescher began his comeback trail with 93 laps remaining.
The flurry of three cautions between lap 177-193 allowed the No. 17 to knife through traffic. He again pitted from the 20th spot at lap 195 and would restart 27th at lap 198. One more caution just a lap later brought most of the field down pit road, splitting a handful of cars with varying strategy. This put Buescher back in position and P3 when the race went back green at lap 206. He took the lead again – this time from the No. 11 – at lap 208, just 40 laps after he last held it. He and the 11 swapped it a handful of times in that stretch of laps as Buescher tried different lines to again gain advantage.
Then, with just five laps to go, the race’s final caution was displayed which ultimately saved those in fuel-saving mode, and set up a final pit stop and restart. Buescher was one of nine lead cars to take two tires, putting him second on the NASCAR Overtime restart. He gained the advantage on the restart, took the white flag as the leader, and went toe-to-toe with the No. 5 to the line, earning the runner-up result.
“We got a great push,” Buescher added. “Chase got us a good restart and we got into the corner. We were able to run the bottom pretty well and we had some good momentum down the back but Kyle (Larson) certainly had a run.
“I was trying to cover what I could but we just left too much space around the top side. Unfortunately, that ended up getting us, and it hurts. It was a good race. We were banging doors all the way to the checkers. I knew it was going to be close but certainly it hurts to be that close and miss out.”
Up Next Darlington Raceway hosts race No. 13 of the season next weekend. Race coverage is set for 3 p.m. next Sunday on FOX, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
About RFK Racing RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.
Date: May 5, 2024 Event: AdventHealth 400 (Round 12 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval) Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/85 laps/102 laps) Note: Race extended one lap past its scheduled 267-lap distance due to a green-white-checkered finish. Race Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 2 Winner: Chris Buescher of RFK Racing (Ford)
● Ryan Preece (Started 32nd, Finished 28th / Running, completed 268 of 268 laps)
SHR Points:
● Chase Briscoe (14th with 290 points, 177 out of first)
● Noah Gragson (19th with 216 points, 251 out of first)
● Josh Berry (23rd with 196 points, 271 out of first)
● Ryan Preece (29th with 172 points, 295 out of first)
SHR Notes:
● Gragson earned his fifth top-10 of the season and his first top-10 in four career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas.
● This was Gragson’s third straight top-10. He finished a career-best third April 21 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and sixth last Sunday at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.
● This was Gragson’s sixth straight top-20.
● Gragson’s ninth-place result bettered his previous best finish at Kansas – 18th, earned twice (May 2022 and September 2022).
● Gragson finished ninth in Stage 1 to earn two bonus points and 10th in Stage 2 to earn one more bonus point.
● After scoring his career-best starting spot last weekend at Dover when Gragson qualified fifth in his milestone 50th career NASCAR Cup Series start, the 25-year-old Las Vegas native bettered that mark at Kansas by qualifying third for the AdventHealth 400.
● Berry’s 15th-place result bettered his previous best finish at Kansas – 25th, earned last May.
● This was Berry’s third straight finish of 16th or better. He finished 16th April 21 at Talladega and 14th last Sunday at Dover
● Berry was the highest finishing rookie.
● This was Briscoe’s 10th straight finish of 21st or better.
Race Notes:
● Kyle Larson won the AdventHealth 400 to score his 25th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his second at Kansas. His margin of victory over second-place Chris Buescher was .001 of a second, the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 43 laps.
● Thirty-one of the 38 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Kansas with a 29-point advantage over second-place Martin Truex Jr.
Sound Bites:
“I thought we had a really good car all weekend. We started third and was fourth in practice and we came home ninth tonight. Overall, a good weekend. We were trying some strategy stuff there at the end, putting two tires on it with about 60 laps to go on that caution. It kind of hurt us on the short run, but started making up ground on the long run. We thought it would’ve been the opposite. Super-thankful for everyone at Bass Pro Shops and Winchester, everyone at Stewart-Haas and Ford and everyone who has been working really hard. That’s our third top-10 in a row. Third at Talladega, sixth at Dover and ninth here at Kansas. Three, six, nine, damn were doing fine. We still want a little more, but we’re doing well compared to what our goals were at the start of the year and we just want to keep in building on it.” – Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“I think we definitely struggled in the early part of the race and really never got the feeling like I wanted, but we stayed after it all day and got a decent finish with our Overstock.com Ford Mustang.” – Josh Berry, driver of the No. 4 Overstock.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse
“We just weren’t very good for whatever reason. Yesterday in practice, I thought our car was pretty good. I didn’t feel like it was a race-winning car per say, but I felt like it was going to be in the mix for the top-10. We qualified inside the top-10, but when the race started, our car didn’t drive anything like it did in practice. Got into the wall in qualifying and I don’t know if it did something that we didn’t catch or what, but we definitely just fought the balance all day long. You can’t really have days like that when you’re in our position points-wise, but we have a couple of good racetracks for us coming up and, hopefully, we can capitalize.” – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Cummins Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 12 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
TRUEX NEARLY MISSES VICTORY IN CLOSEST-EVER CUP SERIES FINISH Truex, along with Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, earn Toyota three top-10s at Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (May 5, 2024) – In a hectic, rain-delayed race at Kansas Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. was just 0.075 seconds from his first win of the 2024 season, in a four-wide finish where Kyle Larson captured victory. Truex, who started 13th, battled his way steadily through the field, finding himself second to teammate, Denny Hamlin, late in the race thanks to differing pit strategies. However, a caution with under 10 laps to go caused for a last round of pit stops and a green-white-checkered finish, with the two finishing fourth and fifth.
Hamlin, the Stage 1 winner, led the most laps of the day at 71, marking the 16th consecutive Cup Series race he has led. Bell, who started from pole, had an up and down day but fought hard to come home in sixth and put himself back in the top 16 of series points standings.
The Cup Series next heads to Darlington Raceway for another 400-mile race next Sunday afternoon.
Toyota Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Kansas Speedway Race 12 of 36 – 400.5 miles, 267 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kyle Larson*
2nd, Chris Buescher*
3rd, Chase Elliott*
4th, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
6th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
13th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
17th, BUBBA WALLACE
20th, TYLER REDDICK
22nd, COREY HEIM
32nd, TY GIBBS
38th, JIMMIE JOHNSON
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
Can you walk us through what you saw on that last restart?
“Umm, just trying to find somewhere to go, you know? Restarting from 10th with four tires is tough to do in two laps. Just needed to clear the 9 (Chase Elliott) a little quicker and needed to get into (turn) three single file, and then I probably had a chance, but we were two-wide and that made me tight off turn four. Couldn’t quite get the run I needed to get to the win. I don’t know, just frustrating. We were looking really good until that last caution, as always. I don’t know what we need to do to close one out, but the guys did a good job with our Auto-Owners Camry. We were in position to steal one there. Definitely had the best car, but fought hard all night, made good decisions and made the car better and better. That was great, but always stinks when you see the lead and can’t get it.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
What more did you need there at the end to contend for the win?
“Well, a difficult spot, right? I needed to get the push from the 5 (Kyle Larson), but I knew he wasn’t going to stay in line, that he was going to go for the win. Unfortunately, it left me in a spot where I was vulnerable there in the middle. I’ll tell you, with 70 (laps) to go, it wasn’t looking really good. We had some pit road miscues that set us back, but Chris (Gabehart, crew chief) and the guys did a great job coming up with a strategy there to pit and then jump the field back. We were right on task there with about four to go. Felt good about getting another one, it’s just one of those things.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Yahoo! Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th
How would you describe your day?
“Yeah, it was a day we needed for sure. We were lacking a little bit to run with the top guys, but to walk out of here with a solid points day and sixth-place finish is something I’m proud of and hope we can build on.”
COREY HEIM, No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 22nd
In your second career Cup race, what did you learn out there and how would you overview your day?
“Yeah, I mean, a long day for sure. Got behind early from a speeding penalty and just situationally, couldn’t get on the lucky dog (free pass) until the end of the race. Just struggled with track position, of course, at the end of the longest line, one lap down most of the race. But, once we got back on the lead lap in Stage 3 and free’d the car up, I thought we were pretty good. Huge thank you to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB for having me along these two weeks. Dollar Tree, Family Dollar for everything they do and their support. Definitely wish we could’ve run close to the front today, but a good learning experience and we move forward.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 26 electrified options.
NASCAR CUP SERIES KANSAS SPEEDWAY ADVENTHHEALTH 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT MAY 5, 2024
Larson Claims Record-Setting Victory in Overtime Finish at Kansas Speedway
In an overtime finish, Kyle Larson edged out Chris Buescher by a mere .001 seconds to take the checkered-flag in the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.
The victory – Larson’s second triumph of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season and his second in NASCAR’s top division at Kansas Speedway – put the former series champion in the record books as the winner in the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series’ history.
Larson delivered Chevrolet its seventh NASCAR Cup Series victory this season; the manufacturer’s 14th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory at Kansas Speedway; and it’s 858th all-time victory in NASCAR’s premier series – all of which are series-leading feats.
The victory keeps Chevrolet undefeated on non-drafting 1.5-mile ovals thus far this season – marking the manufacturer’s third victory on the intermediate-style track configuration (Larson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; and Chase Elliott at Texas Motor Speedway).
The victory also marked Larson’s sixth top-five result in 12 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races this season – the most among his competitors.
Larson grabbed points in both stages of the 400-mile race en route to the victory – keeping the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion atop the driver’s points standings for the fourth consecutive week.
Chevrolet drivers drove the Camaro ZL1 to four top-eight finishes at the 1.5-mile Kansas oval, with Larson leading his Hendrick Motorsports’ teammates Chase Elliott in seventh and Alex Bowman in eighth, and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch in the eighth position.
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Darlington Raceway with the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 12, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
“It started off (turn) two, and I got a really good run and was able to get into his draft. He was trying to break it and you could tell he was probably going to try and take my line away. I just drove in as hard as I felt like I could. My car cut really well and I was able to get to his right side, and I don’t know if the camera caught it, but I was sideways and then got it kind of back under control. Then I had the run back to his right side off of four and was just too afraid to get too far out in front because a lot of times when you get someone inside close you get tight and into the wall. So I got off of four good and I thought, ‘man, I have got to kill his run quick’, so I just hung a left; doored him and just tried to stall his momentum. He had it slowly coming back to me at the line, so just thankful that it was enough and those guys behind us didn’t get a huge run and get to our outside.
Just incredible and I need to see the replay. I don’t know what it all looked like, but it was pretty damn cool from my seat.”
WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR YOU AS A RACE CAR DRIVER TO BE ABLE TO MIX IT UP LIKE YOU DID ALL DAY TODAY?
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun. It was stressful for sure racing that hard in Stage One, but I was having so much fun with Ross (Chastain). It was super-aggressive, but clean. We never put each other in compromising positions and were able to swap positions there a couple of times. At the end of the second stage, it was getting kind of dicey and the whole third Stage was pretty crazy with all the cautions and strategy working out. (Chris) Beuscher was really fast and pressuring Denny (Hamlin) the whole time and we were fading. So that caution played out good for us. Just the restarts are wild as we talked about earlier, so just an awesome race. Wish we had more mile-and-a-half’s because that was so much fun.”
THE MONTH OF MAY HAS STARTED AND YOU HAVE THE INDY 500 COMING UP. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT YOU KEEP MOMENTUM AND GET A GOOD, SOLID WIN HERE TO START THIS BUSY MONTH FOR YOU?
“Yeah, I think it definitely helps confidence anytime you can run good. It’s been a while since I have had consecutive podiums. I was able to finish second last week at Dover; second in Jacksonville in a Sprint Car; third the first night at Lakeside and second last night; and then carried it on into a win today. So, another good track for us next week at Darlington and hopefully go back-to-back there. Then get in the INDYCAR and hopefully learn a bunch and just be competitive when we get to the 500.”
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1
Finished: 7th
“We were really good all day, minus the second run of the day – we kind of fell off pretty hard there. We had a really fast No. 48 Ally Camaro, we just needed some track position. The start of the last long run, we broke the nose on the restart; it’s all separated. We got really slow down the straightaway and really tight after that, so a seventh-place finish is probably like a win.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Advent Health 400 Post Race| Sunday, May 5, 2024 Kansas Speedway
FORD PERFORMANCE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
2nd – Chris Buescher
9th – Noah Gragson
10th – Michael McDowell
11th – Brad Keselowski
12th – Ryan Blaney
14th – Todd Gilliland
15gth – Josh Berry
18th – Justin Haley
21st – Chase Briscoe
28th – Ryan Preece
34th – Joey Logano
35th – Riley Herbst
36th – Harrison Burton
37th – Austin Cindric
CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Castrol Edge Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 2nd)
THAT WAS THE CLOSEST FINISH IN NASCAR HISTORY, 0.001 SECONDS. WALK US THROUGH THAT LAST LAP: “We got a great push. Chase got us a good restart and we got into the corner. We were able to run the bottom pretty well and we had some good momentum down the back but Kyle (Larson) certainly had a run. I was trying to cover what I could but we just left too much space around the top side. Unfortunately, that ended up getting us, and it hurts. It was a good race. We were banging doors all the way to the checkers. I knew it was going to be close but certainly it hurts to be that close and miss out. The photo I have seen, I can’t make out anything from the photo finish at this point. Maybe we will see something a little bit clearer and get a better understanding.”
YOUR CREW WAS CELEBRATING AND THOUGHT YOU HAD THE WIN. WHAT WERE THEY TELLING YOU ON THE RADIO? “We were celebrating down the backstretch and looked at the pylon and we were P1 up there. Everything we had said we had gotten it. Obviously not. Like I said, the only thing I have to go off of is a grainy photo right now and at this point it just sounds like I am complaining, and I guess I am because I don’t see it in that. I don’t understand how the timing system can read it out one way and not the other. We just gotta understand it better.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS RIGHT NOW AS YOU DIGEST IT? “I don’t really know what to say right now. All I have seen is the picture and I sure can’t see it in that picture. It sucks to be that close. It was a great finish though. We had a really strong day with a lot of speed in this Castol Edge Ford Mustang and we really needed that. We needed a win more. I thought we had that one. We had a lot of speed there firing off, we were really good all day. I am really proud of that. We had good strategy to get us back up there and I tried to cover what I could but I gave him half a lane too much I suppose. That was a good hard race there down to the line. It hurts.”
YOU MENTIONED THE SPEED. HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT GOING FORWARD? “Yeah, speed is good. Wins are better. We need to be in that situation again and need to get some trophies and checkered flags and put ourselves in a much better spot.”
WAS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU THINK YOU COULD HAVE DONE ON THE LAST RESTART? “Yeah, it was a great restart for us. Our Mustang was really good firing off and I certainly could have blocked more but at the end of the day I felt like I was pretty defensive on it. I felt like I was going to make a drag race out of it coming to the finish line. We got to banging doors there a little bit and lost some momentum and I was aggressive trying to cover it. I just needed a draft to keep speed up down the straightaway. I am really proud of that work. I just watched the replay and I just can’t see it right now. It hurts to see the pylon say we get it and then not.”
WHAT ARE THE EMOTIONS LIKE WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAVE IT AND THEN YOU DON’T? “It sucks to celebrate on the backstretch and then pull up to the front straightaway and be told no. I don’t know how everything transpired honestly. Not right now. It sucks in a lot of ways. Second hurts, a whole lot worse than third. To be that close a couple of times this year now and not be able to get the win, the speed is great and we did a good job today and was a good recovery from the end of Stage 2 there but we don’t have a trophy right now.”
NOAH GRAGSON, No. 10 Bass Pro Shops Winchester Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Finished 9th)
“I thought we had a really good Mustang all weekend. We qualified third and was fourth in practice and then come home ninth tonight. Overall a really good weekend. We were trying some strategy stuff there at the end swinging two-tires at it with about 60 to go at that caution. It kinda hurt us on that short run but we were able to run them back down on the long run, which, I would have thought it would have been the opposite. I am super thankful for everybody at Bass Pro Shops and Winchester and Ford. Everybody has been working really hard and this is our third top-10 finish in a row. We were third at Talladega, sixth and Dover and now ninth here. 3-6-9, damn I guess we are doing fine. Still want a little bit more, but these have been good days compared to what our goals were at the start of the year.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Snap-On Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Involved in accident on lap 184)
WHAT HAPPENED FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE? “A lot of cars there trying to overdrive the corner to try to get in front of one another. The 22 slid up on the 20, the 20 slid up on the 11 and I was the first thing to hit before the wall. I tried to back out when I saw the situation the 11 was getting put in. It is just racing. Nobody I can really be frustrated with. It is unfortunate. I felt we had a really solid run going, nothing overly spectacular but I thought the guys did a really good job all weekend and executed a great race up until that point.”
LOOKED LIKE YOU GUYS WERE HOPEFUL TO FIX IT AT FIRST. WHAT PUT YOU OUT? “Never give up but I had a right-rear toe linc broken and the the upper control arm was broken on the left front. The car was killed. I would drive it if they let me.”
WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS LEARNED FOR THE 1.5 MILE TRACKS THIS WEEKEND? “Quite a lot to be honest. We have played a lot with a very similar package, at least for us, and this was probably our best intermediate, if we aren’t counting Dover. it is definitely our best just on the 2 car. As a company obviously it was a bit of a struggle today and I think we have learned a lot. Just not good enough.”
In recent years, technology has profoundly impacted various aspects of our lives, and one of the most dynamic areas it has transformed is online gambling. What once was confined to brick-and-mortar casinos has now evolved into a vibrant digital ecosystem that is readily accessible through our devices. This transformation isn’t just about digitalization; it’s about how technology shapes the entire industry, redefining the experience for both players and operators. Let’s dive into how technology has shaped and continues to shape the future of online gambling.
The Dawn of Online Gambling
The rise of the internet in the late 20th century laid the foundation for the online gambling industry. In the mid-1990s, the first casino online singapore appeared, offering rudimentary games compared to today’s standards. With dial-up internet, games loaded slowly, and player interaction was minimal. However, these initial platforms ignited a revolution, proving that online gambling had immense potential. Over time, advancements in software development, internet speed, and data security significantly improved the gaming experience, making it more appealing to a broader audience. From simple card games to immersive slot machines, online gambling started gaining traction, creating new revenue streams and transforming gambling from a physical to a digital activity.
The Mobile Era: Gambling Anytime, Anywhere
The advent of smartphones and the mobile internet significantly expanded the reach of online gambling. Today, people no longer need to be tethered to a desktop to place a bet. Mobile gambling apps offer users the flexibility to play their favorite casino games, wager on sports, and more, right from the palm of their hand. With intuitive user interfaces and optimized gameplay for smaller screens, mobile gambling has redefined convenience in betting. This accessibility has opened the doors to a new demographic of players, further accelerating the industry’s growth. Mobile apps also bring features like live betting, allowing users to place wagers on games and sports events as they unfold, enhancing engagement.
Live Dealer Games: Bridging the Gap
For many, one of the main drawbacks of online gambling was the lack of atmosphere compared to land-based casinos. Enter live dealer games: these innovative setups stream real dealers to the player’s screen in real time. Through live video feeds, players can interact with dealers, place bets, and experience the feel of a real online casino free credit from their homes. Live dealer games blend digital convenience with a more traditional casino experience, setting a new standard for online gambling. The high-definition video streams, combined with interactive chat features, bring a social aspect that was previously missing from online platforms, providing an experience that closely mimics the excitement of a physical casino.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrency: Secure, Transparent Transactions
Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies have brought a new level of transparency and security to online gambling. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin offer anonymity and fast transactions, making them attractive to many players. Moreover, blockchain-based casinos leverage the decentralized nature of blockchain to ensure fair gameplay and transparent operations. Smart contracts automate payouts, eliminating disputes and building trust between players and operators. Blockchain also allows for provably fair gaming, a system that lets players verify the fairness of each bet, further reinforcing trust in an industry often plagued by skepticism. The decentralized nature of blockchain also reduces transaction fees, benefiting both operators and players.
Artificial Intelligence: Tailored Experiences and Improved Security
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how online gambling platforms operate, enhancing both player experience and security. AI algorithms analyze player behavior to provide personalized game recommendations, promotions, and responsible gambling alerts. On the security front, AI aids in detecting fraud and unusual betting patterns that may indicate cheating or addiction. These intelligent systems work tirelessly to maintain a safe and enjoyable environment for users. Additionally, AI is used to streamline customer support, with chatbots providing instant assistance to players around the clock. The combination of personalized experiences and robust security measures helps build player loyalty, which is crucial in this competitive industry.
Virtual and Augmented Reality: A Glimpse into the Future
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are emerging technologies poised to revolutionize online gambling further. VR casinos immerse players in a fully digital environment where they can walk around, interact with other players, and play games just as they would in a physical casino. AR, on the other hand, overlays digital information onto the real world, enhancing the gaming experience without fully replacing reality. Although still in the early stages, VR and AR have the potential to redefine online gambling once more. Imagine putting on a VR headset and being transported to a virtual casino where you can interact with players and dealers from around the world, creating an unparalleled immersive experience.
Regulation and Responsible Gambling
With technology advancing rapidly, regulatory frameworks must evolve to ensure fair play and protect players. Authorities worldwide are increasingly focusing on enforcing responsible gambling measures, especially in the digital space. Technologies like AI assist in monitoring player behavior to identify signs of problem gambling, while blockchain ensures the integrity of the platforms. Regulations also aim to curb underage gambling and promote a safe betting environment. Ensuring compliance with these regulations requires significant investments in technology and staff training, but it ultimately fosters a safer gambling environment. Moreover, collaboration between regulators and operators is crucial to creating a consistent and fair regulatory framework across different jurisdictions.
Social Gaming and Gamification: Making Betting Fun
The online gambling industry has embraced social gaming and gamification to make betting more engaging. Leaderboards, challenges, and achievements turn gambling into a social experience, fostering a sense of community among players. Social betting platforms allow friends to wager against each other, adding a competitive edge. Gamification elements incentivize players to keep playing, enhancing retention and adding an extra layer of excitement to the experience. By incorporating elements like daily challenges, tournaments, and loyalty rewards, online gambling platforms can make the experience more interactive and rewarding for players. This approach not only keeps players engaged but also helps build long-term loyalty.
Big Data: Powering Insights and Enhancing User Experience
Big data analytics is another key player in the transformation of online gambling. Operators collect massive amounts of data on player preferences, behaviors, and trends. Analyzing this data helps refine marketing strategies, optimize game offerings, and improve user experience. It also aids in detecting fraudulent activities and ensuring compliance with regulations. Big data-driven insights help platforms stay competitive and responsive to changing player needs. Furthermore, the use of data allows operators to tailor bonuses and promotions to individual players, creating a more personalized and engaging experience. In an industry where customer retention is paramount, leveraging big data effectively can give operators a significant edge.
Conclusion
The future of online gambling is undoubtedly intertwined with technology, which has already reshaped the industry in numerous ways. From mobile apps to blockchain, AI to VR, technological innovations continue to push the boundaries of what is possible. These advancements bring both opportunities and challenges, as platforms strive to offer engaging and secure experiences to players. As technology continues to evolve, so too will online gambling, and it is sure to remain one of the most dynamic and exciting industries to watch. In the years ahead, we can expect to see even more innovative solutions that will continue to redefine the online gambling landscape.
1. Kyle Larson: Larson edged Chris Buescher by the slightest of margins to win the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas.
“That’s what you call winning by a fraction of a second,” Larson said. “For Chris Buescher, the operative word is ‘second.'”
2. Denny Hamlin: Denny Hamlin won Stage 1 at Kansas and finished fifth.
“I really had some bad luck in a few of my pit stops,” Hamlin. “It seems that your favorite driver was in my way as I tried to leave the pits.”
3. Chase Elliott: Elliott took third at Kansas, right behind the Kyle Larson-Chris Buescher photo finish for the win.
“A thing called ‘aero blocking’ is really a hot topic in NASCAR right now,” Elliott said. “Back in the good old days, ‘aero blocking’ was also a thing; only it was called ‘keeping the car behind you behind you.'”
4. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished fourth in the AdventHealth 400.
“I made the bold strategy move to take four tires on the final pit stop,” Truex said. “I came up just short. If the race just could have gone one lap longer, there would not have been a Kyle Larson-Chris Buescher photo finish, and I would have ‘pictured’ myself as the winner.”
5. Chris Buescher: Buescher easily won Stage 2 at Kansas and battled Kyle Larson to the finish line, but came up short by just .001 seconds.
“That was the closest finish in NASCAR history,” Buescher said. “And I was unfortunately on the short end. It was truly a photo finish, so I guess I came up just a bit camera shy.”
6. William Byron: Byron was a non-factor at Kansas, coming home 23rd, one lap down.
“It was a tough day for me,” Byron said, “and a tough one for NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson, as well. He was in an accident on Lap 176 that collected several cars. I know Jimmie is co-owner of Legacy Motor Club; maybe he should change that name to ‘Tarnished Legacy Motor Club.”
7. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished seventh at Kansas.
“There were quite a few instances of five-wide racing at Kansas,” Bowman said. “Let me tell you, it helps to trust the other four drivers when you’re going five-wide. Some drivers, like Ross Chastain, will actually lobby for your trust. Like, he’ll say ‘Trust me, I’m gonna cause an accident.'”
8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished 12th at Kansas.
“Ford is still winless this season,” Blaney said. “‘Built Ford Tough’ is Ford’s motto. For NASCAR’s purposes, maybe that should be ‘In A Ford? Tough.'”
9. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 11th at Kansas.
“My car was primarily sponsored by Consumer Cellular,” Keselowski said. “As you might know, that’s cell phone service for old people, or people who remember my Cup championship.”
10. Tyler Reddick: Reddick finished a disappointing 20th at Kansas.
“Jimmie Johnson gave the ‘Start your engines’ command from inside his car,” Reddick said. “One thing’s for sure, though: Jimmie won’t be inside his car when a race ends.”
In the blink of an eye, Kyle Larson went from being beaten to a photo finish that set a new record for the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Cup Series division after edging Chris Buescher to score a wild win y in the rain-delayed AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, May 5.
The 2021 Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, led six times for 63 of 268 over-scheduled laps in an event where he was competitive from his fourth-place starting spot as he battled against NASCAR’s elite towards the front for the majority of the event. Then, after initially being poised for a top-six run, a caution for a spin involving Kyle Busch with seven laps remaining generated an opportunity for Larson, who opted for a two-tire pit stop to line up in third place behind Denny Hamlin and Chris Buescher. After attempting to make a three-wide move on both during the start of an overtime shootout, Larson settled behind Buescher, who would fend off an early challenge by Larson to retain the lead and start the final lap.
During the final lap, however, Larson then seized an opportunity to make a move to Buescher’s outside entering the final turn and despite getting both rubbed and squeezed by Buescher towards the wall, he managed to muscle ahead by a hair. With Buescher fighting back and both drivers refusing to step off the throttle as they made contact twice approaching the finish line, Larson and Buescher crossed the finish line dead even. Larson would be declared the race winner by 0.001 seconds, which eclipsed the previous margin of finish record of 0.002 seconds, as he notched his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2024 season in dramatic fashion.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, May 4, Christopher Bell notched his first Cup pole position of the 2024 season and the 11th of his career after posting a pole-winning lap at 183.107 mph in 29.491 seconds in his No. 20 Yahoo! Toyota Camry XSE. Joining him on the front row was Ross Chastain, who clocked in the second-fastest qualifying lap time at 182.704 mph in 29.556 seconds.
When the green flag waved and the event commenced following a delay period of more than three hours due to inclement weather, Bell and Chastain battled for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch as the field behind fanned out to three lanes. With the field still fanned out, Bell managed to edge Chastain to lead the first lap from the outside lane, but Chastain kept his car dead even against Bell for the following lap and in an early bid for the lead.
Prior to the third lap, Chastain, who edged Bell to lead the second lap, managed to muscle his No. 1 Busch Light Crocs Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ahead of Bell through the backstretch as he had both lanes to his control. With Chastain leading Bell, Noah Gragson followed suit in third place followed by Kyle Larson while a three-wide battle for fifth place occurred between Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric and Ty Gibbs. Gibbs would prevail while running the outside lane as he muscled away from Busch and Cindric as Chastain proceeded to lead the fifth lap mark.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Chastain, who nearly lost the lead to Bell a few laps earlier, was leading by a tenth of a second over a hard-charging Larson, who assumed the runner-up spot from Bell a lap earlier, as Bell followed suit in third while Gibbs, Gragson, Busch, Chris Buescher, Cindric, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. were running in the top 10. Behind, Michael McDowell trailed in 11th ahead of Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano as John Hunter Nemechek, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Austin Dillon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. trailed in the top 20 ahead of Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, rookie Carson Hocevar, William Byron and Corey Heim.
Ten laps later, Chastain stabilized his early advantage to two-tenths of a second over Larson while Bell, Gibbs and Buescher were scored in the top five ahead of Gragson, Busch, Hamlin, Cindric and Truex. Meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson, who qualified 19th, had fallen to 32nd as he was trailing rookie Josh Berry and Daniel Suarez on the track while Austin Hill, Derek Kraus, Daniel Hemric, Harrison Burton, Riley Herbst and Ryan Preece were running towards the rear of the 38-car field.
Another 12 laps later, a cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as Truex pitted his No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry XSE along with Alex Bowman, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace. The leader Chastain would pit under green on Lap 33, followed by Larson, Gibbs, Buescher, Gragson and a bevy of competitors as Bell and Busch remained on the track. While more drivers, including Bell, pit by Lap 35, Chastain and Larson engaged in a heated battle to emerge as the first competitor who recently pitted on the track while Derek Kraus, who has yet to pit, was leading.
On Lap 41, Chastain zipped by Kraus to reassume the race lead on the track as Larson, who was battling Chastain tightly for the lead a few laps earlier, followed suit in second. Both Chastain and Larson would be separated by a tenth of a second by the Lap 45 mark while Gibbs, who moved into third place, trailed the two leaders by more than two seconds as Buescher and Bell trailed in the top five by three seconds.
At the Lap 50 mark, both Chastain and Larson continued to engage in a heated battle for the lead with both swapping lanes, remaining dead even against one another’s entries, pulling crossover moves on one another through the turns and refusing to give an inch to one another. With Chastain and Larson continuing to battle dead even for the lead during the proceeding laps, third-place Gibbs started to close in as he trailed the two leaders by six-tenths of a second while fourth-place Hamlin only trailed by a second. Larson would then manage to emerge ahead by two-tenths of a second over Chastain by Lap 53 and he would proceed to extend his advantage to a second over Chastain just past the Lap 55 mark.
By Lap 60, Hamlin muscled his No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry XSE past Chastain for the runner-up spot as he started to close in on Larson for the lead as he only trailed by less than half a second. Gibbs and Buescher would trail the lead by a second in the top five as Hamlin challenged Larson for the lead on Lap 63. With Larson retaining the top spot while running his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on the outside lane, Hamlin tried to overtake Larson again during the following lap, but was denied by Larson as Chastain tried to close back in to join the battle. Eventually, Hamlin would overtake Larson to assume the lead by Lap 68 as Chastain battled and also overtook Larson to assume the runner-up spot.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 80, Hamlin, winner of last weekend’s Cup event at Dover Motor Speedway, captured his third Cup stage victory of the 2024 season after fending off a last-lap charge from Chastain, who ended up second. Larson settled in third ahead of Bell and Buescher while Gibbs, Truex, Busch, Gragson and Chase Elliott were scored in the top 10. By then, 33 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.
Under the stage break, the field led by Hamlin returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Bell edged Chastain to emerge as the first competitor off of pit road with the lead from the first pit box as Larson, Gibbs, Buescher, Truex and Busch followed suit as Hamlin, who was blocked by Austin Hill while trying to exit his pit stall, exited eighth ahead of Elliott and Gragson. Amid the pit stops, John Hunter Nemechek was penalized for speeding on pit road.
The second stage period started on Lap 88 as Bell and Chastain occupied the front row. At the start, both Bell and Chastain mirrored their early performance from the event’s start by battling dead even against one another and in front of the fanned pack through the first two turns and the backstretch. Shortly after, Larson, who rocketed his way up to the two leaders, made a bold three-wide move beneath Bell and Chastain, who got loose through Turns 3 and 4, to assume the lead through the frontstretch’s apron. Bell and Chastain were then pinned in a five-wide battle with Gibbs, Buescher and Truex across the start/finish line as the latter three overtook both Bell and Chastain for positions along with Kyle Busch. Chastain and Bell would continue to battle for sixth place and Buescher would battle Truex for the runner-up spot in front of Gibbs and Busch while Larson retained the lead by the Lap 90 mark.
Through the Lap 100 mark, Larson was leading by nearly two seconds over Buescher followed by Gibbs, Busch and Truex while Bell, Gragson, Chastain, Hamlin and Bowman were racing in the top 10 ahead of Michael McDowell, Reddick, Wallace, William Byron and Elliott. As Brad Keselowski, Blaney, Cindric, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar trailed in the top 20, Joey Logano was mired in 21st ahead of Austin Dillon, Justin Haley, Jimmie Johnson and rookie Zane Smith as Suarez was mired in 32nd behind Corey LaJoie, Hill and Chase Briscoe.
Ten laps later, Larson slightly stretched his advantage to three seconds over Buescher while third-place Gibbs trailed by four seconds. Behind, Busch occupied fourth place ahead of ex-teammates Truex, Bell and Hamlin while Chastain slipped to 10th as he trailed Gragson and Bowman on the track.
Another six laps later, another cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as Todd Gilliland and Ryan Preece pitted their respective Ford entries. Blaney would then pit along with Kraus, Briscoe, Harrison Burton, Logano, Byron and others before select front-runners like Buescher, Gibbs and Hamlin pitted by Lap 119. Larson would then surrender the lead to pit by Lap 120 as he was followed by Busch, Truex, Bell, Gragson and others while 23XI Racing’s Reddick and Wallace remained on the track.
On Lap 125, Reddick surrendered the lead to pit his No. 45 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE. By then, his teammate Wallace and Daniel Hemric pitted while Buescher, who split Bell and Chastain through the middle as part of the five-wide battle during the start of the second stage period, cycled his No. 17 Castrol Edge Ford Mustang Dark Horse into the lead. Gibbs trailed Buescher in the runner-up spot, followed by Busch and Larson, who endured a slow pit stop after his front-tire changer had issues tightening the left front tire. Meanwhile, Truex trailed in fifth while Hamlin was in sixth.
At the halfway mark in between Laps 133 and 134, Buescher was leading by more than a second over Busch followed by Gibbs, Larson and Truex while Hamlin, Bowman, Gragson, Bell and Chastain occupied the top-10 spots on the track. Behind, Elliott was in 11th place as he was running ahead of teammate Byron, Keselowski, McDowell and Reddick as Cindric, Blaney, Hocevar, Stenhouse and Wallace trailed in the top 20 as they were running ahead of Logano, Austin Dillon, Gilliland, Zane Smith and Jimmie Johnson.
By Lap 145, Buescher continued to lead by more than a second over a side-by-side battle between Larson and Busch for the runner-up spot while Gibbs and Hamlin trailed by within four seconds in the top five. Buescher’s advantage slightly decreased to nine-tenths of a second over Larson while third-place Busch trailed by a second by Lap 150.
Between the Laps 155 and 160 marks, Buescher stabilized his advantage within less than a second over a hard-charging Larson while Busch retained third place ahead of Hamlin and Gibbs. Behind, Chastain and Reddick battled dead even for a top-10 spot while Elliott and Bell battled for 11th place.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 165, Buescher captured his first Cup stage victory of the 2024 season. Larson settled in second followed by Hamlin, Busch and Truex while Gibbs, Bowman, Reddick, Chastain and Gragson were scored in the top 10 on the track. By then, 29 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.
During the stage break, the lead lap field led by Buescher pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Larson returned atop the leaderboard after he edged Buescher off of pit road first while Busch, Gibbs, Truex, Chastain, Reddick, Elliott, Gragson and Bell followed suit in the top 10. Amid the pit stops, however, Buescher, who had part of a windshield tear off floating atop his car, was penalized for his pit crew jumping over the pit wall too soon prior to his service and was sent to the rear of the field.
With 94 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Larson and Busch occupied the front row. At the start, Larson fended off Busch and Truex to retain the lead through the first two turns and through the backstretch as the field behind fanned out. With the field fanning out as wide as four lanes during the following lap, Larson was ahead of Busch with the lead while Truex, Gibbs and Reddick were running in the top five. Another lap later, however, the caution returned after Jimmie Johnson was hit by LaJoie in Turn 1 and sent for a spin before he veered back across the track and crashed hard against the outside wall as Hemric and Hill were also collected. The incident left Johnson disappointed with LaJoie as he ended up with his first DNF of the season and strapped in 38th place, dead last.
During the following restart period with 84 laps remaining, Larson and Busch again battled dead even for the lead through the first two turns until Larson muscled ahead from the inside lane. Busch, however, crossed over to the inside lane in his bid to claim the lead, which he led the following lap by a mere margin as Truex closed in. Shortly after, however, the caution returned for a multi-car crash through the backstretch that started when Hamlin, who was running within the top 10, went up the track and was squeezed into the backstretch’s outside wall by teammate Bell into Cindric, where Cindric veered sideways before he spun his No. 2 Snap-On Ford Mustang Dark Horse back down the track and clipped both Wallace and McDowell as all three were sent spinning while the rest of the field scattered to avoid the carnage.
The next two restart periods, one with 77 laps remaining and another with 71 laps remaining, were quickly halted with two caution periods. The first with 77 laps remaining occurred during the following lap when Harrison Burton, who was running towards the rear of the field, spun his No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse entering the backstretch as he needed a wrecker to tow his car back to pit road after he flattened his rear tires. The second caution period with 71 laps remaining also struck a lap after the restart when Logano spun his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse entering Turn 4 as he too flattened his rear tires.
During the initial caution period for Burton’s incident, select names including Hamlin, Buescher and McDowell pitted while the rest led by Busch and Larson remained on the track. During the latest caution period for Logano’s incident, however, a majority of the field led by Larson and Busch pitted while select names led by Gilliland and including Hamlin and Buescher remained on the track.
As the event restarted with 62 laps remaining, the field quickly fanned out to multiple lanes through the frontstretch as Hamlin used the outside lane to muscle ahead with the lead through the first two turns. Buescher followed suit in the runner-up spot through the backstretch and Wallace challenged Gilliland for third place while Busch was trying to fight his way back to the front as he was up to fifth place in front of McDowell, Bell and the field.
Down to the final 60 laps of the event, the battle for the lead between Hamlin and Buescher ignited as Buescher used the apron to overtake Hamlin from the frontstretch to the first two turns. As Busch carved his way up to third place, Hamlin would reassume the lead from Buescher with 54 laps remaining. By then, Busch retained third place while Larson carved his way up to fourth place.
With 50 laps remaining, Hamlin was leading by two-tenths of a second over Buescher, who continued to stalk Hamlin for the lead amid their side-by-side battle earlier, while third-place Hamlin trailed by a second and fourth-place Larson trailed by more than a second. Behind, Gilliland continued to run in fifth place ahead of teammate McDowell, Wallace, Bell, Truex and Elliott while Hocevar, Reddick, Haley, LaJoie, Keselowski, Gragson, Blaney, rookie Josh Berry, Stenhouse and Byron trailed in the top 20.
Ten laps later, Hamlin continued to lead by two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Buescher while Busch and Larson continued to trail the lead by more than a second. Buescher then transitioned to the outside lane as he drew even alongside Hamlin for the following lap before Hamlin rocketed back ahead and blocked Buescher through the frontstretch’s apron with 38 laps remaining. Not long after, Larson overtook Busch for third place as Truex overtook Gilliland to move into the top five while Bell carved his way into seventh place ahead of McDowell.
With less than 30 laps remaining, Hamlin stabilized his advantage to within two- and three-tenths of a second over Buescher while third-place Larson trailed by a second. Behind, Busch retained fourth place ahead of Truex while Bell, Gilliland, Elliott, Keselowski and McDowell were scored in the top 10 ahead of Blaney, Haley, Reddick, Wallace and Hocevar.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, Hamlin and Buescher, both of whom were running on fumes with concerns about not having enough fuel to the scheduled distance, continued to run first and second on the track, with Hamlin leading by three-tenths of a second ahead of Buescher. Behind, Larson, who has enough fuel to finish, continued to trail in third place by while Busch and Truex occupied the top five.
Five laps later, Hamlin slightly stretched his advantage to six-tenths of a second over Buescher while third-place Larson continued to trail by more than a second. Hamlin would then extend his advantage to more than a second over Buescher while Larson, Truex and Busch trailed within three seconds with 10 laps remaining.
Two laps later, Truex, who was charging strong after overtaking both Larson and Busch, overtook Buescher for the runner-up spot through the frontstretch. Larson would then drop to sixth as Busch and Keselowski overtook him for top-five spots while Truex started to close in on teammate Hamlin for the lead amid lapped traffic.
Then with seven laps remaining, the caution flew after Kyle Busch, who was running in the top five, got loose and spun his No. 8 Cheddar’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 towards the apron from the first two turns and through the backstretch. During the caution period, the lead lap field led by Hamlin pitted for service. Following the pit stops and amid mixed strategies, Hamlin exited pit road first following a two-tire pit stop as he was followed by Buescher, Larson, Elliott, Blaney, Gragson, Bowman, John Hunter Nemechek and Corey Heim, all of whom elected for a two-tire pit service, while Truex exited in 10th place with four fresh tires.
With the event restarting in overtime, Hamlin and Buescher, both of whom restarted on the front row in front of Larson and Elliott, led the field to the start until Larson, who restarted behind Hamlin, quickly made a move beneath Hamlin in a three-wide bid for the lead. With Elliott joining the battle, Buescher managed to muscle ahead from the outside lane to emerge with the lead ahead of Larson, Hamlin and Elliott through the backstretch. Larson then tried to make a move beneath Buescher entering Turns 3 and 4, but Buescher blocked Larson, which caused the latter to move up the track and regain his momentum as Hamlin was pinned in a three-wide battle with Elliott and Truex for third place.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Buescher remained as the leader by a tenth of a second over Larson while Truex was trying to muscle away from Hamlin and Elliott to occupy third place. Then after stalking Buescher through the first two turns and through the backstretch, Larson gained a draft on Buescher and made his move to the outside lane as Buescher was trying to squeeze Larson’s No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 against the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4. Despite being rubbed and squeezed towards the wall, Larson then started to emerge ahead as both he and Buescher made contact while Truex and Elliott were trying to join the battle. Larson then veered left and rammed into the side of Buescher’s No. 17 Castrol Edge Ford Mustang Dark Horse to stall his momentum, which nearly got Buescher loose, but Buescher kept his foot in the gas, as both he and Larson crossed the finish line dead even ahead of Truex and Elliott.
When the dust settled, Larson, who was initially told that Buescher had won, emerged as the race winner by 0.001 seconds over Buescher, which set a new closest-recorded finish in the history of NASCAR’s premier series. Larson’s margin of victory over Buescher broke the previous record of 0.002 seconds that was made twice: once by Ricky Craven at Darlington Raceway in 2003 and the second made by Jimmie Johnson at Talladega Superspeedway in 2011.
Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.
With the victory, Larson notched his 25th career win in NASCAR’s premier series, which placed him in a tie with Jim Paschal and Joe Weatherly on the all-time wins list. He also recorded his second victory at Kansas Speedway, his second of the 2024 Cup Series season after winning his first of the year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, and his 19th driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. In addition, the victory was the sixth of the season for Hendrick Motorsports and the seventh for the Chevrolet nameplate as Larson became the third competitor to repeat as a race winner alongside teammate William Byron and Denny Hamlin through the first 12 events on the 2024 schedule.
“That was wild,” Larson said on FS1. “I was obviously thankful for that last caution [with seven laps remaining]. We were dying pretty bad. [I] Was happy to come out third and figured my best shot was me choosing the bottom [lane] and just try and split three wide to the inside. [It] 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 [Buescher]. I just committed really hard up top and wasn’t quite sure if we were gonna make it to the other side. I got super loose in the center and then, I’m trying not to get too far ahead of him to where he can side-draft. Then I was trying to kill his run, so it was just crazy. That race from start to finish was amazing. You [fans] got your money’s worth today. I’m just proud to be a part of the show.”
“I didn’t know if I won or not,” Larson added. “I was pumped for the finish. I got to about Turn 3 and [spotter] Tyler [Monn] was going crazy up on the [spotter’s] roof, so just incredible finish there. I wish we have more mile-and-a-halfs [tracks]. These mile-and-a-halfs, these cars just race so amazing. This is so cool. Month of May is gonna be great for us, so hopefully, this just starts some momentum.”
As Larson was left beaming and celebrating on the frontstretch, Buescher was left dejected on pit road after coming up a nose shy of etching the first victory of the season for himself, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing and the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse stock car.
“I don’t know what to say right now,” Buescher said. “That sucks to be that close. It was a great finish for us. A really strong day, a lot of speed in this Castrol Edge Ford Mustang. We really needed that. Needed a win more. [I] Thought I might have had that one. [I] Tried to cover what I could and gave [Larson] half a lane too much, I suppose, but good hard race there right there down to the line, but that hurts.”
Meanwhile, Chase Elliott edged Martin Truex Jr. to finish third while Denny Hamlin, who led a race-high 71 laps, ended up in fifth place.
Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Noah Gragson and Michael McDowell finished in the top 10.
There were 27 lead changes for 10 different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 43 laps. In addition, 31 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the 12th event of the 2024 Cup Series season, Kyle Larson leads the regular-season standings by 29 points over Martin Truex Jr., 55 over Chase Elliott, 56 over Denny Hamlin and 93 over Tyler Reddick.
Results.
1. Kyle Larson, 63 laps led
2. Chris Buescher, 54 laps led, Stage 2 winner
3. Chase Elliott
4. Martin Truex Jr.
5. Denny Hamlin, 71 laps led, Stage 1 winner
6. Christopher Bell, five laps led
7. Alex Bowman
8. Kyle Busch, 14 laps led
9. Noah Gragson
10. Michael McDowell
11. Brad Keselowski, one lap led
12. Ryan Blaney
13. John Hunter Nemechek
14. Todd Gilliland, four laps led
15. Josh Berry
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
17. Bubba Wallace
18. Justin Haley
19. Ross Chastain, 43 laps led
20. Tyler Reddick, seven laps led
21. Chase Briscoe
22. Corey Heim
23. William Byron
24. Carson Hocevar
25. Austin Dillon
26. Corey LaJoie
27. Daniel Suarez
28. Ryan Preece
29. Zane Smith
30. Daniel Hemric
31. Derek Kraus, six laps led
32. Ty Gibbs, one lap down
33. Austin Hill, one lap down
34. Joey Logano, two laps down
35. Riley Herbst, two laps down
36. Harrison Burton, six laps down
37. Austin Cindric – OUT, Accident
38. Jimmie Johnson – OUT, Accident
Next on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, May 12, and air at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.
