Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher Breaking Kurt Busch’s 21-Year Record Gets History-Maker’s Flowers

For a long time, Kurt Busch and Ricky Craven held the record for the closest NASCAR finish. Just 0.002 seconds separated race winner Craven from Busch at Darlington, and many others have tried to come close since then. They also tied with Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer in 2011 at the Talladega Superspeedway. However, Busch and Craven have finally met their match in Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher.

Earlier at the Kansas Speedway, Larson barely squeaked over the line to deny Buescher the win. What was even more amazing was the fact that the two drivers were separated by 0.001 seconds. The 2024 NASCAR Cup season is proving to be an absolute nail-biter. Especially considering that this is the second photo finish of the year after the viral Atlanta finish.

Ricky Craven graciously surrendered his and Kurt Busch’s record

Having been the holder of this record for so long, Craven acknowledged the incredible feat. The 57-year-old also admitted that the older Busch had become a good friend. He also insisted that their own photo finish back in 2003 would be immortalized in the halls of NASCAR memory.

According to Craven, the race was very exciting and everyone in NASCAR was a winner because of this. Larson shared that sentiment because he mused that all the fans got their money’s worth in the race. Even Buescher had to confess that the race finish was insane, despite the heartbreak that he felt. For a very brief moment, it looked like he had won before the timing screens and replays dashed his hopes.

Chris Buescher could have been a hero for Ford

Truthfully, this was heartbreaking for the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver. So far in the 2024 season, there has not been a single Ford victory in the last 12 races. When Buescher crossed the finish line, he likely genuinely thought that he had finally scored one on the board for Ford. Sadly, the timing sheets were not his best friend, and the win went to Larson. This, in turn, has extended the stranglehold that Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing have this season.

Of course, he bears no ill will towards Kyle Larson, because he was just doing his job as a racing driver. He also had a good word for NASCAR’s villain, Denny Hamlin, insisting that the #11 driver raced him cleanly. Naturally, it would have been painful for Ford to see a win slip from their grasp for the second time. The first time was when Daniel Suarez barely fended off Ryan Blaney at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.