Larson Wins in Historic Finish

AdventHealth 400:

Kyle Larson grabbed his second Cup Series race of the year by approximately 3 inches over Chris Buescher at Kansas Speedway in the AdventHealth 400 on Sunday night. A late race caution due to a spinning Kyle Busch took the win away from Denny Hamlin (or maybe Martin Truex Jr) and set up a two lap overtime sprint to the checkered flag. Larson, who had led 60+ laps earlier in the race and looked as a real challenger all day, benefitted from the caution the most by being able to pit and correct his car that was falling off the last several laps prior to the caution. Larson launched on the green flag for the restart, taking Denny Hamlin and Buescher three wide. Off turn two it was going to come down to Larson or Buescher. Larson chased Buescher down, rode the highline, and door slammed the 17 car to the line eeking out the win in what was essentially a dead heat. Even NASCAR time and scoring had the 17 car as the leader and it flashed across as a 0.000 margin at the line. It took a speedy photo evidence review to determine and declare Kyle Larson the winner Sunday night.

My immediate thought, like most, was Buescher won. Which would have been great (I would've won a few dollars), Ford would have won their first race of the year in all three NASCAR National Touring series, and it would have locked the 17 car and RFK into the playoffs. Plus, Chris Buescher is a good dude and a hell of a wheelman. I was happy for them, as they were elated. But moments later that was ripped away and NASCAR and FS1 show the photo evidence that had Kyle Larson as the winner. And even with that massive shift in emotions from me for the winner I was still elated. A Hendrick car won, a Chevy won, and I still won a few bucks on Larson winning. But what made me happiest of all was how damn exciting of a finish it was after such a great race from green flag to checkered flag. And immediately I knew: this, even if for one day, is going to be talked about everywhere: ESPN, Pat McAfee Show, Jomboy Media, Undisputed, Barstool, and I am sure I missed many more outlets that covered it that routinely do not cover NASCAR at all. I loved it. I am here for it. Finishes like this, races like this, exciting story lines like this showcase just how damn awesome NASCAR can be and often times is as a sports fan.

Overall, the race was phenomenal. Kansas has evolved from a borderline snooze-fest to arguably the greatest track on the NASCAR schedule. The asphalt has aged to perfection; the tires have some noticeable fall off (still could be better, Goodyear!); the drivers can move around and find a lane that works for them and allows them to maximize their speed; and pit strategy often comes in the races. The new generation car has put on some bangers at Kansas and I am already looking forward to the playoff race in the Fall. This race just had it all and the historic finish was icing on the cake. I enjoyed the race the second the green flag dropped. Drivers were immediately jockeying for position as strategy was at play early. Battles for the lead and throughout the field the entire race. Attrition due to accidents later in the race only added to the excitement as we were approaching the checkered flag. I wasn't itching for the late race caution flag, I was anxious to see if Hamlin could hold off a hard charging MTJ. But as soon as Kyle Busch looped it around I knew we were about to be in for a crazy finish. I appreciated the strategy on the last pit stop, too. Not everyone took 4 tires with some teams opting for 2 instead. That, to me, added excitement to the overtime finish. And again, we were gifted from the racing gods a perfect two lap shootout and iconic, historic finish. As a NASCAR fan, what more could you ask for in a race? And honestly, this race would have been great without the finish, but that finish will be talked about for the rest of NASCAR racing.

Next up: the Lady in Black, the Track Too Tough to Tame: Darlington Raceway for the Goodyear 400 throwback weekend! I am excited to see what more throwbacks get announced but we already have some legendary throwbacks in all three series for the weekend. Tune in Sunday, May 12 at 3:00 p.m. EST on FS1 for the NASCAR Cup Series; Xfinity will be Saturday 1:30 p.m. EST on FS1 for the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200; and the Craftsman Truck Series will be Friday night at 7:30 p.m. EST on FS1 for Click It Don't Risk It 200.

Darlington Picks:

Cup = William Byron

Xfinity = Cole Custer

Trucks = Kyle Busch

Header Photo: Fox Sports NASCAR: FS1 Screenshot