Kyle Larson beats Chris Buescher in NASCAR's tightest finish ever

Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher by just an inch to win the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, marking the closest finish in NASCAR history.

After Kyle Busch spun on lap 261 of the scheduled 267, the race went into overtime. Buescher took the lead on the restart of the last two laps, but Larson caught up with him on the backstretch of the final lap. The cars of Larson and Buescher collided twice before crossing the finish line. Buescher had the advantage just a foot from the finish, but Larson managed to get ahead to win in a photo finish by a margin of 0.001 seconds.

This was Larson's second win of the season, his second at Kansas, and the 25th of his career. The victory was also the sixth of the season for Hendrick Motorsports, the most successful team in the NASCAR Cup Series this year.

"That was intense," said Larson, who had fallen to fourth before Busch's spin. "I was thankful for that yellow flag. I chose the bottom lane and tried to go three-wide on the inside. It worked, my car turned well, and I had momentum."

Chase Elliott finished third, 0.059 seconds behind Larson, followed by Martin Truex Jr., who was 0.075 seconds behind the leader.

The yellow flag for Busch's spin canceled the fuel-saving measures that had dominated the final stage of the race. The cars on the lead lap entered en masse on lap 263, with most taking only right-side tires.

Denny Hamlin, who finished fifth, was the first to exit the pit and chose the bottom lane for the restart, with Larson behind him and Buescher on the outside. However, Larson went to the inside entering turn 1, allowing Buescher to take the lead. Buescher, who achieved his first top 5 on an intermediate track, held the position until Larson overtook him by half a car length on the backstretch, setting up the close race to the finish line.

"It's frustrating to be so close," said Buescher, who overcame a penalty for a team member over the wall too soon in the second stage. "It was a great finish for us, a really strong day. But we needed a win, and I thought I might have had that one."

The race featured 27 lead changes among 10 drivers and seven caution flags for 43 laps. Except for stage breaks, the race remained caution-free until lap 176, when Jimmie Johnson spun in a three-car accident that slowed the race for seven laps.

Three more yellow flags followed in rapid succession, creating varying strategic options. Truex, who had enough fuel, was closing in on leader Hamlin, who was saving gas, when the yellow flag for Busch's spin forced overtime.