Larson edges Buescher at the line at Kansas Speedway in closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher to the line at Kansas Speedway on Sunday in the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.

After a caution flag forced a green-white-checkered finish, Larson pulled behind Buescher on the backstretch of the final lap, then came around him through the final corner. The two cars banged doors as they headed for the stripe, and it was so close that both teams began to celebrate — though only Hendrick Motorsports was able to keep the party going.

The official winning margin was a thousandth of a second — every bit as close as that dramatic Kentucky Derby — and Buescher was left both dumbfounded and dejected. So was the Ford contingent, which has yet to win a Cup Series race this season.

Martin Truex Jr. finished fourth and Denny Hamlin, who had the lead on the final restart, faded back to fifth.