Chris Buescher has now achieved the closest ever second-place finish in the history of NASCAR. RFK Racing, who experienced a heartbreaking outcome, finished in the worst position a racer could find themselves at the conclusion of the event. Buescher came in second place, just 0.001 seconds behind the winner, who secured their second victory of the 2024 season with HMS by utilizing aggressive tactics against the Ford driver.
Until the race went into overtime due to a late spin by another racer, Kyle Larson was not the primary contender for victory against Chris Buescher. It was Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver, with whom the No:17 Ford had been consistently losing the lead throughout the race. However, on the final restart, Hamlin found himself in a disadvantageous position.
On the overtime restart, Hamlin took the inside lane and Buescher took the outside lane, while the No:5 Chevy of Larson chose the lower lane. The JGR driver was unable to maintain the pace and dropped back to fifth place by the end of the race. Buescher, despite losing to Larson due to an aggressive side bump, praised Hamlin for racing him cleanly throughout.
“As much as you might receive criticism, @dennyhamlin, you’ve always raced me fairly. It was a great battle today.”
Fans quickly assumed that Chris Buescher was taking a jab at Kyle Larson with his comment about clean racing. In response, the Ford driver clarified in a post that his comments were not directed at Larson and emphasized that the No:5 Chevy driver did what was necessary to secure the win.
“Just to clarify for everyone… no shade towards @KyleLarsonRacin. We were competing fiercely until the checkered flag. He’s an incredible racer, and it was just two drivers fighting for the trophy.”
If RFK Racing can continue to have fast cars, the battle between these three drivers could become a regular occurrence. Hamlin and Larson have been engaged in some thrilling fights this season, and with consistent performance, Buescher has the potential to join this elite group.