Chris Buescher lost out on his sixth Cup Series victory at Kansas this past Sunday by NASCAR’s closest-ever margin of 0.001 seconds, which he was evidently a bit upset about post-race. But, the former Kansas victor Denny Hamlin has his own observations on what the #17 could’ve done to prevent his ‘inch-perfect’ disappointments at the 2024 Advent Health 400. Especially, since only after the race concluded was Kyle Larson’s second victory of the season confirmed. And more so, considering Buescher’s outstanding, yet ‘respectful’ efforts held the best chances of ruining his familiar rival’s advances, until the penultimate moment of this record-making spectacle in the Midwest.

Should Chris Buescher be more aggressive during races?

On the final overtime lap in Kansas, Buescher seemed to have Ford Performance’s first trip to victory lane in the bag. But a conflict of lane choices allowed his trailing #5 Chevy, a chance to sneak up and eventually slip past his #17 Dark Horse, coming out of turn 4 on the final stretch of this exhilarating Kansas showdown.

Hamlin had one of the best seats in the house as the front-row finishers’ door-bumped off each other en route to creating the narrowest finish in NASCAR history. The #11 won the first stage of the Advent Health 400 but late-race cautions, pit calls, and four other extremely resilient drivers wouldn’t allow Denny a chance to repeat his glorious 2023 fortunes at the 1.5-mile intermediate in the Sunflower state.

Nevertheless, following his P5 finish, Hamlin outlined a contrary speculative plan of action for the runners up, albeit a little too late, on the post-race release of his podcast, Actions Detrimental. “I think running the middle (on Turns) one and two is what I would have done had I had a night to sleep on it and think about it,” opined Denny Hamlin, hypothetically placing himself in the driver seat of Bueschers’ #17 RFK Ford.

Explaining how Buescher should’ve “just run in the middle, (to) get a better run on the exit”, Hamlin elaborated on his preferred choice of strategy on running the center line. “Run the middle. You then force the #5 car in a place where he hasn’t completed a ton of passes all day which is the bottom. So you force him to the bottom. Now you come off the corner and if you’re clear which you should be, given the lead that he (Buescher) had entering turn 1. He (#5’s) going to have a worse run than you going down the backstretch and then into turn 3.”

However, Buescher’s real-time lane choice into the final turn, resulted in Larson squeezing the #5 through the top and gaining the fractions required off a “big run” to end his race ahead of the #17’s miscalculations.

Denny pointed out Buescher’s indecision, where he didn’t commit to “one lane or the other”. The #11 speculated an extreme measure, saying, “I mean he wasn’t done, right? I mean he still had an opportunity. If Buescher just barely taps the #5… So what would happen was that the #5 was so close to the wall that if he touched it at all… The #17 would’ve been clear sailing.”

Yes, rubbing is indeed racin’! However, many eyes spotted Buescher’s respectable advances on the final stretch, willing to trade paint but not to an unfair extent. Denny was no stranger either, from the P5 position  He explained, “But I think that Buescher just is not willing to do that. He wanted to race it out fairly and come into the line. But the #5 turned left on him and really killed the momentum the #17 had.”

Furthermore, Hamlin also dissected his own run, pointing out his shortcomings.

The #11’s own final lap struggles in Kansas

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Regardless, in between controversies and a new NASCAR record, Denny Hamlin had his own problems on the racetrack on the final lap. Coming off a two-tire pit stop after the final unscheduled caution with 7 laps to go, Hamlin explained, “So I had my own issues getting off turn 2 on that last lap because the #19, I was about to clear him and I come down the track. He dumps air on the left side, I start getting tight. I see Chase coming. I check up to them… So I get passed by both of them, and I’m watching what’s going on in the front because I’m thinking how do I set myself up here?”

Understandably, the final stage boasting five cautions in a race that saw multiple four-wide battles throughout, was most surprising to many when Buescher and Larson bounced off each other and maintained control while crossing the finish line. Nevertheless, with an amazing NextGen display enthralling all audiences on just the 12th race weekend of the NASCAR calendar, many more such showcases will surely unfurl the excitement of an unpredictable racing season.