Ford fell .001 seconds short of snapping its winless drought Sunday night at Kansas Speedway, just the latest in a series of gut-wrenching finishes that have kept the manufacturer from NASCAR’s Victory Lane this year.
Making Sunday even more stomach turning for Ford was that Buescher was briefly listed as the winner before the photo finish showed that Larson won.
“I knew it was going to be close but certainly it hurts to be that close and miss out,” Buescher said.
Kansas victor Kyle Larson has won more closes finishes in Cup since 2022 than any other series driver.
Ford has not won a Cup, Xfinity or Craftsman Truck Series race this year. It’s most recent victory in any series was last year’s Xfinity Series season finale at Phoenix won by Cole Custer to claim the series title.
Ford has not won in the last 13 Cup races, dating back to Ryan Blaney’s victory at Martinsville in the penultimate playoff race last year. Ford has one win in the last 17 Cup races, dating back to last season.
Kyle Larson continues to lead the Cup standings after 12 races.
This season has been challenging for the manufacturer with so many close finishes.
Ford has lost two Cup races by .003 seconds or less.
Ford has lost four Cup races by less than half a second combined.
Ford has lost two Xfinity races by less than two-tenths of a second, losing one race by .002 seconds. Ford also has lost a Truck race by less than two-tenths of a second.
Add those races together and Ford has lost seven races in Cup, Xfinity and Trucks by less than one second combined.
Close calls for Ford in 2024
Margin of defeat for Ford drivers this year in NASCAR.
NASCAR Cup
.001 — Chris Buescher finishes second to Kyle Larson at Kansas.
Larson edges Buescher in historic Kansas finish
Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher wheel nose-to-nose as the checkered flag waves in the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, combining for the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history with a margin of 0.001 seconds.
.003 — Ryan Blaney finishes second to Daniel Suarez at Atlanta
Suarez comes out on top after epic finish
Marty Snider, Jeff Burton, and Steve Letarte review Daniel Suarez's Atlanta win in an instant classic after a three-wide race against Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch, resulting in the 3rd-closest margin of victory since 1993.
.208 — Brad Keselowski finishes second to Tyler Reddick at Talladega
Chaos erupts in wild finish to Talladega Cup race
The NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega ends in wild fashion as Michael McDowell goes around attempting to block Brad Keselowski with the "big one" occurring as the field comes to the line.
.269 — Joey Logano finishes second to Denny Hamlin at Richmond
Hamlin rallies to win Cup Richmond race in OT
Denny Hamlin capitalizes on an overtime restart to best his teammate Martin Truex Jr. and others at Richmond Raceway for his second win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Xfinity Series
.002 — Ryan Sieg finishes second to Sam Mayer at Texas
Mayer ekes out historically close finish over Sieg
In one of the closest photo finishes you'll ever see, Sam Mayer overtakes Ryan Sieg on the final lap of the Andy's Frozen Custard 300 and holds on to earn the Xfinity Series victory by .002 seconds.
.141 — Riley Herbst finishes second to Jesse Love at Talladega
Love victorious in double OT for first Xfinity win
Jesse Love holds off multiple challengers in double overtime to win his first-career NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega.
Craftsman Truck Series
.187 — Ty Majeski finishes second to Kyle Busch at Atlanta
Highlights: NASCAR Truck Series race at Atlanta
Relive the highlights from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
