Chris Buescher had a lot to digest Sunday night. By most measures the Roush-Fenway Racing driver had a terrific race at Kansas Speedway. He led the third most laps, won his first Stage of the year and even made the highlight reels with an amazing move.
In the end, however, all he could do was wonder what had happened.
After starting 12th, Buescher fought his way to the front finishing fifth in the first stage that ended at lap 80. On the restart he made a jaw-dropping move threading the needle in a five wide battle that vaulted him to second and eventually to the lead on lap 126.
Stage 2 would belong to him as he led the field when the stage ended on lap 160. But a pit road penalty for a crewmember over the wall too soon seemed to dash any hopes he could win.
With 50 laps to go, however, thanks in part to pit strategy Buescher found himself fighting for the lead with Denny Hamlin. It appeared that it would come down to fuel strategy as both Hamlin and Buescher fought each other and trying to save enough fuel. All while Kyle Larson, who had plenty, threatened to close the gap behind them.
A timely caution ended any fuel worries and he was second as the field set up for an overtime finish. Buescher took the lead and crossed under the white flag on the final lap still holding point. On that final lap though, Larson charged to the outside coming into Turn 3; Buescher tried to move up to block with the two cars side by side coming to the line. Behind them Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. spread out and were moving towards the duo.
Buescher and Larson crossed the line with Larson slightly ahead for a finish later confirmed by a photo from NASCAR that was the closest in the history of the sport.
“We got a great push,” Buescher said. “Chase got us a good restart and we got into the corner. We were able to run the bottom pretty well and we had some good momentum down the back but Kyle (Larson) certainly had a run. I was trying to cover what I could but we just left too much space around the top side. Unfortunately, that ended up getting us, and it hurts.
“It was a good race. We were banging doors all the way to the checkers. I knew it was going to be close but certainly it hurts to be that close and miss out.”
In the immediate aftermath neither Buescher nor Larson knew just who had won. He went from the joy of victory to the agony of defeat on the cool down lap.
“We were celebrating down the backstretch and looked at the pylon and we were P1 up there,” Buescher said. “Everything we had said we had gotten it. Obviously not. Like I said, the only thing I have to go off of is a grainy photo right now and at this point it just sounds like I am complaining, and I guess I am because I don’t see it in that. I don’t understand how the timing system can read it out one way and not the other. We just gotta understand it better.”
NASCAR later released a copy of the actual photo used to determine the winner.
“It sucks to celebrate on the backstretch and then pull up to the front straightaway and be told no,” he said. “I don’t know how everything transpired honestly. Not right now. It sucks in a lot of ways. Second hurts, a whole lot worse than third.”
In the end all he could do was try and find the positives from a devastating loss.
“Yeah, speed is good,” Buescher said. “Wins are better. We need to be in that situation again and need to get some trophies and checkered flags and put ourselves in a much better spot.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.