Kyle Larson’s ‘Month of May’ adventure has just begun, and he’s already visited Victory Lane and inscribed himself in the record books – all that before he even gets to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Larson passed then-leader Denny Hamlin at the start of a two-lap overtime Sunday night at Kansas Speedway, then went toe-to-toe with Chris Buescher before escaping with a 0.001-second victory that had to be affirmed by a video and photo review.
The victory officially goes down as the closest result in NASCAR history since the advent of electronic timing and scoring.
Larson’s win over Buescher now supplants a pair of iconic races that shared the top position previously with a margin of victory of 0.002 seconds – Ricky Craven’s 2003 win over Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson’s 2011 win over Clint Bowyer at Talladega that featured tandem drafting.
The former is often heralded as one of the finest NASCAR race finishes of all time and Larson said it’s an honor join that discussion along with Buescher.
“I respect the heck out of his talent. I suppose if I would have finished – say he won and I finished second, I’m still happy,” Larson said. “But say me and Denny had come down to the finish like that and he edges me out by a thousandth, I’d have been pissed off just because I’ve finished second to him so many times.
“I would hate to (hear), ‘Oh, the Larson-Hamlin finish,’ or ‘Hamlin beat him again.’ That would hurt. To share it with Buescher if roles were reversed, I think would be cool.”
Personally, Larson still believes the Craven-Busch finale was “way cooler.”
“That was like a battle the lasted however many laps and came down to a photo finish,” he said. “This was still cool, and hopefully it can hang on for a long time. I didn’t think that was as close as that.”
Larson’s Cup win on Sunday is his second of the 2024 season for he and his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team and came on he heels of a runner-up finish the weekend before at Dover.
This year – which is intermixed with his typical array of sprint car races – has already been a successful one for Larson and his greatest venture – participating in this year’s Indianapolis 500 – has yet to come into motion.
Looking Forwards To A Hectic Month Of May
Larson, 31, will endeavor to become the fifth driver in history to complete “The Double” and travel 1,100 miles in one day, commencing with the Indianapolis 500 in an Indy car and then flying to Charlotte to drive in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest race of the year.
Larson is racing an entry co-fielded by McLaren and Hendrick Motorsports, which is Hall of Fame team owner Rick Hendrick’s first entry into the Indianapolis 500.
The prolonged prelude to the Indy 500 will provide some conflicts with NASCAR All-Star Race weekend at North Wilkesboro Speedway but nothing too severe.
Larson will remain in Indianapolis on May 17 to practice for the 500 rather than travel to North Wilkesboro to practice and qualify for the All-Star race. Former NASCAR driver-turned-TV commentator Kevin Harvick will sub for Larson in his No. 5 Chevy at North Wilkesboro.
Read Also: Newey Red Bull departure announcement imminent
Larson expected to qualify for the Indy 500 on May 18 before he travels to North Carolina to compete in an All-Star heat race later that night. The All-Star main event at North Wilkesboro is May 19, hours after the top 12 vehicles on the starting grid are determined in Indianapolis.
“I hope to make it back in time for the (heat) race itself. Kind of don’t really know yet. Kind of depends on how the week is going in Indy,” Larson said. “For sure, won’t be able to practice, I know that.”
While Larson’s Indy 500 performance may remain a major question mark, the remainder of the month is still full of opportunities for more visits to Victory Lane.
Larson won the All-Star race a year ago and has typically raced well at Darlington – site of this weekend’s event – and Charlotte.
“The way the schedule lines out, for sure it’s just good tracks for us,” he said. “We had a good run last week, finished second and then got a win this week, felt like we’d have a good shot. Obviously heading to Darlington, I know we’ll have a strong chance.
“Then Indy starts, which is really cool. Then it gets kind of chaotic for a couple weekends with North Wilkesboro and qualifying and obviously the double, the 500, hopefully getting everything all seamless and getting to the 600 and having a decent chance there, with some sprint car races intermixed in all that.
“It’s really fun, honestly. To this point, it just feels normal to me. It doesn't feel like it’s wildly different than actual life routinely is for me.”
