Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, the dominant NASCAR Cup Series drivers, could have a blooming rivalry

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — What is quickly becoming the best rivalry in NASCAR evidently has at least one willing participant.

After Kyle Larson edged Chris Buescher at the line in the closest finish in history Sunday night at Kansas Speedway, the 2021 Cup Series champion confessed that he would have been OK finishing second, because their door-banging, nose-to-nose finish — the final margin was a mere hundredth of a second — was just so “frickin’ awesome.”

If it was Denny Hamlin, rather than Buescher, who beat the No. 5 car in a photo finish? Well ...

“I’d have been pissed off,” Larson admitted, “because I’ve finished second to him so many times, and I would hate to probably hear, ‘Oh, the Larson-Hamlin finish,’ or, ‘Hamlin beat him again.’ That would suck.”

Six times Larson and Hamlin have finished 1-2 in a race, including the previous week at Dover and last year at Kansas, when Hamlin bumped Larson into the wall on the final lap to win. In fact, all six times, Hamlin has been the victor.