In a remarkable repeat of last year’s record-close finish at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson once again got the better of Chris Buescher, this time in Saturday’s qualifying session for the Advent Health 400.
Larson, the final driver to attempt a qualifying run, delivered what he described as “a perfect-feeling lap,” clocking in at 183.730 mph (29.391 seconds) to knock Buescher off the provisional pole. The margin of victory was 0.057 seconds, significantly wider than the 0.001-second gap that separated the two drivers at the end of last year’s spring race at the 1.5-mile track.
“The qualifying lap felt really good,” Larson said. “You’re watching SMT (data), and you can see that drivers are starting to hold it easy wide open in (Turns) 1 and 2. In (Turns) 3 and 4, some guys were getting tight.”
“Buescher was able to run a good 3 and 4. I kind of had a plan on the line I wanted to run and just try to match it with the throttle, and fortunately, everything went great. My balance felt really good, I felt like I hit my marks and came up to speed through 3 and 4 good, so it was a perfect-feeling lap.”
The Busch Light Pole Award marked Larson’s first of the season, his first at Kansas, and the 22nd of his career. It also extended Chevrolet’s impressive streak, securing the automaker’s 14th pole at Kansas and seventh of the 2025 season.
Reflecting on the irony of once again edging Buescher, who had posted a lap of 183.374 mph, Larson commented, “It’s definitely ironic and really cool. I think it adds to the story line of what happened last year and probably builds anticipation for the race (on Sunday). I won’t be thinking about it, I guess, when we’re rolling around under caution, but, yeah, it’s ironic and funny and cool all at the same time.”
Christopher Bell, who had been aiming for his fourth consecutive Kansas Speedway pole, settled for third with a lap of 183.268 mph. Tyler Reddick qualified fourth at 183.150 mph, followed by last Sunday’s Texas winner Joey Logano at 182.871 mph.
Rounding out the top ten were Ty Gibbs, William Byron, Daniel Suárez, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Blaney, who will start sixth through tenth, respectively.
The qualifying session was not without incident, as both Kyle Busch and Josh Berry made contact with the outside wall during their runs, relegating them to starting positions of 35th and 38th for Sunday’s race.
As the NASCAR Cup Series prepares for the Advent Health 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), all eyes will be on Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher, as fans eagerly anticipate whether their on-track rivalry will produce another thrilling finish at Kansas Speedway.
