Tag: kyle busch

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Pocono

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished second in the rain-delayed and rain-shortened Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono as Chris Buescher took the unlikely win.

    “It was an unlikely win by Buescher,” Keselowski said. “And I was the ‘unlikeliest,’ because no one ‘unliked’ it more than me since I finished second.”

    2. Kyle Busch: Busch led one lap and finished ninth at Pocono, posting his 14th top 10 of the year.

    “This day was all about Chris Buescher,” Busch said. “I’m not sure he realizes the magnitude of his victory. Despite the rain, it’s still going to take a while to soak in.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick came home fourth in the rain-shortened Pennsylvania 400, recording his ninth top-five result of the year.

    “I was without my crew chief Rodney Childers,” Harvick said. “He was suspended for the race for a lug nut violation. The lug nut issue wasn’t a big deal until Tony Stewart made it one. So, that’s just one more thing that Tony will get blamed for, and I hold him responsible for damages. Whether or not he accepts blame is another question entirely.”

    4. Joey Logano: Logano was wrecked by Chase Elliott when Elliott got loose in the Tunnel Turn and collected Logano’s No. 22 Penske Racing Ford. Logano finished 37th, 23 laps off the pace.

    “I never thought I’d be wrecked by Chase Elliott,” Logano said. “But, if you get dangerously close to a certain rookie, driver, I suppose you become ‘Chase eligible.’”

    5. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 10th at Pocono, one spot behind younger brother Kyle, in Monday’s Pennsylvania 400.

    “I’m not exactly sure if anyone knows how to pronounce ‘Buescher,’” Busch said. “Luckily, we’ll only have to say it once, because this is probably the last you’ll hear of him.”

    6. Carl Edwards: Edwards finished eighth at Pocono, as Joe Gibbs Racing placed three cars in the top 10.

    “This may be the greatest upset in NASCAR history,” Edwards said. “Buescher is a 22-year-old rookie who just outsmarted a field comprised mostly of veterans to pull off an unlikely win. Often, the outcome at Pocono is decided by fuel mileage. This year, it was all about suspension, because Buescher’s win was a ‘shock.’”

    7. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex started from the pole at Pocono and saw his day sour early when he blew a tire and hit the wall on lap 20.

    “Chris Buescher has the weather to thank for the win,” Truex said. “Ironically, it still rained on his parade.”

    8. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished 16th at Pocono and has now gone 16 races since his last win.

    “That means Chris Buescher has more wins this year than me,” Johnson said, “as well as the same number of championships as me in the last five years. But luckily, I have six Sprint Cup championships to fall back on. Ironically, no one’s talked about the ‘Fall Of Jimmie Johnson’ since my last championship in autumn of 2010.”

    9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished seventh at Pocono as rookie Chris Buescher won his first career Sprint Cup win.

    “Buescher may have just driven himself into the Chase,” Hamlin said. “More than likely, though, this may be his one moment of glory. But let’s face it. He had lots of help, like rain and the onset of darkness. So, if he wants to thank his ‘family,’ he should thank Mother Nature and Father Time.”

    10. Chris Buescher: Buescher won the Pennsylvania 400 by holding off on a pit stop as weather approached. NASCAR called the race with 22 laps remaining, giving Buescher his first Sprint Cup victory.

    “I have to thank the rain,” Buescher said, “as well as each and every cloud in the Pennsylvania sky, particularly Cloud 9, which is the one I’m on.”

  • The Final Word – Pocono proved a great place to be, whether you be 4 or 24 years old

    The Final Word – Pocono proved a great place to be, whether you be 4 or 24 years old

    NASCAR’s most popular driver had his problems this past weekend. He was taken out of his ride by his car owner over some behavioral issues, then later got into hot water by getting into cool water. Barefoot and with his sneakers laying nearby half submerged, four-year-old Keelan Harvick was having a great time. After seeing the little lad sprawled right out in a puddle of water, so were a few of the other drivers. Action for most might have been put off to Monday at Pocono, but for one fellow, a rainy Sunday is a good day.

    Monday. Well, Monday was a great day for Chris Buescher. With the fog rolling in at the Pennsylvania 400, he stayed out while others pitted to have the fuel to run the final 22 laps that never were as the race was red flagged. With impending stormy weather ensuring things would not be re-started, the 24-year old claimed his first win in his 27th Cup start. Team owner Bob Jenkins took his second career victory, to go with David Ragan’s 2013 win at Talladega. The win does not put Buescher automatically into the Chase, but he has just six points to make up over the next five races to move into the Top 30 in points to do just that. The man he needs to catch? B.K. Racing’s David Ragan.

    Brad Keselowski, Regan Smith, and Keelan’s dad, Kevin Harvick were next, with Tony Stewart rounding out the Top Five. Martin Truex Jr. looked real good for about 20 laps. After his fresh right front went down to send him into the fence, it went all bad. Joey Logano looked real good, too, at least until Chase Elliott drifted up and they both drifted the wall a good one. None of this trio finished among the Top 30.

    Kyle Larson went in seeking to at least finish ahead of the law firm of Kahne, Bayne, and Blaney to keep his Chase position well secured. He did, finishing sixth on the day, while Ryan Blaney was 11th, Kasey Kahne 15th, and Trevor Bayne was 19th. That means Kahne sits 20 points out, with Bayne and Blaney 28 away. However, if Buescher moves into the Top 30 and thus, among the 16 Chasers, Jamie McMurray becomes the new target and he sits nine points ahead of Larson.

    Jeff Gordon was 27th in his 799th career race. As for the man he replaced, Dale Earnhardt Jr., he falls 47 points out as he recovers from his concussion issue, and out of the conversation for the present. Gordon, by the way, was one of seven drivers at Pocono who were 40 years of age or older. McMurray, Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Stewart, and Greg Biffle were the others. Only Elliott and Blaney were younger than the race winner.

    But the kids are coming. In Iowa, 20-year old Erik Jones won the XFINITY race, his third victory of the season. The lone Cup representative, Keselowski, finished eighth. I bet he feels like a loser. As for the Camping World truck event in Pocono, 19-year old William Byron claimed his fifth race of the season. The kid has taken four of the last six contests. Would it not be nice to talk about those boys on their way up, and a bit less about Keselowski and Kyle Busch when it comes to these series? Of course, it would. One day, maybe the seven-race cut off for rookie eligibility might be used as a cut-off for the number of races one can run outside of their registered division in a season. Maybe.

    Talking about kids, check out this weekend’s CARS Late Model Stock Tour at Orange County in North Carolina on YouTube. Sixteen-year-old Chase Purdy was racing hard and turned 24-year old Ryan Wilson. Wilson was not happy, got out of his car and stood on the track to stop Purdy under caution. He then took down the window net and punched the young man a few times. Something tells me they run under different rules than NASCAR. Oh, by the way, Purdy finished the 100 lap race in seventh, while Wilson’s best car in his stable is now junk.

    Meanwhile, where was Keelan on Monday? Maybe dad took his car off of the blocks and let our new favorite return to racing. As for the young Harvick’s favorite driver? Well, that would be Kyle Busch, of course.

  • Hot 20 – Pocono, where some things just do not matter

    Hot 20 – Pocono, where some things just do not matter

    As the boys and girl venture to Pocono for their second visit to the venue in 56 days, there are some things that matter and some that do not. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s recovery from his concussion issues matters, him making the Chase does not in comparison. Kevin Harvick is missing his crew chief after some lug nuts went AWOL at Indianapolis. With a win and the points lead, it does not matter.

    XFINITY races do not matter, but they matter enough to Brad Keselowski to head out to Iowa to be the lone Cup representative. Camping World truck racing does not matter, it appears, in the land of hockey, curling, and Don Cherry. Danica Patrick matters to women, to sponsors, and to folks who just like attractive people, but buried once again 24th in the standings despite some good equipment, she does not matter on the track.

    Pocono matters to Kasey Kahne, Trevor Bayne, and Ryan Blaney if they wish to keep their Chase hopes viable. It matters to Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson, who do not want themselves finishing behind that trio to find their own positions threatened.

    Live event attendance does not matter, as only 50,000 bothered to turn out to the Brickyard last weekend. It still might matter for those at home, as it seems NBC was pleased with its ratings. Imagine the savings if pro sport venues did not have to put in seating, concessions, or parking, as we all watched the action from our living rooms. Many of us are already doing that. You would think that would matter enough to some.

    To that end, I have my own concession, private washroom facilities, a comfortable chair, a big screen television, my remote control, and our Hot 20 going into Pocono. What more do I need?

    1. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 4 WINS (647 Pts)
    Watkins Glen testing crash appears to have knocked Cup’s big dog all the way to Iowa.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS (601 Pts)
    Best damn driver in NASCAR today…and Keelan Harvick would agree.

    3. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS (593 Pts)
    It can be fun to chase your car up the hill, except when other drivers catch it first.

    4. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2 WINS (552 Pts)
    #2 in merchandise sales. You know who is #1.

    5. MATT KENSETH – 2 WINS (545 Pts)
    Top five are locked into the Chase.

    6. KEVIN HARVICK – 1 WIN (671 Pts)
    No lug nuts, no crew chief. It appears that is how NASCAR rolls.

    7. KURT BUSCH – 1 WIN (627 Pts)
    Shares record for running every lap for opening 20 races of a season. Pocono would be 21.

    8. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (606 Pts)
    Some say maturity is the biggest reason Kyle is where he is today. There may be hope for Joey.

    9. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (573 Pts)
    The last three winners at Pocono are Kurt, Matt, and this guy.

    10. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (542 Pts)
    Lending his support to West Virginia, the land of coal and way too much water.

    11. TONY STEWART – 1 WIN (317 Pts)
    Will he and Jeff Gordon take another final lap around Pocono, too?

    12. CHASE ELLIOTT – 525 PTS
    Some claim he is experiencing rookie growing pains. If he is, I think he can tough it out.

    13. AUSTIN DILLON – 520 PTS
    If GM Goodwrench would only come back, my NASCAR jacket would again be contemporary.

    14. RYAN NEWMAN – 507 PTS
    Secret to success at Pocono? Stay the hell away from Edwards.

    15. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 496 PTS
    I have been blamed for driving at Indianapolis. No, that was Jamie in the No. 1 in overtime.

    16. KYLE LARSON – 472 PTS
    Target leaving IndyCar, though Larson’s sponsorship good through 2017.

    17. KASEY KAHNE – 462 PTS
    38 major brands backed NASCAR drivers at Indianapolis…but All-State is not among them.

    18. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 461 PTS
    It is going to take time to return, it is going to take a win to make the Chase…if there is time.

    19. TREVOR BAYNE – 458 PTS
    No more room for error or misadventure. The time is now.

    20. RYAN BLANEY – 450 PTS
    Also said to be experiencing rookie growing pains. Okay, he might need some relief.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Indianapolis

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Indianapolis

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski was collected in a lap 154 crash started when Carl Edwards got loose on a restart. Keselowski was able to stay on the lead lap, however, and finished 17th.

    “That accident was about the only excitement on Sunday,” Keselowski said. “I doubt the presence of ‘Mr. Excitement’ himself, Jimmy Spencer, could have improved things unless Kurt Busch’s face could also have been present.

    “It was brutally hot during the race. I heard there were several fans overcome by heat, and even more overcome by sheer boredom.”

    2. Kyle Busch: Busch started on the pole at Indianapolis and led 149 of 170 laps in winning the Combat Wounded Coalition 400. It was Busch’s third win of the season.

    “The No. 18 Skittles Toyota was fast,” Busch said. “My opponents couldn’t see the rainbow, much less taste it.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished sixth at Indianapolis, recording his 15th top 10 of the year. He leads the Sprint Cup points standings by 14 over Brad Keselowski.

    “It was a bittersweet day for me,” Harvick said. “I had a great result, but Tony Stewart took his final lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fittingly, Tony puts the ‘round’ in ‘last go-round.’”

    4. Joey Logano: Logano finished seventh at Indianapolis, posting his 12th top 10 of the year.

    “It was a hot day at the Brickyard,” Logano said. “It was sweltering. Temperatures were approaching the hundreds, as was attendance.”

    5. Kurt Busch: Busch finished 16th at Indianapolis as younger brother Kyle won for the second straight year.

    “Kyle has won the last two Sprint Cup races at Indianapolis,” Busch said, “and he also won Saturday’s XFINITY race at the Brickyard. He’s made it a habit of kissing the bricks. I don’t know what it’s like to kiss a brick, but my girlfriends do.

    6. Carl Edwards: Edwards got loose and slammed the wall on lap 154, taking out several cars in the process, and damaging his No. 19 Stanley Tools Toyota beyond repair. He finished 35th.

    “That accident was my fault,” Edwards said. “Of course, this isn’t the first time a prominent driver of the No. 19 has pleaded guilty. In my defense, though, I’m not doing meth.”

    7. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex finished eighth in the Combat Wounded Coalition 400, scoring his ninth top 10 of the year.

    “I recently visited Furniture Row warehouse facilities,” Truex said, “and it reminded me of the grandstands at Indianapolis because there was nothing but empty seats.”

    8. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson overcame a pit road speeding penalty and finished third at Indianapolis, posting his first top-five finish in the last eight races.

    “I got caught going faster than the law allows,” Johnson said. “That sounds like a quote from Kyle Busch.

    “Jeff Gordon filled in for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and did a mighty fine job. It was strange seeing Jeff in the No. 88 car. That’s because it’s strange seeing a Sprint Cup champion in the No. 88 car.”

    9. Matt Kenseth: Kenseth finished second in the Combat Wounded Coalition 400, as Joe Gibbs Racing drivers captured three of the top four positions.

    “It was a great day for JGR,” Kenseth said, “and Japanese engine-makers. I think the Fords and Chevys knew they couldn’t compete, and they weren’t sure why. That left them ‘dis-Oriented.’

    10. Denny Hamlin: Denny Hamlin finished third at Indianapolis, joining Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth in the top four.

    “My good friend Tony Stewart said it was special taking one last lap around Indy with Jeff Gordon after the checkered flew,” Hamlin said. “And their embrace afterwards was equally as special. I think everyone who hugs Tony would agree on two things: 1) it is special, and 2) there’s no way I can wrap my arms all the way around Tony.”

  • The Final Word – Welcome to Indianapolis, welcome to Kyle’s world

    The Final Word – Welcome to Indianapolis, welcome to Kyle’s world

    It was the Brickyard 400, presented by Kyle Busch. He led the first lap, he led the last one and led most of the laps in between. If the focal point of a race is at the front, if the drama of a race is to see who is leading the way, this competition was pretty much done when they waved the green flag. In short, Busch kicked their combined asses to take his fourth of the season, the 38th of his career, and his second consecutive Brickyard.

    Oh, Kyle also won Saturday’s junior circuit race. 38 Cup wins, 83 junior wins, 45 truck wins (albeit in a series no longer broadcast to Canada), 166 victories in all. Man, that looks impressive, until you remember that all but five of them were claimed after he became a full-time major leaguer. That’s 123 wins against minor-league opposition, almost all on the same weekends and the same tracks the big boys (and girls) ran. That begs the question, just what in the hell is the point to the XFINITY and Camping World Truck series? If the inclusion of Cup guys is to draw out fans to see the spectacle of the top dogs slumming, it sure is not working. I believe there were more folks working the various concessions than were in the grandstands at Indianapolis. It was downright embarrassing. Still, I guess there are some who do not mind being embarrassed, while at the same time the vast majority of us are allowed to do other things with our Friday and Saturday afternoons.

    By the way, Daniel Suarez, Elliott Sadler, Ty Dillon, Justin Allgaier, and Erik Jones are the top five guys in the XFINITY series at present. They have a combined four wins between them in 18 events. Kyle Busch has won seven in 11 starts. Watching those who dream of moving up and those wrapping up their careers in moving down, play second fiddle every damn week to the moonlighters from the Show, is obviously no longer of interest for a vast majority of us. Good Lord. So ends my sermon. Amen.

    Sunday brought us the final appearances at the venue of Tony Stewart and, as it turned out, Jeff Gordon once again. The FOX announcer suspended his brief retirement to substitute for the ailing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for a couple of races, finishing 13th while Stewart came home two spots better. The Columbus, Indiana native made one hell of a move on that opening lap to move into second. I wonder if Kyle saw it in his rear view mirror?

    Due to his absence, Junior drops out of a Chase place. Kyle Larson is 11 points ahead, with even Kasey Kahne sitting a point ahead of Earnhardt, who now is 18th in the derby. Jamie McMurray got a piece of the late race troubles, winding up 19th but remains 26 points to the good in 15th place. A quartet who have drifted almost out of touch were Trevor Bayne (30th), Ryan Blaney (36th), A.J. Allmendinger (38th), and Greg Biffle (39th). Not a good day to experience bad tidings.

    As a television event, it was not bad. The final dozen laps were downright exciting, as wrecks often are. Too bad it was a one horse pony show. Too bad only 50,000 folks, according to one news source, bothered to turn out to this “crown jewel” NASCAR event. Compare that to the 300,000 who took in the Indianapolis 500 in May. Just imagine how many, or few, took in Saturday’s preliminary contest.

    Next Sunday, it is the triangle known as Pocono. Gordon leads the way with six career wins there, so a seventh would be a nice way to go out one more time. He was third last year. A dozen others on this weekend’s grid all have shared the winning experience there at this two-race venue. Biffle and Kahne could use another one about now.

    As for Kyle Busch, he is 0 for 23 at Pocono, with a pair of runner-up finishes. He was 31st in June. I should mention that brother Kurt Busch has three wins, so if any ole Busch will do, you might be in luck. Back in June, both Chase Elliott and Matt Kenseth ran strong, but it was Kurt who led the final 32 laps for the victory.

    Now, if Kurt is not your boy, I have sad news. With the XFINITY series running Saturday in Iowa, Kyle might not be running. I am truly sorry.

  • Kyle Busch puts on clinic at the Brickyard

    Kyle Busch puts on clinic at the Brickyard

    Winning the pole and spanking the field in the previous day’s XFINITY race wasn’t enough for Kyle Busch as he won the pole and spanked the field a second time to score the victory at the Brickyard.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led a new track record of 149 of 170 laps on his way to winning the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    “I hoped it would be like that and be that good,” Busch said on his dominance. “This Skittles Camry was awesome, I can’t thank everyone from Skittles enough and everyone from M&M’s and their 75th anniversary year this season with us. Of course Interstate Batteries. This Toyota was awesome today, it was just so fast and able to get out front and stay out front. Not even some of my teammates could challenge. This was hooked up and on rails. I can’t say enough about Sprint and everything they’ve done for our sport. Of course the fans – thank everyone for being here and everyone watching on TV – you guys are awesome. We appreciate all of our partners at Joe Gibbs Racing. Adam Stevens (crew chief) and these guys are a phenomenal group and I’m proud to be with them. It’s fun to come out here and have such a dominant piece at Indy. They don’t come along often so I was just hoping I didn’t screw it up.”

    It’s his 38th career victory in 410 Sprint Cup Series starts, fourth of the season, second at the Brickyard, 13th top-10 finish of 2016 and 10th top-10 finish at the track. He’s the second driver to win in back to back years at Indianapolis and the first driver in NASCAR history to win both the pole and the victory in both XFINITY and Cup races on the same weekend.

    Matt Kenseth finished second in his No. 20 JGR Toyota. It’s his ninth top-10 finish of 2016 and 11th in 17 races at Indianapolis.

    “We never got in front of him (Kyle Busch) all day and the clean air is always really big here,” Kenseth said. “It was a great day for our Dollar General Camry. We did not have a good Friday, did not have a good Saturday and pretty respectable Sunday, so I have to thank all my teammates for helping us out. Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) made some great changes. We were pretty competitive all day, just never got quite to the lead to see what we had.”

    Jimmie Johnson overcame a speeding penalty to end Hendrick Motorsport’s three-race drought without a top-10 finish by rounding out the podium in his No. 48 HMS Chevrolet.

    He said afterwards that the way he and his team overcame the penalty “says a lot. We’ve been working really hard to get our cars where they need to be. We’re still not happy, but we’re getting closer. I’m very proud of the effort today. Unfortunately a mistake on my part in that second segment, trying to get in the pits I got dinged for speeding and then rallied from like 24th back.

    “We got third but I wish we would have gotten a win.”

    Denny Hamlin overcame a speeding penalty to finish fourth in his No. 11 JGR Toyota.

    “It was great, our FedEx Camry was great it got through traffic well as you saw going back to 20th with that penalty and driving to the front,” Hamlin said of his race. “Proud of the effort by our whole FedEx Camry team. It’s disappointing to just get a top-five. We had aspirations to come here and win. Like I said, you have to be perfect in every part of the race team, especially on race day to win these races, especially track position races and we just had one big mistake on pit road and we at least came back and got a top-five.”

    Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

    “I don’t know that I was expecting much more than a top-five really,” Larson said. “I didn’t know we’d have that speed in our car. And we were probably a fifth or seventh-place car. But I was able to get some good restarts there at the end.

    “We qualified good for once, and it was just a solid weekend,” he added. “It was a good one.”

    Kevin Harvick finished sixth in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet. Joey Logano, who restarted second on the final restart, led six laps on his way to a seventh-place finish in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford.

    “It just was not good,” Logano said of the final restart. “I had a decent restart the first time, and the second one I probably had just as good of a restart, but the 20 got underneath me and I was kind of stuck from that point and kind of fell into the clutches of the tires behind me.  I was trying to stay down and be where I needed to be to get in front of them, but they just kept turning underneath me.  I hate that we finished seventh, but it’s probably where we deserved to finish from a speed point of view.  I thought our execution went very well today to give us an opportunity to win, but we couldn’t quite get it done when it mattered.”

    Martin Truex Jr. finished eighth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Austin Dillon finished ninth in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Paul Menard rounded out the top-10 in his No. 27 RCR Chevrolet.

    Brad Keselowski, who led 15 laps, finished 17th.

    Nineteen cars finished the race on the lead lap and 33 were running at the finish.

    The race lasted three hours, 17 minutes and 46 seconds at an average speed of 128.940 mph. There were four lead changes among three different drivers and eight cautions for 34 laps.

    Harvick leaves Indianapolis with a 24-point lead over Keselowski in the points standings.

    Next up for the Sprint Cup Series is the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway next Sunday.

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  • On old rubber, Kyle Busch continues phenomenal roll at Brickyard

    On old rubber, Kyle Busch continues phenomenal roll at Brickyard

    By Reid Spencer

    SPEEDWAY, Ind. – About the only thing Kyle Busch didn’t win on Saturday was the one prize he wasn’t eligible for.

    But the driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota won everything else, capping a phenomenal day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a victory in the Lilly Diabetes 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race—and he did so with tires that were 23 laps older than those of his pursuers.

    Busch led 62 of 63 laps but had to hold off Kevin Harvick on a two-lap dash in overtime to win for the third time at the Brickyard, the seventh time in 11 starts this season and the 83rd time in his career, extending his series record.

    The XFINITY race was actually the fourth competition Busch won on Saturday. First, he won the top starting spot for the Lilly Diabetes 250, the 54th pole of his career. Next, he won the pole position for Sunday’s Crown Royal 400 (3 p.m. ET on NBCSN), one of the marquee NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events of the season.

    After that Busch led all 20 laps and took the checkered flag in the first heat race under the XFINITY Series’ final Dash 4 Cash event of the season.

    Busch didn’t win the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus, a prize available only to series regulars. That check went to Justin Allgaier, who rolled home in fifth place, the highest finisher among the four drivers who earned eligibility in the heat races.

    Busch, however, has one more mountain to climb. On Sunday, he’ll attempt to complete his second straight weekend sweep at the vaunted Brickyard.

    Busch held off Harvick, third-place finisher Paul Menard and fourth-place Kyle Larson even though Busch had stayed out on old rubber while those behind him pitted for new tires under the first caution on Lap 50.

    “The new tires for those guys were good for them but not so good for us,” Busch said. “I just dug in deep and gave it everything I had. I knew I had to get really good restarts. On the second-to-last one (on Lap 54), I got a really good one, and then the last one (on lap 62 in overtime), it was OK.

    “I got an OK one, and I saw Harvick pull out… but he never got alongside of me. I never felt him close enough that he was going to pull alongside. … It’s a pretty awesome feeling to be able to go back to Victory Lane here this year. We’re sitting on the pole tomorrow, and hopefully, we can have another sweep here.”

    Busch had a lead of more than eight seconds on Lap 48 of a scheduled 60 when JGR teammate Erik Jones, the wire-to-wire winner of the second heat race, blew a right rear tire entering Turn 1 and spun, causing the afternoon’s first caution.

    While Busch and series leader Daniel Suarez stayed out on old tires, the remaining eight lead-lap cars came to pit road. Busch survived the restart on lap 54, but a lap later, ay Black Jr. and Harrison Rhodes wrecked off Turn 2 to bring put the second yellow and force the overtime.

    On the Lap 62 restart, Harvick pushed Larson, then ducked to the inside but was reluctant to take a bad angle into the first corner. As Harvick and Larson battled briefly for second, Busch pulled away and ultimately crossed the finish line .411 seconds ahead of Harvick’s No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

    “I really thought I could beat him down the backstretch if I got off of (Turn) 2 well and could clear the 42 (Larson),” Harvick said. “I got to the inside and kind of hit the chip and decided to hold the line up a little bit and try to get a run, and the 42 got stuck on the outside and that ruined my plan.

    “But our goal was to overachieve today, and we did that and capitalized on some situations and had a couple of good restarts and wound up second. All in all, it wasn’t a bad day.”

    Just nowhere near as good as the one Busch had.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Lilly Diabetes 250
    Indianapolis Motor Speedway
    Speedway, Indiana
    Saturday, July 23, 2016

    1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 63.
    2. (4) Kevin Harvick(i), Chevrolet, 63.
    3. (8) Paul Menard(i), Chevrolet, 63.
    4. (3) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 63.
    5. (6) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 63.
    6. (9) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 63.
    7. (7) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 63.
    8. (5) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 63.
    9. (12) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 63.
    10. (13) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 63.
    11. (10) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 63.
    12. (11) Jeb Burton, Ford, 63.
    13. (15) Ryan Reed, Ford, 62.
    14. (14) Darrell Wallace Jr, Ford, 62.
    15. (17) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 62.
    16. (16) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 62.
    17. (19) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 62.
    18. (18) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 62.
    19. (21) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 62.
    20. (20) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 62.
    21. (22) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 62.
    22. (2) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 62.
    23. (25) Garrett Smithley #, Chevrolet, 61.
    24. (30) David Starr, Chevrolet, 61.
    25. (27) Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 61.
    26. (28) BJ McLeod #, Ford, 61.
    27. (26) Brandon Gdovic, Chevrolet, 60.
    28. (38) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 60.
    29. (32) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 60.
    30. (34) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 60.
    31. (31) Stanton Barrett, Chevrolet, 59.
    32. (36) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 58.
    33. (24) Ray Black Jr #, Chevrolet, Accident, 52.
    34. (29) Harrison Rhodes, Toyota, Accident, 51.
    35. (33) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Too Slow, 32.
    36. (23) Jeff Green, Toyota, Rear Gear, 31.
    37. (35) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 17.
    38. (39) Matt DiBenedetto(i), Toyota, Brakes, 13.
    39. (37) Timmy Hill(i), Dodge, Vibration, 9.
    40. (40) Todd Peck, Ford, Engine, 0.

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  136.298 mph.

    Time of Race:  01 Hrs, 09 Mins, 20 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.411 Seconds.
    Caution Flags:  2 for 10 laps.
    Lead Changes:  2 among 2 drivers.
    Lap Leaders:   K. Busch(i) 1-27; B. Gaughan 28; K. Busch(i) 29-63.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Busch(i) 2 times for 62 laps; B. Gaughan 1 time for 1 lap.

    Top 10 in Points: D. Suarez – 608; E. Sadler – 594; T. Dillon – 558; J. Allgaier – 542; E. Jones # – 539; B. Gaughan – 535; B. Jones # – 520; B. Poole # – 519; D. Wallace Jr – 486; R. Reed – 433.

     

  • Kyle Busch Claims XFINITY Pole at Indianapolis

    Kyle Busch Claims XFINITY Pole at Indianapolis

    Kyle Busch took the pole for Saturday’s Lily Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his fourth straight pole in five XFINITY Series events at the track. Busch, a two-time XFINITY winner at Indy, exceeded 181 mph to circle the track at 49.467 seconds. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Erik Jones took the second spot on the charts, circling the speedway at 49.469 seconds in his No. 20 Hisense Toyota.

    Kyle Larson, who won at Eldora in the truck series on Wednesday, posted the third-fastest time on the grid, taking a lap of 49.695 seconds in his No. 42 Chevy. Kevin Harvick took the fourth position in his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevy, laying down a 50.030-second lap while Daniel Suarez was the third JGR Toyota in the top-five, with his No. 19 circling the track in 50.031 seconds.

    Rounding out the top-10 was Justin Allgaier in the No. 7 JRM Chevy, who battled a loose condition to take the sixth spot, while Joey Logano, Paul Menard, Ryan Reed, and Brennan Poole took positions seventh through 10th. Notables who didn’t make it past the first round of qualifying include Darrell Wallace Jr., who took the 14th spot on the grid, and Ty Dillon took the 16th spot.

    Saturday’s race will be divided into three heats, a format first adopted earlier this year at Bristol as part of the XFINITY Series Dash 4 Cash program. Jones has won the Dash 4 Cash twice this season (Bristol and Dover) while Dillon was the Dash 4 Cash winner at Richmond. Odd-numbered qualifiers will race in the first heat while even-numbered qualifiers will compete in the second heat.

    The front row of the main would be the winners of the two heats with lane choice going to which driver was fastest during qualifying. The odd-numbered starting spots would be based on the finishing order of the first heat while the even-numbered starting spots would be based on the finishing order of the second heat.

  • Kyle Busch scores the pole at the Brickyard

    Kyle Busch scores the pole at the Brickyard

    Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag in tomorrow’s Sprint Cup Series race at the Brickyard.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota scored the pole for the Brickyard 400 after posting a time of 48.745 and a speed of 184.634 mph. It’s his 19th pole in 410 Sprint Cup Series starts, first at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, second of 2016 and 14th top-10 start of the season.

    “I don’t know if there’s necessarily a key,” Busch said when asked the key to his pole lap. “I just think that everything kind of worked together. There’s a lot of different variables that are happening as you go from run to run and round to round and changing what you do as a driver a little bit, but also changing the car a little bit and making adjustments to keep up with the race track.”

    “It means a lot,” he added. “It’s definitely pretty special to be running the way that we’re running and to have the success that we’ve had here the last couple of years at Indy and I’d love nothing more than to try to win here again.”

    Carl Edwards will start second in his No. 19 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 48.768 and a speed of 184.567 mph.

    “I was happy with my lap and I just – I was surprised Kyle got me,” Edwards said. “That was a good lap for him – I mean, that was a good lap that he ran because I felt like my lap was pretty good – but, yeah, it’s frustrating right now to be second because it’s so close and the pole position is obviously huge here. But by tomorrow, the race gets started and I think I’ll be pretty happy with that starting spot, so just good job by all my guys.”

    Tony Stewart will start third in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet after posting a time of 48.826 and a speed of 184.328 mph.

    “I think it’s a big deal here,” Stewart said of starting third. “It always has been. It seems like the more downforce they take off these cars the easier it is to race around each other. That is what you need, but it always helps when you can start up front. When you can get up there and really get working on your car in cleaner air and plan for the end of the race that is really an advantage.”

    Denny Hamlin will start fourth in his No. 11 JGR Toyota after posting a time of 48.892 and a speed of 184.079 mph.

    “It was pretty good,” Hamlin said of his qualifying effort. “We got a little bit better each run as far as position is concerned, so I feel like we’re pretty close. I thought in race trim our Camry was really exceptionally good especially over the long run, so pretty optimistic about tomorrow.”

    Brad Keselowski, who will start fifth in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford after posting a time of 49.022 and a speed of 183.591 mph, said starting fifth “on a hot day like today isn’t too shabby, but of course we want the pole and we want to win the race. That’s the most important part is winning the race, so we can win the race from fifth.”

    Ryan Newman will start sixth in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Kevin Harvick will start seventh in his No. 4 SHR Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr. will start eighth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Jamie McMurray will start ninth in his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. Kyle Larson will round out the top-10 in his No. 42 CGR Chevrolet.

    Kurt Busch will start 11th in his No. 41 SHR Chevrolet. Austin Dillon will round out the 12 drivers that made the final round of qualifying in his No. 3 RCR Chevrolet.

    Jeff Gordon, subbing for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr., will start 21st.

    With 41 cars entered, Josh Wise was the lone driver who failed to qualify.

    Twenty-one Chevrolet’s, 11 Ford’s and eight Toyota’s will comprise the 40-car field.

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  • Kyle Busch fastest in final practice

    Kyle Busch fastest in final practice

    Kyle Busch topped the chart in final Sprint Cup Series practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 48.749 and a speed of 184.619 mph. Kevin Harvick was second in his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet with a time of 48.842 and a speed of 184.268 mph. Kyle Larson was third in his No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet with a time of 48.975 and a speed of 183.767 mph. Ryan Newman was fourth in his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 49.000 and a speed of 183.673 mph. Carl Edwards rounded out the top-five in his No. 19 JGR Toyota with a time of 49.032 and a speed of 183.554 mph.

    Austin Dillon was sixth in his No. 3 RCR Chevrolet. Jimmie Johnson was seventh in his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Martin Truex Jr. was eighth in his No. 78 Furniture Row Racing Toyota. Danica Patrick was ninth in his No. 10 SHR Chevrolet. AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top-10 in his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet.

    Denny Hamlin, who fastest lap was 17th fastest overall, posted the fastest 10 consecutive lap average at a speed of 177.938 mph.

    The Sprint Cup Series will be back on track tomorrow afternoon at 1:45 for qualifying.

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