Kyle
Busch makes it three in a row at Richmond
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[April 23, 2018]
Kyle Busch made it three in a
row Saturday night, winning his third race in as many weeks at the
Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway
When Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s car slammed the wall with four laps to
go, the race set up for an overtime finish -- also knows a
green-white-checkered.
That would mean as soon as the green flag flew again, there would be
two laps left to the finish, with the penultimate lap getting a
white flag waved and then the checkered flag for the finish. But if
another caution flag flew before the white one, it would mean a
second overtime.
Busch was obviously hoping he and his Toyota Camry wouldn't see
another yellow flag, but he need not have worried.
Only a few laps earlier another caution had flown and all the
leaders came in to pit. The race was still going to be won on the
track, but the realistic chances to win would be decided on pit
road.
When the race restarted with six laps to go, Busch had come out of
the pits first. Teammate Denny Hamlin restarted second, with Kevin
Harvick third, Joey Logano fourth and Chase Elliott fifth. The
driver who had pulled into the pits in first, Martin Truex Jr.,
restarted ninth after a disastrous stop when a jack failed to lift
his car.
When the final caution came out, the leaders all stayed on the track
and the advantage Busch had gained on pit road on the final stop
paid off.
"You guys won that one," he shouted over the radio to his crew as he
crossed the finish line.
Asked after the race how he won after starting 32nd, Busch told the
Fox television broadcast, "You've just got to work, man."
Elliott, Hamlin, Logano and Harvick finished second through fifth,
respectively.
Logano won the first two stages of the race, the first in dominating
fashion after passing leader and pole-winner Truex on Lap 39 of 100
in the stage. Truex ultimately finished the stage in ninth.
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NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (18) during the Toyota Owners
400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Peter
Casey-USA TODAY Sports
Logano's second stage win was more hotly contested as fellow Ford
drivers -- all of Stewart-Haas Racing -- Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola
and Kurt Busch tried to chase him down before finishing second,
third and fourth, respectively. Truex again finished in ninth.
The stage wins were Logano's first of the season, and he earned one
playoff point with each.
But after 300 of the 400 scheduled laps, Truex was back out in the
lead. But a battle trying to put Ryan Newman a lap down proved
costly as his big advantage dwindled while he used up his tires
trying to make the pass.
On lap 323, Truex was passed by both Harvick and his teammate
Bowyer.
Bowyer passed Harvick eight laps later as nearly everyone came in
for green-flag pit stops with between 72 and 65 laps to go. With 50
to go. It was Truex back out front with Bowyer and Harvick within a
second of him.
The series heads to Talladega Superspeedway next Sunday for the
Geico 500, 188 laps around the longest - and fastest - oval track in
NASCAR at 2-2/3 miles long. Restrictor-plates and mastering the
draft will be the play of the day for the first time since the
season-opening Daytona 500.
--Field Level Media
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