{"id":13649,"date":"2017-10-29T21:46:30","date_gmt":"2017-10-30T02:46:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=13649"},"modified":"2017-10-29T21:46:30","modified_gmt":"2017-10-30T02:46:30","slug":"kyle-busch-wins-wild-nascar-race-at-martinsville-speedway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2017\/10\/29\/kyle-busch-wins-wild-nascar-race-at-martinsville-speedway\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyle Busch wins wild NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 29, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

MARTINSVILLE, Va. \u2013<\/strong> The sun went down, the new lights came on, and all hell broke loose at Martinsville Speedway.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 29, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Chris Trotman\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a wild overtime finish that took Sunday\u2019s First Data 500 to 505 laps at the .526-mile short track, Kyle Busch<\/strong> beat Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series<\/a> leader Martin Truex Jr. to the stripe by .141 seconds to take the checkered flag and earn a spot in the Nov. 19 Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.<\/p>\n

As Busch crossed the finish line, a multi-car wreck behind him scrambled the running order and left a parking lot of mangled cars on the frontstretch.<\/p>\n

But that was simply the final act in a drama that saw a succession of Playoff contenders lose excellent chances to win the first event in the Round of 8.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, takes the checkered flag before Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row\/Denver Mattress Toyota, to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 29, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chase Elliott held the lead with three laps left in regulation distance when Denny Hamlin dumped Elliott\u2019s No. 24 Chevrolet in Turn 3, causing the 11th caution and sending the race into overtime.<\/p>\n

Ten laps earlier, Brad Keselowski appeared headed for victory and a guaranteed ticket to Homestead before Joey Logano developed a severe tire rub after contact from Busch\u2019s No. 18 Toyota in Turn 1.<\/p>\n

Logano spun off Ryan Blaney\u2019s front bumper when the tire went flat in Turn 2, and Elliott grabbed the lead after the restart on Lap 497, with Hamlin following. Hamlin punted Elliott a lap later, and hard feelings continued after the race, with Elliott running Hamlin\u2019s Toyota into the outside wall on the cool-down lap.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 29, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Stacy Revere\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elliott\u2019s wreck set the stage for Busch to win for the second time at Martinsville, the fifth time this season and the 43rd time in his career. After Hamlin cleared Busch on the overtime restart, Busch cut to the inside and wheel-hopped into Hamlin\u2019s Camry, forcing his JGR teammate up the track.<\/p>\n

Hamlin fell to seventh at the finish behind Clint Bowyer in third, Keselowski in fourth, Kevin Harvick in fifth and Trevor Bayne in sixth.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to get a better restart, pinch Denny down a little bit, but it actually kind of worked out better for me that he got ahead a little bit, gave me a gap,\u201d Busch said. \u201cI got down (to the inside lane), and he got into Turn 3 and just pushed up the race track and I knew I had to plug that hole right away cause I was just going to get beat on from behind,<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, leads Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row\/Denver Mattress Toyota, on the last lap of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 29, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cSo I got up in there and rooted him out of the way a little bit, and we drag-raced down the front straightaway and deep into (Turn) 1, I just wheel-hopped, chattered the rear tires and it was sideways getting in there trying to calm it down with the brakes and everything else. Was able to get through there luckily somehow \u2013 I don\u2019t know how \u2013 and beat Truex off of (Turn) 4 back to the start\/finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Truex retained the series lead by 17 points over Busch. Elliott, on the other hand went from likely winner to major casualty in the space of one corner, finishing 27th and falling 26 points below the cut line for the Championship 4, with the cut coming in two weeks at Phoenix.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, celebrates with the winner’s decal in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 29, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI got punted from behind and wrecked in Turn 3 leading the race,\u201d Elliott said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what his problem was. It was unnecessary. I hadn\u2019t raced him dirty all day long. There was no reason for that, and he comes over and talks to me a second ago and tells me he had somebody pushing him into Turn 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought that was funny, because there was nobody within two car lengths of him into Turn 3 behind myself. I don\u2019t know what the deal was, but it is so disappointing. We had the best car I\u2019ve ever had here at Martinsville. And had an opportunity to go straight to Homestead and because of him, we don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keselowski is third in the standings, followed by Harvick, who holds a three-point edge over Jimmie Johnson, who ran 12th on Sunday. Blaney is six points behind Harvick and Hamlin is eight back, all but guaranteeing another wild race next Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway as the fight for the Championship 4 positions intensifies.<\/p>\n

Notes: <\/strong>Busch led a race-high 184 laps, followed by Elliott (123) and Keselowski (108)\u2026 Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 11th in his final run at Martinsville in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet\u2026 After finishing under lights installed this year, Bowyer would like to see a night race at Martinsville. \u201cWe should definitely utilize those lights for something other than an (overtime), because it\u2019s pretty damn cool under the lights,\u201d Bowyer said.<\/p>\n

Media Center Interviews:<\/h3>\n

Kyle Busch and Coy Gibbs, Director of Race Services – <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Race winning crew chief Adam Stevens – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/MS2_MENCS_AdamStevens_10.29.17.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex Jr. – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/MS2_MENCS_Truex-Boyer_10.2917.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M’s Halloween Toyota, and his crew celebrate with the trophy in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 29, 2017 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race Results \u2013 First Data 500<\/strong><\/p>\n

Martinsville Speedway<\/strong><\/p>\n

Martinsville, Virginia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunday, October 29, 2017<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. (14) Kyle Busch (P), Toyota, 505.<\/li>\n
  2. (2) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota, 505.<\/li>\n
  3. (5) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 505.<\/li>\n
  4. (7) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 505.<\/li>\n
  5. (13) Kevin Harvick (P), Ford, 505.<\/li>\n
  6. (34) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 505.<\/li>\n
  7. (6) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 505.<\/li>\n
  8. (4) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 505.<\/li>\n
  9. (17) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 505.<\/li>\n
  10. (22) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 505.<\/li>\n
  11. (21) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 505.<\/li>\n
  12. (24) Jimmie Johnson (P), Chevrolet, 505.<\/li>\n
  13. (25) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 505.<\/li>\n
  14. (18) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 505.<\/li>\n
  15. (15) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 505.<\/li>\n
  16. (12) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 505.<\/li>\n
  17. (23) Danica Patrick, Ford, 505.<\/li>\n
  18. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 505.<\/li>\n
  19. (20) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 505.<\/li>\n
  20. (19) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 505.<\/li>\n
  21. (29) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 505.<\/li>\n
  22. (11) Kurt Busch, Ford, 505.<\/li>\n
  23. (33) Landon Cassill, Ford, 505.<\/li>\n
  24. (1) Joey Logano, Ford, 504.<\/li>\n
  25. (30) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 504.<\/li>\n
  26. (8) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 504.<\/li>\n
  27. (3) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 504.<\/li>\n
  28. (31) David Ragan, Ford, 503.<\/li>\n
  29. (16) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 503.<\/li>\n
  30. (26) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 501.<\/li>\n
  31. (35) * Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, 501.<\/li>\n
  32. (32) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 500.<\/li>\n
  33. (36) Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 500.<\/li>\n
  34. (40) * Hermie Sadler, Chevrolet, 494.<\/li>\n
  35. (38) * Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 488.<\/li>\n
  36. (39) * Carl Long(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 444.<\/li>\n
  37. (9) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 300.<\/li>\n
  38. (37) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 274.<\/li>\n
  39. (28) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Electrical, 187.<\/li>\n
  40. (27) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, Accident, 94.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    • Average Speed of Race Winner:<\/strong>74.902 mph.<\/li>\n
    • Time of Race: <\/strong>3 Hrs, 32 Mins, 47 Secs.<\/li>\n
    • Margin of Victory:<\/strong>0.141 Seconds.<\/li>\n
    • Caution Flags: <\/strong>11 for 74 laps.<\/li>\n
    • Lead Changes: <\/strong>16 among 6 drivers.<\/li>\n
    • Lap Leaders:<\/strong>J. Logano 1-48; B. Keselowski (P) 49-78; J. Logano 79-89; J. Johnson (P) 90-113; B. Keselowski (P) 114-134; K. Busch (P) 135-257; B. Keselowski (P) 258-265; K. Busch (P) 266-324; C. Elliott (P) 325-362; B. Keselowski (P) 363-385; C. Elliott (P) 386-458; K. Busch (P) 459; C. Elliott (P) 460-470; B. Keselowski (P) 471-496; C. Elliott (P) 497; D. Hamlin (P) 498-504; K. Busch (P) 505;.<\/li>\n
    • Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): <\/strong>K. Busch (P) 4 times for 184 laps; C. Elliott (P) 4 times for 123 laps; B. Keselowski (P) 5 times for 108 laps; J. Logano 2 times for 59 laps; J. Johnson (P) 1 time for 24 laps; D. Hamlin (P) 1 time for 7 laps.<\/li>\n
    • Stage No. 1 Top Ten: <\/strong>2,18,22,48,78,24,21,5,3,11<\/li>\n
    • Stage No. 2 Top Ten: <\/strong>2,18,22,78,24,21,4,20,14,48<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. \u2013 The sun went down, the new lights came on, and all hell broke loose at Martinsville Speedway. In a wild overtime finish that took Sunday\u2019s First Data 500 to 505 laps at the .526-mile short track, Kyle Busch beat Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series leader Martin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13662,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[519,59,407,16],"class_list":["post-13649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-first-data-500","tag-kyle-busch","tag-martinsville-speedway","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-3y9","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/MS2_MENCS_VL_10.29.17-e1509331185438.jpg?fit=640%2C426","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13649"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13664,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13649\/revisions\/13664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}