{"id":21353,"date":"2018-08-18T22:17:56","date_gmt":"2018-08-19T03:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=21353"},"modified":"2018-08-18T22:26:48","modified_gmt":"2018-08-19T03:26:48","slug":"late-restarts-propel-kurt-busch-to-victory-in-wild-bristol-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/18\/late-restarts-propel-kurt-busch-to-victory-in-wild-bristol-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Late restarts propel Kurt Busch to victory in wild Bristol race"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy\/Haas Automation Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 18, 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

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

BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 \u201cOld guys rule!\u201d screamed 40-year-old Kurt Busch after he took the checkered flag in an action-filled Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy\/Haas Automation Ford, takes the checkered flag to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 18, 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Busch\u2019s first victory since the 2017 Daytona 500 overshadowed a miraculous drive by brother Kyle Busch, whose car came back to life after a Lap 2 wreck like a relentless horror movie villain.<\/p>\n

Starting on the inside lane, Busch grabbed the lead from Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Clint Bowyer on a Lap 478 restart, after Brad Keselowski\u2019s flat-tire-induced spin caused the sixth caution of the night.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was up to Bowyer to choose the lane,\u201d Busch said. \u201cHe chose the outside, and we got a perfect start on the inside. I dug it perfect right into Turn 1 and 2, and the spotter said, \u2018Take it. Take it.\u2019 Which meant go to the wall on exit, and I didn\u2019t even bother to look in the mirror.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018Take it,\u2019 and when you trust your team to give you the right stuff setup-wise, you\u2019ve got to trust the spotter the same way. Tony Raines. He\u2019s a racer. That\u2019s why he\u2019s my spotter, and it worked out perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy\/Haas Automation Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 18, 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The driver of the No. 41 Ford survived another restart on Lap 488, with Kyle Larson surging into second place on 30-lap better tires. But even with fresher rubber, Larson couldn\u2019t catch Busch, who crossed the finish line .367 seconds ahead of the runner-up car.<\/p>\n

The victory was Busch\u2019s sixth at the .533-mile short track and the 30th of his career, 26th on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series all-time list. The win was the 10th in 24 races for Stewart-Haas. Kurt and Kyle Busch are the first pair of brothers to reach 30 victories each at NASCAR\u2019s highest level.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s awesome to do it at Bristol,\u201d said Busch, whose crew chief, Billy Scott, picked up his first victory in NASCAR\u2019s premier series. \u201cI love this place. We now have won six times here and I have great teams that have always helped me win.\u201d<\/p>\n

The victory locked Busch into the Playoff. With insurmountable points margins with two races left, non-winners Larson, Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski also clinched Playoff spots.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy\/Haas Automation Ford, celebrates after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 18, 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Chase Elliott ran third, followed by Joey Logano and Erik Jones, as Bowyer slipped to sixth at the finish.<\/p>\n

It was Kyle Busch\u2019s amazing run from the back of the field to the top five that provided the most compelling action until his charge to the front met its Waterloo on Lap 481 after side-to-side contact with Chris Buescher\u2019s Chevrolet in a three-wide dance on the backstretch cut Busch\u2019s left-rear tire knocked him out of contention.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was just me and this team and never giving up and being able to drive up through the field like that,\u201d Busch said. \u201cThis M&M\u2019s Camry was fast, even torn up and wrecked and everything else, it was fast. We had a shot to win the race there, just got to racing with guys three-wide and couldn\u2019t get clear of them and was boxed in by the 11 (Denny Hamlin)\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWe probably finished where we should have, but we had a shot anyways. Congratulations to Kurt (Busch), that\u2019s cool, but he forgot his helmet on the roof and just chunked his helmet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy\/Haas Automation Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 18, 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Matt Sullivan\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Busch\u2019s demise, however, didn\u2019t come early enough for Martin Truex Jr., who was running second to Bowyer on Lap 432 when Kyle Busch clipped him in the middle of the frontstretch. Truex crashed out in 30th place for the second straight Bristol race.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just Bristol,\u201d said a resigned Truex, who kicked his car in disgust after the wreck. \u201cTrying to get that first short track win. This place has been so hard on us. I mean I can\u2019t even explain it to you how good we\u2019ve run here in the past three or four years, and crap like this every single time. It\u2019s like just one thing after another.<\/p>\n

\u201cSucks that it happened, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s racing at Bristol. I feel like I probably should\u2019ve took the lead there. I probably should\u2019ve bumped the 14 (Bowyer) out of the way just to get the lead and I wouldn\u2019t have been in that position. Sometimes you\u2019re the nice guy and you get knocked out of the way. We\u2019ll just have to race him a little harder next time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy\/Haas Automation Ford, leads Kyle Larson, driver of the #42 DC Solar Chevrolet, during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 18, 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sarah Crabill\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Bubba Wallace, who made a heroic run to the front in the spring race at Bristol, never had a chance on Saturday night. When Kyle Busch spun off Turn 4 on Lap 2 and blocked the track, he ignited a 15-car pileup on the frontstretch.<\/p>\n

Wallace\u2019s No. 43 Chevrolet was damaged beyond repair, ending his race on Lap 3.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore my spotter called it, I had run into the back of the No. 47 (AJ Allmendinger),\u201d Wallace said. \u201cBut then I got checked-up enough to pull down out line and just kept getting shoved into cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate. I was super excited to run tonight and see how we stacked up, but fate had other plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clearly, Kurt Busch was glad that was the case.<\/p>\n

 <\/h3>\n

Media Center Interviews:<\/h3>\n

Kurt Busch and crew chief Billy Scott – <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kyle Larson – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Bristol2_MENCS_Larson_081818.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race – Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race<\/b><\/p>\n

Bristol Motor Speedway<\/b><\/p>\n

Bristol, Tennessee<\/b><\/p>\n

Saturday, August 18, 2018<\/b><\/p>\n

               1. (9) Kurt Busch, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

               2. (1) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

               3. (2) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

               4. (19) Joey Logano, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

               5. (14) Erik Jones, Toyota, 500.<\/p>\n

               6. (16) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

               7. (10) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

               8. (22) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

               9. (13) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

               10. (6) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

               11. (23) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

               12. (24) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

               13. (18) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

               14. (7) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 500.<\/p>\n

               15. (26) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

               16. (11) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 499.<\/p>\n

               17. (15) David Ragan, Ford, 499.<\/p>\n

               18. (21) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 499.<\/p>\n

               19. (28) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 499.<\/p>\n

               20. (3) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 497.<\/p>\n

               21. (32) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 496.<\/p>\n

               22. (29) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 496.<\/p>\n

               23. (5) William Byron #, Chevrolet, 496.<\/p>\n

               24. (12) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 495.<\/p>\n

               25. (39) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 493.<\/p>\n

               26. (35) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 492.<\/p>\n

               27. (40) Blake Jones, Toyota, 485.<\/p>\n

               28. (37) * Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, 481.<\/p>\n

               29. (20) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 435.<\/p>\n

               30. (17) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Accident, 431.<\/p>\n

               31. (8) Aric Almirola, Ford, 428.<\/p>\n

               32. (34) * JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 423.<\/p>\n

               33. (36) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Accident, 338.<\/p>\n

               34. (30) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, Electrical, 234.<\/p>\n

               35. (33) * Jesse Little(i), Toyota, Accident, 59.<\/p>\n

               36. (4) Paul Menard, Ford, Accident, 28.<\/p>\n

               37. (31) Michael McDowell, Ford, Accident, 10.<\/p>\n

               38. (27) Bubba Wallace #, Chevrolet, Accident, 3.<\/p>\n

               39. (25) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, Accident, 1.<\/p>\n

               40. (38) * Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, Accident, 1.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  89.538 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 58 Mins, 35 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.367 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  9 for 70 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  19 among 9 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   K. Larson 1-13; K. Harvick 14-15; K. Larson 16; R. Blaney 17-62; K. Larson 63; R. Blaney 64-130; A. Almirola 131; K. Harvick 132-137; C. Elliott 138-191; R. Blaney 192-199; A. Almirola 200; J. Logano 201-254; K. Larson 255; J. Logano 256-296; C. Elliott 297-354; K. Larson 355; C. Bowyer 356-441; R. Newman 442; C. Bowyer 443-476; Kurt Busch 477-500.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  R. Blaney 3 times for 121 laps; C. Bowyer 2 times for 120 laps; C. Elliott 2 times for 112 laps; J. Logano 2 times for 95 laps; Kurt Busch 1 time for 24 laps; K. Larson 5 times for 17 laps; K. Harvick 2 times for 8 laps; A. Almirola 2 times for 2 laps; R. Newman 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 12,4,14,9,10,42,41,20,22,48<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 22,9,42,10,12,14,20,48,41,88<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 \u201cOld guys rule!\u201d screamed 40-year-old Kurt Busch after he took the checkered flag in an action-filled Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Busch\u2019s first victory since the 2017 Daytona 500 overshadowed a miraculous drive by brother Kyle Busch, whose […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":21355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_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}},"categories":[11],"tags":[177,69,16],"class_list":["post-21353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-bristol-motor-speedway","tag-kurt-busch","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/357384-e1534647299998.jpg?fit=640%2C419&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-5yp","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21353"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21366,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21353\/revisions\/21366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}