{"id":24988,"date":"2019-04-07T17:55:08","date_gmt":"2019-04-07T22:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=24988"},"modified":"2019-04-07T18:00:10","modified_gmt":"2019-04-07T23:00:10","slug":"kyle-busch-holds-off-brother-to-win-at-bristol-motor-speedway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/07\/kyle-busch-holds-off-brother-to-win-at-bristol-motor-speedway\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyle Busch holds off brother to win at Bristol Motor Speedway"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Skittles Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 7, 2019 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Kenny Bruce, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 Kyle Busch<\/strong> wasn\u2019t the only driver to overcome adversity during Sunday\u2019s running of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Skittles Toyota, crosses the finish line to win the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 7, 2019 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

But he was the only one to end up in victory lane.<\/p>\n

The race winner was involved in a multi-car crash on the second lap of the 500-lap affair, sustaining damage to the rear of his car. But he patiently worked his way back through the field. He took his first lead at lap 384.<\/p>\n

The key to the win came late \u2013 Busch collected his third win of the season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series<\/a> and his eight overall at Bristol Motor Speedway when he chose track position over fresh tires during the 11th and final caution of the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know, we\u2019re crazy; we just do what we do (to) try to win,\u201d the driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing said after climbing from his entry on the frontstretch.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Skittles Toyota, celebrates after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 7, 2019 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The final run to the checkered flag was set up after Kyle Larson got into the wall with less than 25 laps remaining to bring out the yellow flag. Joey Logano and Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, running 1-2, hit pit road, as did several others in the lead pack.<\/p>\n

But Busch, along with older brother Kurt, opted to stay out, along with Daniel Suarez and Paul Menard to restart first through fourth when the field went back to green with just 14 laps remaining.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty awesome to be able to snooker those guys, get our win today here at Bristol,\u201d the younger Busch said. \u201cI love this place.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fun to battle out the brother there at the end. I know we didn\u2019t quite get the side-by-side racing it out; I saw him looking at the top. I\u2019m like, \u2018I better go.\u2019 I got up there, was able to make some ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Skittles Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 7, 2019 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt was a no-brainer for us,\u201d crew chief Adam Stevens said afterward when asked about the call not to bring his driver to pit road.<\/p>\n

Busch also paid tribute to three-time series champion and FOX NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip, who won 12 times at the Tennessee venue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt ain\u2019t 12, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Busch said of his win total at BMS. \u201cSo I\u2019ve got more to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were issues on the final restart, Keselowski was penalized for failing to follow a NASCAR directive, but none for the front two.<\/p>\n

Logano, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin completed the top five.<\/p>\n

Menard, Clint Bowyer, Suarez, Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson were sixth through 10th respectively.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO Chevrolet, and Clint Bowyer, driver of the #14 Haas Automation Ford, lead the field during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 7, 2019 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI really wanted to beat him,\u201d Kurt Busch said of the battle with his brother. \u201cI was going to wreck him. \u2026 He already won (this year). I figure he could give a little love to his brother. I wanted that one bad. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy that we were in position to do it. This group of guys, we\u2019re not quite ready to win yet, but that was close.\u201d<\/p>\n

The win was Busch\u2019s 54th overall in the series. His previous wins this season came at ISM (Phoenix) Raceway and Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California<\/p>\n

He led 71 laps, including the final 19. He also overcame an early spin that saw his Toyota swept up in a five-car incident on just the second lap of the 500-lap race.<\/p>\n

The race was the eighth of the season; all eight have been won by drivers from either the JGR or Team Penske camps.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, leads the field into turn one after the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 7, 2019 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

It was a battle reminiscent of past contests held at Bristol, with plenty of contact as well as lead changes. Blaney was the lap leader at 158 while Logano paced the field for 146.<\/p>\n

Ty Dillon was a surprising winner of the opening stage, edging Bowyer with a last-lap pass. Logano won the second stage.<\/p>\n

Several teams, including those of Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex, battled loose wheel issues. Others were merely forced to deal with damage typically associated with the close-quarters racing that has been the norm at BMS.<\/p>\n

 <\/h3>\n

 <\/h3>\n

Media Center Interviews:<\/h3>\n

Kyle Busch, crew chief Adam Stevens and car owner Coach Joe Gibbs – <\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/MENCS_BMS1_KyBusch_040719.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race – 59th Annual Food City 500<\/b><\/p>\n

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

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

Sunday, April 7, 2019<\/b><\/p>\n

                   1. (17)  Kyle Busch, Toyota, 500.<\/p>\n

                   2. (27)  Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

                   3. (7)  Joey Logano, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

                   4. (3)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

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

                   6. (9)  Paul Menard, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

                   7. (8)  Clint Bowyer, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

                   8. (20)  Daniel Suarez, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

                   9. (11)  Ryan Newman, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

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

                   11. (1)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

                   12. (21)  Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 500.<\/p>\n

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

                   14. (15)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

                   15. (24)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

                   16. (2)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

                   17. (23)  Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 499.<\/p>\n

                   18. (12)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 499.<\/p>\n

                   19. (16)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 499.<\/p>\n

                   20. (28)  Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet, 499.<\/p>\n

                   21. (22)  David Ragan, Ford, 498.<\/p>\n

                   22. (25)  Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 498.<\/p>\n

                   23. (14)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 497.<\/p>\n

                   24. (4)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 497.<\/p>\n

                   25. (30)  Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 496.<\/p>\n

                   26. (31)  Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 495.<\/p>\n

                   27. (29)  Matt Tifft #, Ford, 494.<\/p>\n

                   28. (18)  Michael McDowell, Ford, 493.<\/p>\n

                   29. (37)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 491.<\/p>\n

                   30. (26)  Daniel Hemric #, Chevrolet, 490.<\/p>\n

                   31. (34)  Bayley Currey #, Chevrolet, 488.<\/p>\n

                   32. (36)  Quin Houff, Chevrolet, 476.<\/p>\n

                   33. (19)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 395.<\/p>\n

                   34. (32)  Corey LaJoie, Ford, Accident, 308.<\/p>\n

                   35. (35)  Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Suspension, 239.<\/p>\n

                   36. (33)  Gray Gaulding(i), Ford, Engine, 142.<\/p>\n

                   37. (6)  Aric Almirola, Ford, Accident, 3.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  90.527 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 56 Mins, 38 Secs. Margin of Victory:  .722 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  11 for 77 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  21 among 9 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   C. Elliott 1-38;C. Bowyer 39-40;R. Blaney 41;D. Hamlin 42-48;E. Jones 49-58;R. Blaney 59-117;C. Bowyer 118-123;T. Dillon 124-129;B. Keselowski 130-144;J. Logano 145-255;R. Blaney 256-353;J. Logano 354-374;C. Bowyer 375-377;J. Logano 378;C. Bowyer 379-383;K. Busch 384-408;C. Bowyer 409-416;J. Logano 417;K. Busch 418-444;B. Keselowski 445-469;J. Logano 470-481;K. Busch 482-500.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Ryan Blaney 3 times for 158 laps; Joey Logano 5 times for 146 laps; Kyle Busch 3 times for 71 laps; Brad Keselowski 2 times for 40 laps; Chase Elliott 1 time for 38 laps; Clint Bowyer 5 times for 24 laps; Erik Jones 1 time for 10 laps; Denny Hamlin 1 time for 7 laps; Ty Dillon 1 time for 6 laps.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 13,14,2,22,48,18,12,21,19,9<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 22,12,6,2,18,1,37,14,3,41<\/p>\n

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

  By Kenny Bruce, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 Kyle Busch wasn\u2019t the only driver to overcome adversity during Sunday\u2019s running of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. But he was the only one to end up in victory lane. The race winner was involved in a multi-car crash on the second […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":24999,"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":[177,579,59,16],"class_list":["post-24988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-bristol-motor-speedway","tag-food-city-500","tag-kyle-busch","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/MENCS_BMS_KyBuschVL1_040719-e1554677330271.jpg?fit=640%2C426&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-6v2","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24988","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=24988"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25003,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24988\/revisions\/25003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}