Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia

Kyle Busch holds off Harvick for his first win of 2018 season

Kyle Busch is second no longer.

Race winner Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Race winner Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Interstate Batteries
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Interstate Batteries
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Interstate Batteries
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Interstate Batteries
Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Interstate Batteries
Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports crash
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Fusion Busch Light
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Fusion Jimmy John's
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Fusion Busch Light

After finishing as runner-up in three of this season’s first six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, Busch closed the deal in Saturday’s O’Reilly 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, holding off a spirited charge from Kevin Harvick.

"It feels awesome," said Busch. "Any time you can win at a track that kind of isn’t maybe one of your favorites or isn’t one of your best, then it definitely means even more because it just – you try to focus on those tracks and make it a little bit more meaningful and a little bit more special to get it done," Busch said. "So cool though to be in Victory Lane here - finally this year and punch our ticket into the playoffs and of course, you know also just continue our hot streak of being the points leader right now and keeping these guys focused on what we need to do all year long.”

The win is the 44th of Busch’s career and third at Texas.

“Great job guys. Awesome, awesome job,” Busch said over his team radio as he took the checkered flag. “Thank you.”

Busch held off Harvick by 0.300 seconds for the win. Jamie McMurray finished a season’s best third, Erik Jones fourth and Ryan Blaney completed the top-five.

Rounding out the Top 10 were Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, Darrell Wallace Jr., Clint Bowyer and William Byron.

During the break between Stages 2 and 3, Jones was first off pit road and took over the race lead when the final stage went green on Lap 178. Kyle Busch lined up second, Kurt Busch third, Chase Elliott fourth and Bowyer fifth.

Kyle Busch had a rough restart and quickly dropped back through the field which sent several cars scurrying out of the way. Denny Hamlin got into Aric Almirola, which ignited a multi-car wreck that eventually collected Jimmie Johnson, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Trevor Bayne and David Ragan.

“Just got loose under (Almirola). We were kind of getting squeezed there a little bit and there was just – running these speeds, you’ve got to have all the side force that you need,” Hamlin said.

“He was battling beside (Kyle Busch) I believe and you know we tried to go low and he was trying to fight for that real estate as well and we just got together.”

For Johnson, his career-worst winless streak extends to 30 races.

“Unfortunate circumstances, but a lot to build on from this weekend. A strong Friday, a fantastic Saturday and then not the best Sunday,” Johnson said. “We had a lot of different things work against us today, but we are getting closer each and every week.”

The race immediately went back under the caution flag and NASCAR quickly displayed the red flag to clear the track of debris. After just over 11 minutes, the race returned to yellow. It returned to green on Lap 184 with Jones in the lead.

On Lap 215, Elliott, running third, complained of a vibration and brought his No. 9 Chevrolet to pit road under green for a four-tire stop. He returned to the race in 14th and one lap down.

A round of green-flag pit stops began on Lap 321, including the leader Jones and Kurt Busch. The cycle was interrupted on Lap 236 when Paul Menard hit the Turn 2 wall to bring out a caution.

On the restart on Lap 241, Jones continued to lead followed by Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Bowyer and Logano. Harvick was back on the lead lap and lined up 13th.

Kyle Busch powered around Jones to reclaim the lead on the restart.

On Lap 250, caution was displayed following a spin by Trevor Bayne and Kasey Kahne, who had been racing for the free pass position. Several of the lead-lap cars elected to pit under the caution and on the restart on Lap 256, Kyle Busch continued to lead.

With 60 to go, Kyle Busch maintained a big lead over McMurray followed by Jones, Harvick and Logano.

With 55 laps remaining, Harvick had moved into the runner-up position and under three seconds behind Busch.

A final round of green-flag stops began on Lap 44 when Jones hit pit road. He was followed quickly by Busch and Harvick.

Before the cycle was completed, Ryan Newman – who had yet to make his final stop – blew a right-front tire and slammed into Turn 1 to bring out a caution. On the restart on Lap 312, Kyle Busch led the way followed by Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Wallace and McMurray.

Busch said he had to work hard after the final round of green-flag stops to keep Harvick at bay. "It looked to me like he stayed pretty good right there the whole last run of the race. I kind of got out on him a little bit because he kind of slipped a couple laps and then he kind of closed back in on me, but once he closed back in on me, it just kind of seemed like it was the accordion of four to six lengths," he said. "That was about all there was and that was what it was in dirty air for everybody today. A fun time for us, you know being out front, being where it mattered and being able to go to Victory Lane and celebrate and throw some confetti and have a good night.”

Cla#DriverManufacturerLapsTimeLaps LedRetirementPointsbonus
1 18 united_states Kyle Busch  Toyota 334   116      
2 4 united_states Kevin Harvick  Ford 334 0.300 87      
3 1 united_states Jamie McMurray  Chevrolet 334 7.323        
4 20 united_states Erik Jones  Toyota 334 7.980 64      
5 12 united_states Ryan Blaney  Ford 334 9.725        
6 22 united_states Joey Logano  Ford 334 10.040        
7 41 united_states Kurt Busch  Ford 334 12.607 40      
8 43 united_states Darrell Wallace Jr.  Chevrolet 334 15.624        
9 14 united_states Clint Bowyer  Ford 334 15.969        
10 24 united_states William Byron  Chevrolet 334 16.520 1      
11 9 united_states Chase Elliott  Chevrolet 333 1 lap 4      
12 6 united_states Trevor Bayne  Ford 333 1 lap        
13 13 united_states Ty Dillon  Chevrolet 332 2 laps        
14 34 united_states Michael McDowell  Ford 332 2 laps        
15 37 united_states Chris Buescher  Chevrolet 331 3 laps        
16 32 united_states Matt DiBenedetto  Ford 329 5 laps        
17 95 united_states Kasey Kahne  Chevrolet 328 6 laps        
18 15 united_states Ross Chastain  Chevrolet 325 9 laps        
19 72 united_states Cole Whitt  Chevrolet 324 10 laps        
20 23 united_states Gray Gaulding  Toyota 322 12 laps        
21 00 united_states Landon Cassill  Chevrolet 321 13 laps        
22 51 united_states Harrison Rhodes  Chevrolet 319 15 laps        
23 38 united_states David Ragan  Ford 317 17 laps        
24 47 united_states A.J. Allmendinger  Chevrolet 316 18 laps        
25 17 united_states Ricky Stenhouse Jr.  Ford 315 19 laps 10      
26 3 united_states Austin Dillon  Chevrolet 304 30 laps        
27 31 united_states Ryan Newman  Chevrolet 303 31 laps        
28 88 united_states Alex Bowman  Chevrolet 294 40 laps        
29 19 mexico Daniel Suarez  Toyota 290 44 laps        
30 21 united_states Paul Menard  Ford 215 119 laps        
31 55 united_states Reed Sorenson  Chevrolet 209 125 laps        
32 10 united_states Aric Almirola  Ford 178 156 laps        
33 2 united_states Brad Keselowski  Ford 178 156 laps        
34 11 united_states Denny Hamlin  Toyota 177 157 laps 12      
35 48 united_states Jimmie Johnson  Chevrolet 175 159 laps        
36 42 united_states Kyle Larson  Chevrolet 126 208 laps        
37 78 united_states Martin Truex Jr.  Toyota 80 254 laps

 

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Multi-car wreck forces stoppage of Texas Cup race - video
Next article Top-10 finish is just what Darrell Wallace Jr. needed at Texas

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Australia