NASCAR Cup

Richmond: Series contingency awards

Kyle Busch Captures Six Post-Race Awards In Richmond Print Page Email Page Stellar Run Earns Busch, No. 18 M&M's Team Victory And Honors CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 4, 2010) -- Thanks to a spectacular performance on the track, in the pits, on the pit ...

Published: May 5, 2010, 5:18 AM

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Kyle Busch Captures Six Post-Race Awards In Richmond Print Page Email Page
Stellar Run Earns Busch, No. 18 M&M's Team Victory And Honors

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 4, 2010) -- Thanks to a spectacular performance on the track, in the pits, on the pit box and a late-race pass in the Crown Royal Presents the Heath Calhoun 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Kyle Busch and the No. 18 M&M's team earned their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of 2010 and six post-race contingency awards.

The awards are part of the NASCAR Prize Money and Decal Program, also referred to as the contingency program, which provides teams prize money and weekly awards based on performance in several categories. Busch started the weekend capturing the Coors Light Pole before dominating the early stages of the race. He picked up the WIX Filters Lap Leader Award for leading the most laps in the race (226 of 400), also captured the Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap of the Race Award, turning the fastest lap of the night at 124.746 mph on Lap 2. The No. 18 M&M's Toyota and efforts from the wrench-turners at Joe Gibbs Racing earned the No. 18 team the MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Race Award, based on qualifying and finishing positions. As the race winner, Busch also captured the Sunoco Diamond Performance Award. Busch capitalized on three late-race cautions, and with a pass on the final restart, surged past Jeff Gordon with five laps left. Four laps later, Busch beat Gordon to the finish line by .755-seconds. "We kept plugging away," said Busch. "Dave never gave up. These guys on pit road kept putting in some really good pit stops. I kept driving what I had. We made some changes to the car to get it going a little bit better. Especially at the end of the race when Dave made the call to come to pit road and put tires on with 25 or 30 to go, something like that, we just got going on restarts there."

Busch's pairing with crew chief Dave Rogers is coming together nicely. Busch has put together four consecutive top 10s and now is third in points. Rogers, who made some stellar calls atop the pit box Saturday night, earned his second DIRECTV Crew Chief of the Race Award of the season, based on the best qualifying and finishing efforts.

"The team is progressing," said Rogers. "They're gelling together real nice and I think communication between Kyle and I is getting better. You know, this is our first win so we're obviously making progress." The victory was Busch's 17th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and marks the 22nd time a driver has won from the Coors Light Pole position at the .75-mile oval.

Official winners of this week's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Prize Money & Decal Program special awards include:

* COORS LIGHT POLE AWARD: Kyle Busch (127.077 mph. 21.247 secs.)

* DIRECTV CREW CHIEF OF THE RACE AWARD: Dave Rogers (crew chief for Kyle Busch)

* GOODYEAR GATORBACK BELTS FASTEST LAP AWARD: Kyle Busch (124.746 mph, Lap 2)

* MAHLE CLEVITE ENGINE BUILDER OF THE RACE AWARD: Kyle Busch

* MOBIL 1 "COMMAND PERFORMANCE DRIVER OF THE RACE" AWARD: Juan Pablo Montoya

* MOOG CHASSIS PARTS PROBLEM SOLVER OF THE RACE AWARD: Frank Kerr (crew chief for Marcos Ambrose)

* O'REILLY AUTO PARTS POSITION IMPROVEMENT AWARD: Carl Edwards (23 places)

* RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE RACE AWARD: Kevin Conway

* SUNOCO DIAMOND PERFORMANCE AWARD: Kyle Busch

* TISSOT "PIT ROAD PRECISION" AWARD: Ryan Newman (197.999 sec.)

* WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD: Kyle Busch (226 laps)

-source: nascar

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