Runner-up Kyle Busch no match for Truex: "He was in his own zip code"

On Sunday at Dover International Speedway, Truex embodied the truth in those words. He flew right by his JGR teammates — all four of them. 

He passed Kyle Busch on the track on Lap 124 — and the No. 18 car never led another lap. Truex lapped Carl Edwards on Lap 316 — and the No. 19 car never returned to the lead lap. He finished 14th, one lap down. 

Truex's blistering pace

Five laps later, Truex knocked Denny Hamlin off the lead lap. Hamlin finished ninth, one lap down. And at its largest, Truex’s lead was more than 11-seconds over second-place Busch. Yes, Matt Kenseth was still on the lead lap, but more than half a mile behind the No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota.

By Lap 355, Truex caught Joey Logano’s Ford. He passed him with dispatch, leaving just five cars on the lead lap. The No. 22 team immediately called Logano to pit road. He was able to get back to the lead lap and once the field cycled out. Truex returned to the point with 26 laps remaining — and he never looked back. 

Busch never had a chance

It would not have mattered. Busch couldn’t see the No. 78 as it crossed the finish line 7.5-seconds ahead of him. 

“I was just waiting to make my move,” Busch said sarcastically. “I had him in my sights all day long – nah, I was just kidding. I had nobody in my sights all day long. I was in my own area code and he was off in his own zip code.” 

Busch, the defending Sprint Cup champion, leads the tour with four wins this season. He has 11 podium finishes in 29 starts. He’s led 1,370 laps, has an average finish of 12.2 and is third in the Chase standings.

On Sunday, Truex tied Busch’s four-win mark for the season. He now has six podium finishes and leads the tour in the standings and laps led (1,594). His 8.9 average qualifying effort is slightly better than Busch’s 9.1, as is his average finish of 12.1. 

The one gaping void is Busch’s record is his lack of a win at Charlotte Motor Speedway where the Sprint Cup Series kicks off the Round of 12 this weekend. Truex won the pole and led 392 of 400 laps before winning the Coca-Cola 600 in May. 

But Busch has won at every other venue in the playoffs — including Kansas, Martinsville and Texas earlier this year. Although he went winless in the 2015 Chase until he took the season final and the title at Homestead-Miami, Busch doesn’t appear concerned. 

“Everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, TRD (Toyota Racing Development), the guys have done an awesome job,” Busch said. “We’ve got really fast cars just missing the boat a little bit on something the 78 team has figured out. 

“I’ve just got to say thanks to Adam Stevens (crew chief) and all these guys, they did a great job. We finished second here just like we did here last year at this race. It was a good points day for us, we were able to move on to the next round and we can keep being able to do that and just get ourselves to Homestead. That’s where it matters the most.”