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Keselowski pit penalty propels Kyle Busch to Xfinity win at NHMS

It’s no surprise Kyle Busch was part of another record run in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Race winner Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Race winner Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Images

Busch moved into the lead with less than 30 of 200 laps remaining in Saturday’s Overton’s 200 when previous leader Brad Keselowski was penalized for removing equipment from his pit stall during a green-flag stop.

He had little difficulty from there holding off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Ryan Preece, to earn his sixth series win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The win is Busch’s 89th of his career and third this season. He also extends New Hampshire’s record of now six consecutive races of the pole winner winning the race. Busch has been a part of three of those victories in the streak.

William Byron finished third, Kyle Larson was fourth and Keselowski rallied from the penalty to finish fifth.

“You can’t always count on the fastest car winning the race, I guess,” Busch said of Keselowski’s penalty. “But you can count on teamwork. We got it done today. My guys did a great job in the pits.

“We were able to go here and contend with him. We were able to put the pressure on them. We kept close enough that I knew when they pit – they pit right after us – they were probably in a hurry because they knew we would have a lap on new tires on them.”

Busch said he got nervous as final laps ticked off that a caution would bunch the field a final time.

“The race played out and we got green all the way to the end,” he said. “I just tried to save what I could just in case of that late caution to race those guys behind us.”

Stage 2

Keselowski moved into the lead on Lap 71 and held off Busch to capture the Stage 2 victory.

Larson finished third, Preece was fourth and Byron completed the top-five.

“I think my car’s pretty good. I feel like with track position we’ll have a good chance at it,” Byron said over his radio during the break.

Larson began the Stage in the lead but Preece quickly ran him down to take his first lead over the race on Lap 52. Two laps later, Busch moved out front only to see Keselowski run him down on Lap 71.

With less than 10 laps remaining in the second Stage, championship contender Justin Allgaier was forced to take his No. 7 Chevrolet to the garage to repair transmission issues.

“I have no fourth gear,” he said over his radio. “It’s neutral when I’m in fourth gear.”

Stage 1

Larson charged to the lead on Lap 41 and held off a fast-approaching Preece to claim the Stage 1 victory.

Busch ended up third, Elliott Sadler fourth and Keselowski completed the top-five.

The first Stage was interrupted by a 54-minute rain delay. The rain brought out a red flag on Lap 31 with Keselowski in the lead, followed by Busch, Larson, Preece and Matt Tifft.

Keselowski and Busch conducted a spirited race for the lead in the opening laps of the race, with each taking a turn out front.

“Everything has changed,” Keselowski said during the race stoppage. “It’s a bit being on a dirt track – you just have to keep searching to find the right groove. The track wasn’t anything like this in practice.”

Cla#DriverManufacturerLapsTimeLaps LedRetirementPoints
1 18 united_states Kyle Busch  Toyota 200 1:56'11 77    
2 20 united_states Ryan Preece  Toyota 200 10.425 2   51
3 9 united_states William Byron  Chevrolet 200 11.298     42
4 42 united_states Kyle Larson  Chevrolet 200 16.279 11    
5 22 united_states Brad Keselowski  Ford 200 18.373 102    
6 2 united_states Ben Kennedy  Chevrolet 200 27.970     32
7 1 united_states Elliott Sadler  Chevrolet 199 1 lap 5   42
8 3 united_states Ty Dillon  Chevrolet 199 1 lap      
9 00 united_states Cole Custer  Ford 199 1 lap     28
10 48 united_states Brennan Poole  Chevrolet 199 1 lap     33
11 19 united_states Matt Tifft  Toyota 199 1 lap 1   30
12 21 united_states Daniel Hemric  Chevrolet 199 1 lap     25
13 11 united_states Blake Koch  Chevrolet 199 1 lap     24
14 16 united_states Ryan Reed  Ford 198 2 laps     23
15 14 united_states J.J. Yeley  Toyota 198 2 laps     22
16 5 united_states Michael Annett  Chevrolet 198 2 laps     21
17 62 united_states Brendan Gaughan  Chevrolet 197 3 laps     20
18 01 united_states Harrison Rhodes  Chevrolet 197 3 laps     19
19 4 united_states Ross Chastain  Chevrolet 197 3 laps     18
20 39 united_states Ryan Sieg  Chevrolet 197 3 laps     17
21 51 united_states Jeremy Clements  Chevrolet 197 3 laps     16
22 24 united_states Dylan Lupton  Toyota 196 4 laps     15
23 0 united_states Garrett Smithley  Chevrolet 195 5 laps     14
24 28 united_states Dakoda Armstrong  Toyota 195 5 laps     13
25 52 united_states Joey Gase  Chevrolet 195 5 laps     12
26 8 united_states B.J. McLeod  Chevrolet 194 6 laps     11
27 07 united_states Spencer Boyd  Chevrolet 193 7 laps     10
28 40 united_states Timmy Hill  Chevrolet 186 14 laps     9
29 78 united_states Tommy Joe Martins  Chevrolet 185 15 laps     8
30 99 united_states David Starr  Chevrolet 184 16 laps     7
31 74 united_states Mike Harmon  Dodge 178 22 laps     6
32 7 united_states Justin Allgaier  Chevrolet 173 27 laps 2   10
33 90 united_states Martin Roy  Chevrolet 163 37 laps   Engine 4
34 33 united_states Brandon Jones  Chevrolet 157 43 laps     3
35 23 united_states Spencer Gallagher  Chevrolet 156 44 laps   Suspension 2
36 13 united_states Carl Long  Dodge 67 133 laps   Electrical 1
37 89 united_states Morgan Shepherd  Chevrolet 59 141 laps   Suspension 1
38 93 united_states Jeff Green  Chevrolet 15 185 laps   Electrical 1
39 15 united_states Reed Sorenson  Chevrolet 7 193 laps   Brakes  
40 72 united_states John Jackson  Dodge 4 196 laps   Vibration

 

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