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Busch’s March Toward The Chase Rolls Onward

| Managing Editor, RacinToday.com Sunday, July 19 2015
Kyle Busch's remarkable post-injury Chase chase saw him win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. (RacinToday/HHP photo by Alan Marler)

Kyle Busch’s remarkable post-injury Chase chase saw him win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday. (RacinToday/HHP photo by Alan Marler)

By Jim Pedley | Managing Editor
RacinToday.com

Kyle Busch’s race to make the Chase picked up more momentum Sunday when the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and his team won the Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

sprint-logo-08The victory was the second in the row for Busch and the third in the four races held since he returned from injuries that kept him out of the driver’s seat for the first 11 races of the season.

“I don’t think any of us would have,” Busch said in Victory Lane when asked if thought he could do what he and his team are doing. “This is such an awesome win and such an awesome comeback.

Busch used a nifty late-race pass of second-place Brad Keselowski and leader Kevin Harvick to get back on the lead lap and from there, he used a timely pit stop and a timely caution to take the lead.

“This is a crazy sport and you never know how it’s always going to turn out,” Busch said, “but that coming to pit road I thought I had a tire going down and there was oil on the track. Luckily I got back to the lead lap before the yellow came out, but that saved us right there.”

Keselowski was able to close on Busch over the final 20 or so laps but never got a shot at passing for the lead.

Harvick finished third.

Busch’s victory continues the points grab that he needs if he is going to make the Chase playoffs: NASCAR officials granted him a reprieve after his injury, saying he would be allowed to participate in the Chase were he to win a race and also finish the non-Chase portion of the schedule in the top 30 in driver points.

He and his No. 18 Toyota entered the New Hampshire race 35th in the standings, 87 points behind 30th-place Cole Whitt. After Sunday’s win, Busch climbed to 33rd in the standings and is 58 points behind 30th-place David Gilliland. There are now seven regular-season races remaining.

“We just have to keep doing our deal every weekend and it’s been getting better and better,” Busch said. “It’s certainly the right thing to do is to win races and to gather those points, but to do it in the fashion we have been – just winning these things, that’s just spectacular and that’s awesome.”

(This story will be updated shortly)

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – 5-hour ENERGY 301

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Loudon, New Hampshire

Sunday, July 19, 2015

 

  1. (4) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 301, $271031.
  2. (10) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 301, $214416.
  3. (12) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 301, $184550.
  4. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 301, $161258.
  5. (19) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 301, $127600.
  6. (8) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 301, $144026.
  7. (1) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 301, $107315.
  8. (24) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 301, $137601.
  9. (23) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 301, $137901.
  10. (6) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 301, $107415.
  11. (26) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 301, $124590.
  12. (15) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 301, $117485.
  13. (22) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 301, $121898.
  14. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 301, $102615.
  15. (29) Aric Almirola, Ford, 301, $125251.
  16. (21) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 301, $111548.
  17. (32) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 301, $95515.
  18. (3) David Ragan, Toyota, 301, $115309.
  19. (9) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 301, $100590.
  20. (25) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 301, $113804.
  21. (37) David Gilliland, Ford, 301, $112898.
  22. (7) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 300, $129826.
  23. (16) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 300, $81665.
  24. (20) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 300, $92965.
  25. (28) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 300, $92665.
  26. (11) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 300, $114356.
  27. (14) Greg Biffle, Ford, 299, $115048.
  28. (33) Cole Whitt, Ford, 299, $95373.
  29. (27) Sam Hornish Jr., Ford, 299, $109685.
  30. (13) Landon Cassill(i), Chevrolet, 299, $84590.
  31. (17) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 299, $110298.
  32. (31) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 299, $124190.
  33. (34) Brett Moffitt #, Ford, 297, $80890.
  34. (18) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 297, $113348.
  35. (35) Matt DiBenedetto #, Toyota, 296, $88537.
  36. (38) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 296, $78760.
  37. (41) Eddie MacDonald, Ford, 295, $78542.
  38. (43) Timmy Hill(i), Ford, 292, $73727.
  39. (42) Derek White(i), Chevrolet, 290, $69655.
  40. (30) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 284, $73655.
  41. (36) Jeb Burton #, Toyota, 239, $61655.
  42. (40) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 230, $57655.
  43. (39) JJ Yeley(i), Toyota, Rear Gear, 202, $54155.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  108.504 mph.

Time of Race:  02 Hrs, 56 Mins, 06 Secs. Margin of Victory:  Caution.

Caution Flags:  7 for 34 laps.

Lead Changes:  9 among 7 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   C. Edwards 1-19; Kyle Busch 20-66; B. Keselowski 67-88; J. Gordon 89-90; A. Allmendinger 91-103; B. Keselowski 104-178; J. Logano 179-190; B. Keselowski 191-193; K. Harvick 194-252; Kyle Busch 253-301.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  B. Keselowski 3 times for 100 laps; Kyle Busch 2 times for 96 laps; K. Harvick 1 time for 59 laps; C. Edwards 1 time for 19 laps; A. Allmendinger 1 time for 13 laps; J. Logano 1 time for 12 laps; J. Gordon 1 time for 2 laps.

Top 16 in Points: K. Harvick – 734; J. Logano – 665; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 655; J. Johnson – 646; M. Truex Jr. – 628; B. Keselowski – 603; M. Kenseth – 578; Kurt Busch – 576; J. Mcmurray – 574; J. Gordon – 573; D. Hamlin – 552; K. Kahne – 538; R. Newman – 530; P. Menard – 528; A. Almirola – 502; C. Bowyer – 500.

| Managing Editor, RacinToday.com Sunday, July 19 2015
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