Busch Beats Larson in Thrilling Finish at Chicago

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kyle Busch held off Kyle Larson to win the Overton’s 400 from Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

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Busch led 59 laps on Sunday, but he had to hold off Larson over the final run.  With Larson closing in the final laps, Busch had to change his racing line to try to hold up Larson’s momentum.

On the final lap, Larson dove below Busch and both drivers made contact.  In the final corner, Busch bumped Larson and sent him spinning, while Busch was able to drive to victory.

Busch said it was just hard racing between two fast cars.

“Larson tried to pull a slide and didn’t quite complete it,” Busch said.  “He slid up into me and used me, and then I kind of used him as a little bit of a brake getting into Turn 3 and I was able to come back for the victory.”

“When you start banging doors on each other, that’s what it turns the race into and it’s fair game after that.”

Busch struggled with his handling early in the race, but he said the car came to him when he got into clean air while leading.

“This thing was horrible today,” Busch said.  “We just never gave up…just kept working on it and making the most of it.”

“Got it to where we needed it at the end.”

Larson slid through Turns 3 and 4, but was able to save the car to finish second.  Larson said he wasn’t upset with Busch following their contact.

“I’m not upset…I tried to get to his door and I opened the door for him to retaliate into 3,” Larson said.  “I thought it was free game; I got into him first.”

Unofficial results:

1. Kyle Busch

2. Kyle Larson

3. Kevin Harvick

4. Martin Truex Jr.

5. Clint Bowyer

6. Erik Jones

7. Denny Hamlin

8. Joey Logano

9. Brad Keselowski

10. Alex Bowman

11. Daniel Suarez

12. Jamie McMurray

13. Paul Menard

14. Jimmie Johnson

15. Ryan Newman

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

17. Kurt Busch

18. Ryan Blaney

19. Chase Elliott

20. William Byron

21. Michael McDowell

22. Chris Buescher

23. Darrell Wallace Jr.

24. AJ Allmendinger

25. Aric Almirola

26. Trevor Bayne

27. Kasey Kahne

28. Ty Dillon

29. Matt DiBenedetto

30. Ross Chastain

31. Gray Gaulding

32. Reed Sorenson

33. Kyle Weatherman

34. Corey LaJoie

35. BJ McLeod

36. Landon Cassill

37. Austin Dillon

38. David Ragan

39. Timmy Hill

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Truex Begins Playoffs with a Victory

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Martin Truex Jr. won the Tale of the Turtles 400 from Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, the first race of NASCAR’s playoffs.

Truex took the lead in the final stage on Sunday, and he was able to pull away from Chase Elliott over the final run to pick up his fifth victory of the season.  Truex already had the most playoff points going into Round 1, but this victory automatically puts him into the next round.

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Truex said he was excited he and his team could get to victory lane to kick off the playoffs.

“This is the playoffs, this is what it’s all about,” Truex said.  “I’m so excited…my team’s unbelievable.  We’re just having fun…proud of this group.”

Truex did not start the day off well, with multiple pit road problems costing him spots in the first segment.  Truex was able to battle back, and he finally took the lead in the final segment.

Truex said his team never gave up when they fell back early.

“We got the speeding penalty…after last year having to come from the back,” Truex said.  “We just kept our heads down and kept fighting…just did what we always do.”

“It’s important to come here and not let the pressure get to you, and I think we did a good job of that.  On to the next round.”

Elliott entered the playoffs without a victory, and he had a strong showing on Sunday.  Elliott fell short of beating Truex, but Elliott said this was the kind of race his team needed to kick off their playoff run.

“We had a solid day all around…our car was fast and we had good pit stops on pit road,” Elliott said.  “Without some luck I wasn’t going to beat the 78 [of Truex]…I didn’t have anything for Martin.”

“This is the time to go and we gave it our all today.  I think it’s a testament to our team and the lack of quit that everybody has.”

Unofficial results:

1. Martin Truex Jr.

2. Chase Elliott

3. Kevin Harvick

4. Denny Hamlin

5. Kyle Larson

6. Brad Keselowski

7. Joey Logano

8. Jimmie Johnson

9. Matt Kenseth

10. Jamie McMurray

11. Ryan Blaney

12. Daniel Suarez

13. Clint Bowyer

14. Paul Menard

15. Kyle Busch

16. Austin Dillon

17. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

18. Danica Patrick

19. Kurt Busch

20. Landon Cassill

21. Kasey Kahne

22. Trevor Bayne

23. Ryan Newman

24. Aric Almirola

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

26. AJ Allmendinger

27. Chris Buescher

28. Ty Dillon

29. David Ragan

30. Michael McDowell

31. Matt DiBenedetto

32. Reed Sorenson

33. Erik Jones

34. Jeffrey Earnhardt

35. Cole Whitt

36. Corey LaJoie

37. Brett Moffitt

38. Gray Gaulding

39. Timmy Hill

40. Ray Black Jr.

Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Truex Wins Chase Opener

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

 Martin Truex Jr. won the first race of the Chase on Sunday at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 from Chicagoland Speedway.

Jonathan Daniel (Getty Images)

Truex had to fight rookies Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney late in the race for the lead.  After chasing Elliott down in the closing laps, a spin brought out the caution to send the race into overtime.  After pitting, Truex started behind three cars that stayed out on old tires.  He got by Blaney on the restart, and held onto the lead over the final two laps.

Truex said this victory was exactly how his team wanted to start off the Chase.

“This is how we wanted to start it off; it feels awesome,” Truex said.  “Everybody on this team…gave us everything we need.”

Truex is now locked into the next round of the Chase because of his victory on Sunday.  He said his team will still go out and try to win the next two weeks.

“We have more races to win and we can win some.  At the end of the day, it was a total team effort, and that’s what it’s going to take to win a championship.”

Elliott finished third after leading late in the race.  He said his team just couldn’t overcome restarting fifth on the final restart.

“Feel like we did a good job controlling the things we could control today,” Elliott said.  “There’s some things you just can’t control with the amount of guys that stay out and line up on the restart.  We played the cards we were dealt and we came up short.”

Unofficial results:

1. Martin Truex Jr.

2. Joey Logano

3. Chase Elliott

4. Ryan Blaney

5. Brad Keselowski

6. Denny Hamlin

7. Kasey Kahne

8. Kyle Busch

9. Matt Kenseth

10. Alex Bowman

11. Jamie McMurray

12. Jimmie Johnson

13. Kurt Busch

14. Austin Dillon

15. Carl Edwards

16. Tony Stewart

17. AJ Allmendinger

18. Kyle Larson

19. Ryan Newman

20. Kevin Harvick

21. Paul Menard

22. Clint Bowyer

23. Trevor Bayne

24. Danica Patrick

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

26. Greg Biffle

27. Ty Dillon

28. Chris Buescher

29. Landon Cassill

30. Matt DiBenedetto

31. Brian Scott

32. Aric Almirola

33. Michael Annett

34. Casey Mears

35. David Ragan

36. Cole Whitt

37. Michael McDowell

38. Josh Wise

39. Reed Sorenson

40. Joey Gase

Kena Krutsinger (Getty Images)

Hamlin Wins Chase Opener

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Denny Hamlin won the myAFibRisk.com 400 from Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Hamlin stayed out when most of the leaders pitted following a caution with 10 laps to go, and he took the lead when the race restarted with six laps to go.  Hamlin said he thought he had a 50/50 chance of holding off the cars behind him on fresh tires.

 

Photo courtesy Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

“I was going to drive in there and hope that everything worked out,” Hamlin said.  “We stretched it out at the end, even with no tires.”

Hamlin had an eventful race before ending up in victory lane.  Hamlin found himself a lap down early after spinning on lap 2.  Hamlin said his team stayed calm following the incident and his car was fast enough to overcome the early mistake.

“I knew there couldn’t have been that many cars on the lead lap and luckily that one caution came out that allowed us to get the wavearound,” Hamlin said.  “We had a fast car and that’s the important thing.”

With Hamlin’s victory, he is now locked into the next round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.  Hamlin is now the only driver who can rest easily over the remaining two races of the Challenger Round.

“Great way to start the Chase.  Takes the pressure off us.  We’re ready to go have some fun.”

Unofficial results:

1. Denny Hamlin

2. Carl Edwards

3. Kurt Busch

4. Ryan Newman

5. Matt Kenseth

6. Joey Logano

7. Kyle Larson

8. Brad Keselowski

9. Kyle Busch

10. Aric Almirola

11. Jimmie Johnson

12. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

13. Martin Truex Jr.

14. Jeff Gordon

15. David Ragan

16. Jamie McMurray

17. Paul Menard

18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

19. Clint Bowyer

20. Casey Mears

21. Greg Biffle

22. Brian Scott

23. Justin Allgaier

24. Kasey Kahne

25. Tony Stewart

26. Danica Patrick

27. Landon Cassill

28. Trevor Bayne

29. Cole Whitt

30. Sam Hornish Jr.

31. Brett Moffitt

32. David Gilliland

33. Josh Wise

34. Michael Annett

35. J.J. Yeley

36. AJ Allmendinger

37. Alex Bowman

38. Jeb Burton

39. Matt DiBenedetto

40. Reed Sorenson

41. Timmy Hill

42. Kevin Harvick

43. Austin Dillon

Photo courtesy Sean Gardner/Getty Images

Brad Keselowski Wins Chase Opener

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Brad Keselowski won the MyAFibStory.com 400 from Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday to clinch a spot in the next round of the Chase.

Photo courtesy Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Keselowski led 61 laps throughout the day, but he made a daring 3-wide pass for the lead just 10 laps from the finish to win the race.

“I saw Kyle [Larson] and Kevin [Harvick] racing really hard and aggressively side-drafting,” Keselowski said.  “I just waited and the car stuck and everything just came together.”

Keselowski had to start in the back of the pack, and many people did not think he could win from deep in the field.  Keselowski said he knew his team could get him to the front.

“When you start in the back, a lot of people don’t think you can win.  We had a great car, and the whole No. 2 team did a great job.”

With the win, Keselowski clinched a spot in the second round of the Chase. 

Kyle Busch started on pole after qualifying was rained out on Friday, and he raced early with Jeff Gordon and Jamie McMurray.

McMurray looked strong throughout the first 100 laps, but after losing the lead he made contact with the wall and faded late in the race.

Rookie Kyle Larson took the lead on a late-race restart, and he raced side-by-side with Kevin Harvick for the lead.  While the two were racing hard, Keselowski shot through the middle to make a 3-wide pass for the lead.

Keselowski was running away from the field when the final caution of the day came out with 10 laps to go.  

Keselowski and Larson raced side-by-side for the lead on the following restart, but Larson made contact with the wall and that ended his fight for the lead.

Keselowski was able to run away from the field over the final five laps, and he took his car to victory lane for the fifth time this season.

Unofficial results:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Jeff Gordon

3. Kyle Larson

4. Joey Logano

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Denny Hamlin

7. Kyle Busch

8. Kurt Busch

9. Jamie McMurray

10. Matt Kenseth

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

12. Jimmie Johnson

13. Kasey Kahne

14. Martin Truex Jr.

15. Ryan Newman

16. Austin Dillon

17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

18. Tony Stewart

19. Danica Patrick

20. Carl Edwards

21. Paul Menards

22. AJ Allmendinger

23. Greg Biffle

24. Brian Vickers

25. Marcos Ambrose

26. Casey Mears

27. Justin Allgaier

28. Landon Cassill

29. Reed Sorenson

30. Cole Whitt

31. David Ragan

32. Michael McDowell

33. Josh Wise

34. David Gilliland

35. Alex Bowman

36. Joe Nemechek

37. Joey Gase

38. Travis Kvapil

39. Clint Bowyer

40. Michael Annett

41. Aric Almirola

42. Ryan Truex

43. Mike Bliss

Next week, the Challenger Round of the Chase continues at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.  The Sylvania 300 can be seen on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Keselowski puts his name on the official Chase Grid. (Photo courtesy Sean Gardner/Getty Images)