Party time: Kyle Busch wins Richmond Cup race on 24th birthday
Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch won Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway. // Sam Cranston, NASCAR Scene
RICHMOND, Va. – Love him or hate him, one certainly can't argue the talent Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch showed in winning Saturday night's Crown Royal/Russ Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Busch continued to show his trademark strength on restarts and to battle through the field when needed en route to his second win in as many nights at the Virginia track.
The night was a showcase of shifting leads and spinning cars - everything that short-track races are noted for. Fans remained on the edge of their seats, uncertain of who would take the lead. While several drivers enjoyed lengthy runs at the front, no one truly seemed to be dominating the event.
As the laps wound down, the racing got more aggressive at the front. Cars spun more regularly and drivers found themselves racing three wide on the .75-mile track from time to time. And Busch worked his magic.
He took the lead for the final time on lap 352 and held on to win on his 24th birthday. He led a total of 53 laps in the race.
Stewart-Haas Racing's Tony Stewart finished second, followed by Richard Childress Racing's Jeff Burton, SHR’s Ryan Newman and Hendrick Motorsports' Mark Martin.
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin was stout, but the tone for his night was set when he lost the lead early on a pit stop and then struggled to get back in the front. He would do so on more than one occasion, but he couldn't manage to hold that position to the end. He led 148 laps on his hometown track, but finished 14th.
On lap 212, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing's Martin Truex Jr. emerged from pit road in front of the pack, with Newman on his bumper. It didn't take long before Newman dispatched of Truex to take the lead. Hamlin was third and holding for a while, but moved to second on lap 240. He regained the lead on lap 249.
And then it happened again. During an ensuing caution for debris on the track, Hamlin once more lost position on pit road as three lug nuts fell off the right-front tire and then he emerged in eighth.
Newman moved back to the front and led 43 laps over the next few segments, though he traded the lead with others from time to time. Busch showcased his restart skill once more. He whipped to the outside of Newman and moved to the front on the lap-299 restart. Newman moved back alongside Busch and eased back into the lead on lap 303.
In the midst of a flurry of late cautions, Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon took the lead with a gutsy call to stay on the track when most of the leaders pitted on lap 308. Gordon held the lead as the pace of crashes picked up and slowed the green-flag action.
The lead-lap drivers grew increasingly anxious. Penske Racing’s Kurt Busch nudged Bobby Labonte on lap 354, sending him spinning into the frontstretch grass. And Gordon maintained his lead, once more benefiting from a series of caution laps.
And then there was that pesky Busch on a restart. He stormed outside and around Roush Fenway Racing's Carl Edwards on the restart on lap 350, a repeat maneuver of the Nationwide race at the track Friday night. And then he set his sights on Gordon. It took a little longer, but on lap 352 he slipped to the inside of Gordon and into the lead.
Edwards, who had recovered from an earlier spin and appeared on track for a top-five finish, began to slip back. He continually lost position over the race's closing laps.
The cautions started early, though the initial incidents were minor. The first segment of the race was fairly clean, with only single-car accidents and then things started getting a little more wild. Penske Racing's David Stremme hit Edwards and spun him. Roush Fenway's Jamie McMurray also spun in the incident. McMurray then came to pit road, but was ruled to be down a lap and held there for a lap as a penalty, sparking some anger.
A few laps later, Stremme pushed Roush Fenway's Matt Kenseth into the wall, but no caution came out.
Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson was developing problems with his brakes. Further back in the pack after an earlier penalty for speeding on pit road, Johnson then got loose and spun to cause a caution period beginning on lap 193. He came into the pits and was directed to restart at the tail end of the lead line. When he failed to do so, he was called in for a pass-through penalty and found himself outside the top 30 and three laps down.
Then things started getting a bit more heated. On lap 212, Hendrick's Dale Earnhardt Jr. turned into Jeff Burton and sent his Richard Childress Racing car into the wall. Then Kyle Busch and Red Bull Racing's Brian Vickers had some minor contact.
It picked up from there on in.
On lap 314, Busch slowed, then Joey Logano tried to slow and Stewart tried to miss him. The chain reaction ended when Martin spun and was hit by Truex. Then another accordion-style crash ignited and left Stremme in the wall and Johnson in the garage. Kahne also incurred significant damage in the incident. Cautions would slow the race a few more times, but only Stremme would visit the care center.
"It was quite a night," Burton said.
Busch led 53 laps in the race and became just the second NASCAR driver to win on his birthday. Cale Yarborough did so twice in his career.
Gordon, who finished eighth, resumed the series' points lead. He now has a 10-point lead over Kurt Busch.
