Busch Is King Of The Road

Driver Insider
Posted Aug 15, 2008


Kyle Busch continues to make history in this 2008 NASCAR season.  Busch won his third road course event of the season, taking the checkered flag at the Centurion Boats at the Glen.  Busch was able to stay ahead of a major late race crash and hold off the competition to continue his remarkable year. 


You may have run out of adjectives to describe the season for Kyle Busch.  I've just about run out of titles for these stories of a Kyle Busch win.  He continued his unreal season by taking the win at the Centurion Boats at the Glen Sunday afternoon.  It was his eighth win of the season.  It was also his third road course win of the season in NASCAR.  He won the Nationwide race at Mexico and the Sprint Cup event at Sonoma.  After being awarded the pole after qualifying was rained out, Busch led 52 of the 90 laps.  Add to that, he has all but clinched the top spot in the standings for The Chase.  With four races remaining before The Chase, Busch leads second place Carl Edwards by 242 points.

There were four cautions for nine laps.  It would be the last of the yellow flags that will be remembered in this race.  In the eleventh turn, a nine car wreck brought out the red flag for almost 45 minutes.  It was a wreck that you might expect at Daytona or Talladega.  It started with Michael McDowell and David Gilliland making contact in the turn.  McDowell was able to keep going, but Gilliland went into the wall, and the chaos was on.  When it was all said and done, Gilliland, Bobby Labonte, Max Papis, Reed Sorenson, Joe Nemechek, Ryan Newman, Dave Blaney, Michael Waltrip and Sam Hornish Jr. were involved in the wreck.  The incident was clearly started with the contact from McDowell and Gilliland.  NASCAR called both drivers after the race to discuss it.

All drivers were able to walk away from the wreck without serious injury.  However, Bobby Labonte was visibally limping after getting out of his car.  He was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.

Folowing Busch in second place was Tony Stewart, who moved up two spots to seventh in the points standings to seventh.  Marcos Ambrose followed up his win in the Nationwide Series race at the Glen Saturday with a third place run, marking one of the best finishes in recent memory for the Wood BrothersJuan Pablo Montoya finished fourth with Martin Truex Jr. fifth.  Kevin Harvick stayed in Chase position with a sixth place run with Jimmie Johnson placing seventh.  Rounding out the top ten were Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch.

Other notable finishes include Matt Kenseth in 12th, Kasey Kahne in 14th, Jeff Burton 17th, Greg Biffle 21st, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 22nd, Ryan Newman 26th, and Jeff Gordon 29th.

After Sunday's race at Watkins Glen, there are four races remaing until The Chase.  Kyle Busch is a lock to make it with Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton all in great shape.  Jeff Gordon is in pretty good shape, 148 points ahead of 13th place Clint Bowyer.  But Gordon, who hasn't won this year, probably needs a top five finish to put himself solidly in.  From seventh on back in the top 12, Tony Stewart is 138 points ahead of Bowyer with Kasey Kahne 107 ahead, Denny Hamlin and Greg Biffle 83 ahead, Kevin Harvick 64 ahead, and Matt Kenseth holding the last spot by 22 points in front of Clint.

NASCAR will be in Michigan this coming weekend.  The Nationwide Series will race in the Carfax 250 Satruday with the Nationwide Series Sunday in the 3M Performance 400.

By:  CrimsonCowboy



Related Stories
Edwards, Busch Pace The Field Again
 -by DriverInsider.com  Aug 20, 2008
NASCAR's New Rivalry
 -by DriverInsider.com  Aug 26, 2008
Johnson Builds Pre-Chase Momentum
 -by DriverInsider.com  Sep 9, 2008

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