Winning races this way has not ordinarily been Kyle Busch’s style. Oh sure, he’s fast and fearless, but patience has never been one of his strengths.With this in mind, it’s not like “Shrub” to race from the back with a less than perfect piece to take the checkered flag- but by golly, Busch was a winner at his hometown track on a day that reshuffled the Sprint Cup deck.
Getting there wouldn’t be easy.
A track record 14 caution flags flew at Las Vegas with an epidemic of engine failures and spin outs. Matt Kenseth’s trifecta bid was foiled on lap when his motor gave out. Fellow Roushketeer David Ragan met a similar fate and for a second consecutive week, Mark Martin was taken out with mechanical issues. Though he was scary dominant early on with 92 laps led , Jimmie Johnson’s effort to add another LVMS win to his resume was ultimately done in by a wreck at the tail end of a day where he also slid through his pit box.
Johnson finished 24th.
Car control was a real issue for a number of drivers. Todd Bodine’s #64 would be the first
of several car to run up the track and snap around. Accidents led to early exits by Aric Almirola and Paul Menard- the #98’s crash waylayed what was shaping up to be a top 10 finish. Reed Sorenson, Denny Hamlin and David Stremme also brought out cautions.
A blown tire by Jeff Gordon also created an anxious moment. The new points leader overcame the incident to finish 6th. Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. also overcame early trouble- he was yet another driver this weekend penalized for entering pit road over the speed limit. Junebug rebounded for a 10th place finish, which now lifts Earnhardt to 29th in the standings.
Through smarts and survival, the Shelby 427 was also a “rebound” effort for the Richard Childress cars of Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton. Burton led for 61 laps before eventually giving way to Kyle Busch for a 3rd place finish. Bowyer gets my “Rocky Balboa Award” for biting, scratching and clawing his way to a second place finish. Bowyer is now 2nd in the season standings.
With Burton and Bobby Labonte running up front, I thought maybe I was having a 90’s flashback. Ask.com got their money’s worth from the 2000 Cup champion (besides the gratuitous in-car camera shot thanks to FOX). Labonte looked to be something of a threat before a near miss with Jimmie Johnson on pit road slowed him down. It was a great day for a driver who hadn’t seen the top 5 in a while.
Speaking of top 5s, let’s give it up for David Reutimann. He piloted the #00 to his highest ever NASCAR Cup finish of 4th. After going in fits and starts, it looks like the MWR is getting it together.
Were it not for Busch’s display of growing patience and maturity, the story of this race would have been the yellow flags. There was a lot of strategizing going on when it appeared there might be a long green flag run to the finish. The smoking pit calculators were pretty well put to a much-deserved rest after the debris caution at lap 228.
Props go out to Greg Biffle for another solid outing. He led for 40 laps before being slowed with mechanical issues. The Biff currently sits 4th in the points thanks to his 7th place finish. We would also be remiss not to recognize some smooth driving by Biffle’s RFR stablemate Jamie Mc Murray. Did you see him go through that turn sideways without brushing the wall? Impressive.
Rookie phenom Joey Logano led his first Cup lap at Vegas. He placed a career-best 13th. Joining him in the top 15 is underdog David Gilliland. In his second start of the season in the #71 Chevy, Gilliland finished 14th.
Anyone who doubts the skill and potential greatness of Kyle Busch needs to remember the comments made by Jeff Gordon in an interview that aired during the race. When Busch was compared to a young Gordon, the 4-time Champ dared to infer that young Busch may be better.
If he can continue to show a mastery of the mental aspects of racing to match his wheel skills- there’s no limit to what Busch can accomplish.
You may love him, you may hate him…but you can’t ignore him.
PHOTO CREDITS- Shannin Guy, a contributor for Jerm’s Joint Racing Pub snapped the race photos. Thanks to Jerm’s Joint owner Jeremy Sellers for passing them along.
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I really like Kyle Busch, and I also enjoyed seeing Logano score his first top 15 finish! There were some veteran drivers who lost it on Sunday and Saturday, so people can’t make a big deal out of Logano spinning the car on the exit of turn 4 during the practice session. I really think Logano is going to score a top 5 before the season is over. I really do think Logano is here to stay!
Is it my imagination or have I saw glimpses of some maturity in Kyle this year? My favorite part of the entire race was seeing Jamie Mac “drifting” around that turn. Now that was cool!!!!
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