Kyle Busch to race for title after Martinsville victory

By JENNA FRYER
Associated Press

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — There should be no confusion about the intensity of NASCAR's playoffs after Sunday's show at Martinsville Speedway.

Chase Elliott could have won, same for Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin, too.

It was Kyle Busch, though, who punched his ticket into NASCAR's championship race with a victory in overtime of a race that turned wild very, very quickly and ended with a multicar accident after Busch took the checkered flag.

Busch moved Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Hamlin out of his way to earn a spot in next month's championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the third consecutive year. He won the series title in 2015.

"We weren't the best all day, but we put ourselves in the right spots there at the end," Busch said. "There was kind of chaos ensuing and none of it was our fault, we just came out on the right end of the stick."

Keselowski was in position to win when Joey Logano developed a tire problem with about 10 laps remaining in regulation. Had his Team Penske teammate pitted under green to fix the tire, Keselowski likely would have coasted to the win and earned the spot in the finale.

Instead, Logano spun and brought out a caution.

Keselowski was moved out of the way by Elliott after a restart, and Hamlin then spun Elliott out of the lead with two laps remaining in regulation. Elliott wrecked, chased Hamlin down on the cool-down lap to show his displeasure, and the drivers had a heated exchange after they climbed from their cars.

It was a tough result for Elliott — from potential race winner to 27th, lowest of the eight remaining playoff drivers.

"My mom always said if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," Elliott said. "He's not worth my time. I got punted from behind and wrecked in Turn 3 leading the race. I don't know what his problem was. It was unnecessary and I hadn't raced him dirty all day long.

"We had the best car I've ever had here at Martinsville, and had an opportunity to go straight to Homestead and because of him we don't."

Elliott could repeatedly be seen saying 'You wrecked me,' to Hamlin as the crowd roared its approval over the tension. Hamlin at first defended his actions because of the stakes, but later apologized to Elliott on social media.

"I've raced nearly 10,000 races since I was 7. Today was the first time I ever spun out the leader," Hamlin wrote on Twitter. "I regret the outcome because it was not intentional the way it turned out but I am responsible for my own car and take blame. Nothing I say now can turn back the clock."

Hamlin faded to seventh after Busch bumped him for the win.

"That was our chance to move to Homestead," Busch shrugged.

Keselowski wound up fourth in a race his team believed he had to win.

Instead, he was simply darting his way around a huge pileup on the final lap that ended an emotional opening race of the third round of the playoffs.

"Yeah, everybody is just desperate," Keselowski said.

Martin Truex Jr. wound up second in a 1-2 sweep for Toyota, which has won six of the seven playoff races. Truex and Busch have won three playoff races each, while Keselowski won in the second round.

The favorite to win the title, Truex said he is confident enough he will make it to next month's finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway without having to bump Busch out of his way to grab the automatic berth.

"I don't know that I would have done anything differently," Truex said. "I think we can get to Homestead without making too many enemies. We'll let everybody else fight and we'll try to do our own thing."

Clint Bowyer, not eligible for the playoffs, finished third.

Kevin Harvick was fifth in a Ford, Ryan Blaney eighth for the Wood Brothers of nearby Stuart, Virginia, and the manufacturer placed six drivers in the top 10.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the highest-finishing Chevrolet driver in 11th and was dumbfounded by the last-lap chaos.

"Man, I can't believe how everybody crossed the finish line. I ain't seen nothing like that, I ain't seen it, I don't know if I ever have seen it," Earnhardt said. "There was a wreck one time at Richmond before they ever reconfigured it in the Xfinity race on the front straightaway in like 1982 — that is the only thing I ever seen like it. Crazy finish."

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson finished 12th.

That was a near victory for Johnson, who spun in Sunday morning qualifying and needed to make repairs to his Chevrolet that forced him to start last. A nine-time Martinsville winner, he used this race last year to vault him toward his record-tying seventh championship.

At one point late in Sunday's race, Johnson was put a lap down by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Elliott.

"We were just terrible all day," Johnson said. "Oh, what a bummer. We had high hopes for this weekend."

WOMP, WOMP

Kyle Larson had been considered a strong championship contender until his engine blew in last week's elimination race at Kansas. Now out of the playoffs, he wasn't competitive Sunday, crashed and finished 37th.

"Another Martinsville for us. I've got to figure out how to get around this place," Larson said. He has one career top-10 finish at the track.

SQUEEZED SCHEDULE

NASCAR experimented with a condensed two-day show at Martinsville, where qualifying was held a little more than three hours before the start of the race. Although roughly two hours of practice time was lost by dumping the third on-track day, fans did get an autograph session and Fan Fest after Saturday's two practice sessions.

LIGHTS

The long race day gave Martinsville the opportunity to make the NASCAR debut of its new $5 million LED lighting system.

NASCAR's oldest track completed the project in February and used it once, last month in a lower-level event. Because of Sunday's late afternoon start time, the lights — enough to brighten eight football fields with one of 15 different lighting scenes — were flipped on roughly two hours into the race.

"Why we don't race at night is beyond me here," Bowyer said. "We should definitely utilize those lights for something other than (overtime) because it's pretty damned cool under the lights."

UP NEXT

The middle race of this playoff round, Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Carl Edwards is the defending race winner, but now retired. Johnson won at Texas in the spring.

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More AP Auto Racing: http://racing.ap.org/

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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - First Data 500

Martinsville Speedway

Martinsville, Virginia

Sunday, October 29, 2017

                  1. (14) Kyle Busch (P), Toyota, 505.
                  2. (2) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota, 505.
                  3. (5) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 505.
                  4. (7) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 505.
                  5. (13) Kevin Harvick (P), Ford, 505.
                  6. (34) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 505.
                  7. (6) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 505.
                  8. (4) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 505.
                  9. (17) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 505.
                  10. (22) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 505.
                  11. (21) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 505.
                  12. (24) Jimmie Johnson (P), Chevrolet, 505.
                  13. (25) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 505.
                  14. (18) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 505.
                  15. (15) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 505.
                  16. (12) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 505.
                  17. (23) Danica Patrick, Ford, 505.
                  18. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford, 505.
                  19. (20) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 505.
                  20. (19) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 505.
                  21. (29) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 505.
                  22. (11) Kurt Busch, Ford, 505.
                  23. (33) Landon Cassill, Ford, 505.
                  24. (1) Joey Logano, Ford, 504.
                  25. (30) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 504.
                  26. (8) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 504.
                  27. (3) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 504.
                  28. (31) David Ragan, Ford, 503.
                  29. (16) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 503.
                  30. (26) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 501.
                  31. (35) * Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, 501.
                  32. (32) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 500.
                  33. (36) Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, 500.
                  34. (40) * Hermie Sadler, Chevrolet, 494.
                  35. (38) * Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 488.
                  36. (39) * Carl Long(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 444.
                  37. (9) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 300.
                  38. (37) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 274.
                  39. (28) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Electrical, 187.
                  40. (27) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, Accident, 94.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  74.902 mph.
Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 32 Mins, 47 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.141 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  11 for 74 laps.
Lead Changes:  16 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   J. Logano 1-48; B. Keselowski (P) 49-78; J. Logano 79-89; J. Johnson (P) 90-113; B. Keselowski (P) 114-134; K. Busch (P) 135-257; B. Keselowski (P) 258-265; K. Busch (P) 266-324; C. Elliott (P) 325-362; B. Keselowski (P) 363-385; C. Elliott (P) 386-458; K. Busch (P) 459; C. Elliott (P) 460-470; B. Keselowski (P) 471-496; C. Elliott (P) 497; D. Hamlin (P) 498-504; K. Busch (P) 505;.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Busch (P) 4 times for 184 laps; C. Elliott (P) 4 times for 123 laps; B. Keselowski (P) 5 times for 108 laps; J. Logano 2 times for 59 laps; J. Johnson (P) 1 time for 24 laps; D. Hamlin (P) 1 time for 7 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 2,18,22,48,78,24,21,5,3,11
Stage #2 Top Ten: 2,18,22,78,24,21,4,20,14,48 

Brad Keselowski Bypasses Busch, Ices XFINITY Win at Richmond

NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. — In the long run, Brad Keselowski knew he had the superior car.

And that’s exactly what Keselowski got – a long run to close Friday night’s Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond Raceway.

“When you can race with him (Busch), you know you’re having a good day, especially in this series,” Keselowski said after completing a spectacular celebratory burnout on the frontstretch. “When you race with Kyle, you race with the best. He and I may not always get along, but I have a lot of respect for his talent.”

After the second stage, which Keselowski won with a pass of Busch on the final circuit (Lap 150), the race ran without caution for the final 89 laps. Keselowski was driving a car with the new flange-fit composite body, which will be mandatory in the series by 2019.

“We weren’t quite where we wanted to be on the short runs, but good enough to be right there,” said Keselowski, who won for the second time this season, the fourth time at the .75-mile track and the 36th time in his career. “We just hung with him and got the long runs and we were able to pounce.

“That’s a testament to the team. (NBC Sports Analyst Jeff) Burton was asking me if it was the setup or the driver. I think it was both. I’m happy to get another win in this series. It’s a lot of fun and the first one in these new bodies. At least you know it isn’t an aero advantage. A great night at Richmond. I’m proud of my whole team.”

The cars of Keselowski and Busch were the clear class of the field, but behind them, series regular Elliott Sadler rolled home in fifth place and clinched the regular-season championship, along with the bonus of 15 playoff points that goes with it.

“We’re getting ourselves in playoff form,” said Sadler, who locked up the title with one race left in the regular season. “We’re fired up and ready to go.”

Making his last XFINITY start of the season, Busch had to settle for second.

“We just didn’t have long-run speed,” said Busch, who lost the lead for the final time in heavy traffic through Turns 1 and 2, after leading on five occasions for a total of 182 laps. “It”s tough to finish second, especially in the last go-round for the year.”

Ty Dillon ran third, followed by Daniel Hemric, Sadler, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Justin Allgaier and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt’s No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet was the last car on the lead lap, thanks to the long green-flag run to finish the race — the same long run Keselowski was so glad to see.

Kyle Busch scores $1 million with All-Star race victory

By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) – In a race built on brave, bold moments, Kyle Busch used one to win NASCAR's annual All-Star race and its $1 million prize.

Busch used an aggressive three-wide pass for the lead Saturday night to take the All-Star event for the first time.

"It was now or never," Busch said.

Although the race does not count in the standings, it was Busch's first Cup victory of the season and first at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Busch also won the Truck Series race Friday night, but the victory Saturday was the first time he's ever been to victory lane at Charlotte in a Cup car.

His winning ways in lower divisions often gives fans a sour taste, but Busch was cheered as he excitedly pumped the checkered flag.

"I think they were just glad to see a new winner," he joked.

Busch dove low around Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson on the restart to take the lead on the final 10-lap sprint. This year's format pitted 10 drivers against each other for 10 final laps with the money on the line.

"I wouldn't take anyone else but Kyle Busch on a restart," said crew chief Adam Stevens.

Clean air was the difference and Busch was untouchable once out front.

"We have never won in Charlotte in a Cup car and we finally did that," Busch said from victory lane. "We won a million dollars. There is reason to celebrate big. We are relieved, eluded and excited."

Kyle Larson, winner of the first two 20-lap segments and the clear car to beat, finished second. He was stymied by a slow final pit stop that prevented him from restarting as the leader.

"My pit crew has been awesome all year. We came down pit road the leader and three people passed up. That was pretty much the difference," Larson said. "With 10 laps, track position is huge and we just didn't have it at the end. We had the best car out there for sure."

He was highly disappointed and said finished second "sucks (expletive)."

Johnson won the second segment to advance, but let the win get away on the restart for the finale.

"I drove too hard," Johnson said. "I saw a million dollars out the windshield and I drove too hard."

NASCAR, Charlotte track president Marcus Smith and Goodyear officials hoped the introduction of a "bonus tire" would liven the race. The idea was that the softer tire - which was faster - could be used once at any time during the race.

Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez, who both raced their way into the event in an earlier qualifier Saturday, along with Chase Elliott, winner of the fan vote, all opened the race with the softer tires. It made little difference as the first segment was more like a 20-lap parade, with little action and Larson leading flag to flag.

The mandatory pit stops after the segment were a disaster for Matt Kenseth, who developed an oil leak and went to the garage.

Martin Truex Jr. was among the five drivers who took the softer tires on the pit stop, but a penalty by his team sent him to the rear of the field for the start of segment two. The softer tires had minimum influence, and no one had anything for Larson anyway. He again led the entire segment, then took his softer tires for the third segment.

Larson wasn't the leader at the start of the second segment because Clint Bowyer and Blaney took only two tires on the pit stop to jump to the lead. Bowyer's was a gamble because he had the softer tires on his car already, and the rule required that all four softer tires be put on the car at once.

In making just a two-tire stop, Bowyer found himself with a pair of primary tires and a pair of soft tires. NASCAR had to decide if that was legal, which it was because Bowyer had placed the four soft tires on at the same time.

"I read the entry blanks and everything before I got here, and it's not in there," said crew chief Mike Bugarewicz.

The move didn't work and Bowyer plunged into the field, and he failed to advance into the final round. Blaney couldn't hold the lead either and Johnson won the stage to earn the automatic berth into the finale.

Meanwhile, Keselowski had planned to use the softer tires in the third segment, but developed a vibration during the caution period. His team took the tires off, intending to use them in the final segment, but NASCAR refused. The tires had to be brand new when put on the car, and NASCAR ruled that even used only under caution, the tires were no longer allowed.

Larson and Johnson locked in the first two spots in the finale as stage winners, and Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray, Denny Hamlin, Keselowski, Elliott and Joey Logano rounded out the final 10. They earned the spots based on average finishing position.

Johnson won the race off pit, Keselowski stayed out on old tires, and Kyle Busch pounced on the restart. No driver in the final segment used the softer tires.

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