Kyle Busch checked yet another track off of his no-win list on Saturday evening in the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway. The reigning and defending Sprint Cup Series champion took the lead when race leader Martin Truex Jr. had to succumb to a loose wheel that cost Kyle Busch’s teammate another chance at glory. Out in front of the pack is where Busch likes to be and that’s where he found himself once again on lap 231 of 267. Despite two more re-starts and a valiant effort from fellow competitor Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch crossed the finish line in first for the third time this year.
“I can’t say enough about everybody on this team,” said Kyle Busch, who broke the jinx at a track where his average finish is 19.2. “At the beginning of the race, we weren’t very good. (Crew chief) Adam Stevens and the guys just keep working on it. The 78 (Truex) was probably the fastest car but we just kept ourselves in the game. It’s pretty impressive.”
There was no doubt to the drivers or the millions watching on television that the fastest car did not finish out in front. Martin Truex Jr. had led a race high 172 laps before the Kansas Speedway gremlins got a hold of his wheel and forced the speedster onto pit row to examine the problem. Truex Jr. would get back into the race but finish in 14th. The disappointment was evident in his post race interview.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Truex said of the loose wheel that ruined his night. “I went around (Turns) 1 and 2, and I was like, ‘The wheel’s loose.’ I kept telling myself that maybe it’s not, maybe it’s just shaking because it has tape on it or something stupid. It was loose, and I knew it right away. Frustrating, but that’s how it goes.
Kevin Harvick and his #4 Freaky Fast Jimmy Johns Chevrolet finished in a familiar second place. With 19 circuits remaining, Harvick threw all but the kitchen sink at Kyle Busch, but came up short when his car hit a piece of debris that caused handling issues that prevented him from making a move for the lead. There was no doubt that the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion had enough power to catch and pass the #18 M&M’s Toyota of Joe Gibbs Racing. A second place finish was quite the accomplishment considering Harvick qualified in the 26th position.
“We overhauled this thing this morning to try to get it close, and they did a great job,” Harvick said. “Hit a big piece of debris and knocked a big hunk out of the nose and knocked the splitter down. From that point on, it was tight. Otherwise I would have drove around him. All in all, it just didn’t play out that way and they were able to win the race.”
Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch’s older sibling, drove his way to an impressive third place finish. Although Busch had a strong car throughout the race, he never managed to place the #41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevrolet out in front.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Matt Kenseth shook off some early season bad luck and came away with a satisfying fourth place finish. Thge #20 Dollar General Toyota started in the seventh spot and managed to stay out of trouble for the entirety of the event. Kenseth did lead three laps during the contest but it was clear he didn’t have the speed to compete with teammates Martin Truex Jr. or Kyle Busch.
Rookie racing phenom Ryan Blaney is making quite a name for himself in 2016. The Woods Brothers driver placed his #21 Motor Craft/Quick Lane Tire Ford Fusion in the fifth spot at the race’s conclusion. It was Blaney’s best career finish on an open-motor track. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this young driver find his way into victory lane in the near future.
Denny Hamlin and his #11 FedEx Toyota threw a monkey wrench into the mix on lap 242. The Daytona 500 victor made a bold move when he tried to thread his machine between the #2 Miller Lite Ford of Brad Keselowski and the #42 Clorox Chevrolet of Kyle Larson. The resulting action was disturbing the air and sending Keselowski and himself into a spin that smashed Larson’s car into the outside wall and took three fast hot-rods out of contention in a mere few seconds. Hamlin would finish in 37th, Larson in 35th and Keselowki in 10th.
The Kansas Speedway Go Bowling 400 took two hours and 49 minutes to complete. The average speed of the field was 141.909 miles per hour and the margin of victory was 1.112 seconds. There were six cautions that used up 30 of the 267 laps turned. Sixteen lead changes took place between ten different drivers and Kyle Busch took home another Mobil 1 Driver of the Race Award.
Final Results for the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway:
1. (6) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 267.
2. (26) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 267.
3. (4) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 267.
4. (2) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 267.
5. (7) Ryan Blaney , Ford, 267.
6. (17) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 267.
7. (8) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 267.
8. (29) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 267.
9. (13) Chase Elliott , Chevrolet, 267.
10. (5) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 267.
11. (12) Carl Edwards, Toyota, 267.
12. (16) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 267.
13. (9) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, 267.
14. (1) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 267.
15. (22) Dale Earnhardt Jr, Chevrolet, 267.
16. (27) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 267.
17. (15) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 267.
18. (19) Aric Almirola, Ford, 265.
19. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 265.
20. (23) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 265.
21. (31) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 265.
22. (28) Brian Scott , Ford, 265.
23. (32) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 265.
24. (25) Chris Buescher , Ford, 265.
25. (10) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 264.
26. (21) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 264.
27. (20) Greg Biffle, Ford, 264.
28. (30) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 264.
29. (34) David Ragan, Toyota, 264.
30. (24) Matt DiBenedetto, Toyota, 264.
31. (35) Landon Cassill, Ford, 264.
32. (39) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 260.
33. (40) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 257.
34. (38) Joey Gase(i), Ford, 257.
35. (18) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 252.
36. (36) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Suspension, 245.
37. (3) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Accident, 240.
38. (14) Joey Logano, Ford, Accident, 240.
39. (37) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 212.
40. (11) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, Engine, 129.
