Kurt Busch celebrates in Victory Lane after winning Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
With a career record of 0-for-21 coming into Sunday night’s South Point 400 at his hometown Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kurt Busch may have felt like a long shot.
But with fortunate track position late in the race and some sure-bet restarts at the front of the field, Busch can now count himself a Vegas winner.
The victory was a high stakes haul, automatically earning a position for Busch in the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs – moving the 2004 series champion from last place among the 12 Playoff drivers entering the race to the first driver with a guaranteed spot in the Round of 8.
With only one top-10 finish in the last six races at the 1.5-mile Vegas track and so much on the line, Busch was understandably emotional as he climbed onto the hood of his No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet to celebrate the big win after the checkered flag.
“This is what kids dream of when they grow up racing, you dream of winning at your home town track,” Busch said. “For two decades it’s kicked my butt and tonight with this Monster Energy Chevy, I’m in awe.
“I knew the race would come to us. We needed to get to night-fall and one of those quirky (crew chief) Matt McCall pit sequences finally unfolded and we got lucky. You have to be lucky and you have to be lucky in any race, but we did it tonight with teamwork, pulling through and not giving up.”
Busch held off Wood Brothers Racing driver Matt DiBenedetto by a mere .148-seconds for the win – keeping the fan favorite DiBenedetto from a first career victory celebration. Again.
Denny Hamlin, who led a race best 121 laps, finished third. Martin Truex, Jr. and Alex Bowman rounded out the top five.
“It’s heartbreaking to come that close,” DiBenedetto conceded.
Busch’s younger brother Kyle finished sixth, followed by non-championship eligible drivers Ryan Blaney, Erik Jones and Chris Buescher. Championship leader Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 10.
A caution flag flew on lap 189 – just after the race’s leaders had pitted but before Busch and nine other cars had. That changed the complexity of the race and forced the more dominant cars such as Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Hendrick Motorsports teammates Bowman and Chase Elliott to play catch-up in the closing laps. Those three drivers combined to lead 199 of the 268 laps. Busch led 29 in total, but most importantly the last 26 laps.
Hamlin’s 121 laps out front marked the fourth time this season he’s led at least 100 laps and the second time he did not win after doing so.
“Just same thing as happened at Darlington, untimely cautions,” Hamlin said. “That’s what’s keeping us out of victory lane. We obviously had a dominant car today and I’m proud of the whole FedEx team for giving me such a great car, by far the best car I’ve had in Las Vegas and maybe a long time at any mile-and-a-half (track). Just really happy with it.
“Really encouraged by the way we ran, obviously just very disappointed we didn’t get a win.”
Hamlin won Stage 1, his ninth stage win of the season. Elliott, who led 73 laps, won Stage 2 – his eighth stage victory – but he finished 22nd.
Two races remain in this second round of the Playoffs, next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway and October 11 at the Charlotte infield road course. Eight drivers will advance to the penultimate three-races following Charlotte that will decide which four drivers contend for the NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy at Phoenix on November 8.
With his win Sunday, Busch has the automatic ticket into the next round. Harvick leads the Playoff standings with a three-point edge on Hamlin. Brad Keselowski, Truex, Joey Logano, Elliott and Bowman round out the top eight after Las Vegas.
Kyle Busch heads to Talladega nine points behind Bowman for the final eighth transfer position. Clint Bowyer is 20 points back, Aric Almirola is 27 points back and Austin Dillon is 32 points from the cutoff line.
NASCAR Cup Series
Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas, NV
South Point 400 – September 27, 2020
1. (9) Kurt Busch (P), Chevrolet, 268.
2. (19) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 268.
3. (10) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 268.
4. (11) Martin Truex, Jr. (P), Toyota, 268.
5. (8) Alex Bowman (P), Chevrolet, 268.
6. (2) Kyle Busch (P), Toyota, 268.
7. (15) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 268.
8. (13) Erik Jones, Toyota, 268.
9. (16) Chris Buescher, Ford, 268.
10. (1) Kevin Harvick (P), Ford, 268.
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12. (6) Clint Bowyer (P), Ford, 268.
13. (12) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 268.
14. (5) Joey Logano (P), Ford, 268.
15. (27) Ryan Newman, Ford, 268.
16. (22) Cole Custer #, Ford, 268.
17. (4) Aric Almirola (P), Ford, 268.
18. (20) Matt Kenseth, Chevrolet, 268.
19. (21) Ryan Preece, Chevrolet, 268.
20. (25) John Hunter Nemechek #, Ford, 268.
21. (17) Michael McDowell, Ford, 268.
22. (3) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 268.
23. (33) Ricky Stenhouse. Jr., Chevrolet, 268.
24. (26) Christopher Bell #, Toyota, 268.
25. (28) William Byron, Chevrolet, 268.
26. (24) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 267.
27. (31) Corey LaJoie, Ford, 267.
28. (23) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet, 266.
29. (29) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 265.
30. (35) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 265.
31. (30) Gray Gaulding(i), Ford, 262.
32. (7) Austin Dillon (P), Chevrolet, 261.
33. (37) J.J. Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 261.
34. (32) Quin Houff #, Chevrolet, 259.
35. (34) Joey Gase(i), Ford, 256.
36. (38) Josh Bilicki(i), Ford, Suspension, 227.
37. (36) Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Rear End, 160.
38. (14) Tyler Reddick #, Chevrolet, Accident, 157.
39. (39) Chad Finchum(i), Toyota, Overheating, 19.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 131.42 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 3 Mins, 32 Secs. Margin of Victory: .148 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 36 laps.
Lead Changes: 20 among 11 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Harvick (P) 0;C. Elliott (P) 1-27;K. Busch (P) 28-30;D. Hamlin (P) 31-83;K. Busch (P) 84-86;J. Logano (P) 87;D. Hamlin (P) 88-91;C. Elliott (P) 92-118;R. Blaney 119;M. DiBenedetto 120;B. Keselowski (P) 121-122;W. Byron 123-134;C. Buescher 135-144;C. Elliott (P) 145-163;D. Hamlin (P) 164-166;A. Bowman (P) 167-171;D. Hamlin (P) 172-232;M. DiBenedetto 233-234;K. Busch (P) 235-237;M. DiBenedetto 238-242;K. Busch (P) 243-268.
Leaders Summary: (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led) Denny Hamlin (P) 4 times for 121 laps; Chase Elliott (P) 3 times for 73 laps; Kurt Busch (P) 2 times for 29 laps; William Byron 1 time for 12 laps; Chris Buescher 1 time for 10 laps; Matt DiBenedetto 3 times for 8 laps; Kyle Busch (P) 2 times for 6 laps; Alex Bowman (P) 1 time for 5 laps; Brad Keselowski (P) 1 time for 2 laps; Ryan Blaney 1 time for 1 lap; Joey Logano (P) 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 11,22,18,9,4,3,12,88,19,14
Stage #2 Top Ten: 9,11,88,19,12,3,4,21,14,24
Top 12 in Points: 1. Kevin Harvick – 3104 (9 Wins); 2. Denny Hamlin – 3101 (6 Wins); 3. Brad Keselowski – 3059 (4 Wins); 4. Martin Truex, Jr. – 3058 (1 Win); 5. Joey Logano – 3054 (2 Wins); 6. Chase Elliott – 3053 (2 Wins); 7. Alex Bowman – 3052 (1 Win); 8. Kyle Busch – 3043; 9. Kurt Busch * – 3041 (1 Win); 10. Clint Bowyer – 3032; 11. Aric Almirola – 3025; 12. Austin Dillon – 3020 (1 Win).
*Locked into the Round of 8
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