Smoke Show
Exciting Finish to NHMS Nationwide Race
LOUDON, NH — Kyle Busch has started 14 NASCAR Nationwide Series races this season. Thanks to another dominating run in Saturday’s CNBC Prime’s “The Profit” 200 at the Magic Mile, Busch has now found victory lane in half of those races, taking the checkered flag for the seventh time this season.
It was Busch’s fourth win in his last five Nationwide starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It was the 58th victory in 258 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. No matter how you score it, Busch is spending a lot of time leading the field.
“Here in Loudon you want to get out front, you want to lead laps – especially at a place where it is hard to pass,” said Busch, who started from the pole and led a race-high 141 laps. “For me, it’s kind of like minding your own business. I like to get everyone away from me because with restarts, you put your fate in the hands of other people.”
[Sat. Photo Gallery] by Adam Fohlin
[Sat. Photo Gallery] by Paul Fohlin
[Sat. Photo Gallery] by Nathan Teto
Brian Vickers, Austin Dillon, Brian Scott and Michael Annett round out the top-five finishers.
Dillon’s third-place finish was tops among all “Dash 4 Cash” qualifiers, earning him a nice payday of $100,000. The “Dash 4 Cash” is a bonus program that rewards the highest-finishing eligible driver in four designated races with a $100,000 bonus above and beyond the race purse. Dillon, Sam Hornish Jr. (seventh), Kyle Larson (14th) and Elliott Sadler (18th) were the eligible “D4C” drivers this week.
Dillon, Vickers, Scott and Annett have qualified for next week’s race at Chicagoland Speedway.
The last 20-plus laps on Saturday came down to fuel mileage. And with seven cautions and three attempts at a green-white-checkered finish, the drivers went well over their fuel-mileage windows once the 213 laps were finished.
“I just thank the good lord above for keeping the fuel in there for us,” said Dillon. “We didn’t get the track position we wanted after our first stop, but we were good enough to pick up some positions all day. That $100,000 bonus feels good, though.”
Vickers led the second-most laps with 63. He challenged Busch for most of the afternoon, but an overheating problem kept him from truly challenging the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota during crunch time.
“We ran good all day and we had a really fast car until we had the overheating issue and that is when the 54 drove away from us,” said Vickers, who posted his ninth top-10 this season. “I completely ran out of gas coming out of turn 4 on the final lap, so we gave him everything we had.”
Alex Bowman (10th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Regan Smith (eighth) now leads the point standings by five points over Sam Hornish Jr.
The weekend caps off with the 21st running of the NASCAR Camping World RV Sales 301, which will run on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
“Track time is an added bonus,” said Busch, who will start the Camping World RV Sales 301 in fourth. “I think I learned some things today that will help (on Sunday).”
For more details and ticket information on events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, or to purchase tickets to the SYLVANIA 300 NASCAR weekend in September, please stop by our Ticket Office, visit the speedway website at www.nhms.com, or call our Ticket Hotline at (603) 783-4931.
Sources: NHMS.com