Kyle Busch dominates rain-delayed Truck Series race
Starting at the back of the field wasn't a problem for Kyle Busch on Saturday night. Neither was starting at the back a second time. Or even going a lap down.
All that adversity just delayed the inevitable.
Busch drove the entire field not once but twice to score a dominating victory in the rain-delayed Lucas Oil 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
The victory was Busch's sixth in eight Truck Series starts this season and his 41st career triumph in this division. He led 66 of 150 laps in the process, despite some bad track position early on. Busch's Kyle Busch Motorsports now has won nine races this season.
Busch held off Matt Crafton's No. 88 Menards Toyota and Austin Dillon' s No. 20 Rheem Chevrolet for the victory, with Tyler Reddick and Jeb Burton completing the top five.
"It was fun for us in this No. 51 Tundra tonight," said Busch, who earlier in the day led the most laps but finished third in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race. "… This doesn't make our loss earlier today any sweeter. No. Because we could have had two (victories) and be going for three tomorrow, but we came up short (in the Nationwide race) so we'll just have to fight through that."
Busch will start Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race from the pole. "Maybe we can still get two of the three (races)," he said. "Imagine that. I think I've done that probably plenty of times."
For runner-up Crafton, it was the sixth time the 2013 series champ has finished second to Busch. "Tired of finishing second to him," said Crafton, who retook the points lead with 15 of 22 races complete on the season.
Asked how he could turn it around with Busch, Crafton laughed. "I'm going to have to whoop him, I think, either off the track or on it," he said.
Johnny Sauter started from the pole in his No. 98 Nextant/Curb Records Toyota Tundra, but all eyes were on Busch, who began the night from the rear of the field in the No. 51 Dollar General Toyota. Busch, winner of three of the first five Truck Series races here, had to start last because he missed practice to attend NASCAR Sprint Cup Media Day in Chicago Thursday.
On the opening lap, Sauter bolted free from the field and into the lead, as Busch passed 10 trucks to move to 22nd. By Lap 5, Busch was all the way up to 15th, having gotten by more than half the field already. And after 10 laps, Busch was 10th. He got all the way up to fifth by Lap 25.
Near the 50-lap mark, a fantastic five-way battle for the top spot ensued, with Crafton, Ryan Blaney, Busch, Dillon and Bubba Wallace all fighting for the lead.
Busch took his first lead on Lap 53, with teammate Wallace second. Five laps later, Wallace took over as Busch began complaining of high engine temperatures. But a caution flag and a trip down pit road allowed Busch's crew to clean his grille, which solved the problem.
The track went green on Lap 66, Busch using four fresh Goodyears to take the lead, with Wallace second.
At Lap 75, the halfway point of the race, Busch led Wallace by 1.83 seconds, while Dillon was third ahead of Blaney and Crafton.
Wallace's hopes for victory were dashed by a flat right-front tire on Lap 102. Shortly thereafter, Sauter got caught speeding on pit road.
Busch pitted for the final time with 40 laps to go and had a slow pit stop as the team had trouble fueling the car. Busch went a lap down and seconds later, a caution came out for a spin by Todd Shafer, who missed pit road and turfed the frontstretch infield.
The top five cars had not pitted at this point. Once the pit stops cycled through, Dillon led, with Busch one lap down.
But Busch was able to take the wave around and restarted eighth and on the lead lap, with Dillon, Reddick and Crafton out front.
With 30 laps to Dillon led Crafton, with Busch moving up to third. Busch got past Crafton and into the second spot on Lap 122, with Crafton still close by in third.
Busch started applying suffocating pressure, finally using a lapped truck as a pick to go under Dillon in Turn 4 for the lead with 17 laps to go. And from there, Busch cruised to an easy victory, as Crafton was able to get past Dillon for second.
VIDEO: Kyle Busch teammate Darrell Wallace Jr. blows out a tire as he comes to his pit stall
