Kyle Busch is on pace for another NASCAR trifecta after a flawless performance in Saturday’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Nationwide Series race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Busch, who won Friday’s 150-lap Camping World Truck Series event at Phoenix, started on the pole and led all 200 laps in the Nationwide race. It was his fourth win at this flat one-mile track and the 44th of his Nationwide career, which puts him four victories away from tying leader Mark Martin on the series’ all-time race winners list.
Busch seemed untouchable until the final 25 laps when Carl Edwards chased him down and at one point ran side-by-side with him.
Edwards made an attempt to pass Busch with 20 laps to go, but Busch pulled away a couple of laps later and then finished a half-second ahead of Edwards. MiamiHerald.com
Kevin Harvick ran third, followed by Ryan Newman and Reed Sorenson, who took the series lead by five points in front of seventh-place finisher Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Sorenson and Stenhouse were the highest-finishing drivers eligible for the Nationwide title.
As Busch continued his domination in the desert, the fortunes of 2010 series champion Brad Keselowski continued to ebb. On Lap 105, Keselowski blew a right front tire and clobbered the Turn 4 wall to bring out the second caution of the race.
Keselowski, who had finished 102 consecutive Nationwide races before falling out of last week’s race at Daytona, suffered his second consecutive DNF. NASCAR.com
FIN CAR DRIVER MAKE 1 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 2 60 Carl Edwards Ford 3 33 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 4 30 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 5 32 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 6 20 Joey Logano Toyota 7 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 8 31 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 9 11 Brian Scott Toyota 10 9 Kenny Wallace Toyota 11 38 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 12 2 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 13 88 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 14 99 Ryan Truex * Toyota 15 87 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 16 40 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 17 7 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 18 39 Josh Wise Ford 19 62 Michael Annett Toyota 20 19 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 21 44 Charles Lewandoski * Chevrolet 22 51 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 23 28 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 24 23 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 25 14 Eric McClure Chevrolet 26 1 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 27 81 Blake Koch * Dodge 28 70 Shelby Howard Chevrolet 29 15 Timmy Hill* Ford 30 66 Steve Wallace Toyota 31 16 Trevor Bayne Ford 32 79 Jennifer Jo Cobb * Ford 33 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 34 22 Brad Keselowski Dodge 35 52 Daryl Harr Chevrolet 36 141 Carl Long Ford 37 24 Kevin Lepage Ford 38 25 Kelly Bires Ford 39 55 Brett Rowe Chevrolet 40 27 Justin Marks Ford
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