Kurt Busch was staying close to his younger brother Kyle throughout the Dickies 500 this afternoon. And when Kyle had to pit because of low fuel, Kurt took advantage.
The elder Busch won the Dickies 500 this afternoon, claiming his second victory this season and first ever at Texas Motor Speedway. Kurt kept this weekend’s victory party in the family but denying his younger brother his shot at history. Kyle Busch had won Friday and Saturday’s races, and was trying to become the first driver to win all three NASCAR national series races in the same weekend. He finished 11th. Fort Worth Star Telegram
“It’s bittersweet to beat Kyle. He was going for the sweep. We took it away from him,” said Kurt Busch, who led six times for 89 laps while also running second behind his brother much of the race. “I don’t think he could have picked a better driver to lose to. ... It wasn’t quite the door-to-door, nose-to-tail, fender-banging green-whiste-checkered like we would have hoped, but it came down to strategy.”
Dave Rogers, who made his debut as Busch’s crew chief in the Sprint Cup, said they thought they had enough fuel to finish the race and described the driver as “frustrated.” Busch, who wound up 11th, didn’t talk to reporters.
Kurt Busch’s 20th career victory came with an average speed of 147.137 mph and by a nearly 26-second margin over second-place Denny Hamlin. Matt Kenseth was third. The Associated Press
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Dickies 500 at Texas - Race Results
While Busch celebrated with a backwards victory lap with the checkered flag in hand, Johnson’s day at Texas turned out to be disastrous after his wreck resulted in a 38th-place finish and his points lead trimmed from 184 points to 73 over Mark Martin, who finished fourth.
“It’s still a respectable lead,” Johnson said. “I hated that we gave up all these points tonight.”
Johnson spent one hour and eight minutes behind the wall for repairs after smacking the inside retaining wall along the backstretch on the third lap. David Reutimann made slight contact with Sam Hornish Jr., and Hornish then bumped Johnson, sending him into the wall.
Crew members from Johnson’s team replaced both the front and rear suspension, as well as the drive shaft and water cooling system. He finished the race 129 laps behind.
“The guys did a great job to get this car back on the track and get a couple more spots, and we’ll go to Phoenix and race,” Johnson added. MiamiHerald.com
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