He may not be in the Playoffs any longer, but Kyle Busch put an end to a 33-race winless streak Wednesday at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series Autotrader EchoPark 500.
Just about everybody expected Busch to go winless for the first time in his career in 2020, as there were just three races left, but after a strange weekend, which included a 72-plus hour rain delay, Busch snagged career win No. 57.
“It’s been a really long time,” Busch quipped after forgetting to do his patented post-victory bow.
Busch, who had a fuel tank nearing empty, was able to manage the gap to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr., while also saving enough in the tank to make it to the finish.
“I don’t know,” Busch answered on how he was able to pull off the win. “Just kept getting great leadership and mentoring from Adam and Tony and those guys kept talking to me and reminding me about saving and being able to do what I could.”
For Truex, the narrow miss for the win is unfortunate, as he could have secured a bid into the Championship 4 with a win. After a 20-point deduction at the beginning of the race weekend for an illegal spoiler, Truex will more than likely need a win at Martinsville to battle for a championship.
Christopher Bell finished third in the Leavine Family Racing No. 95 car, while Ryan Blaney and Alex Bowman were fourth and fifth.
Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Matt DiBenedetto, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano rounded out the top-10 finishers in the race.
Kevin Harvick (16th) and Chase Elliott (20th) were the only two Playoff contenders to finish outside the top-10.
Harvick slapped the wall on Sunday, before the rain halted the action. His car never returned to race-winning form, but he did salvage a decent result.
Elliott wasn’t as fortunate. He had a decent car, but after deciding to pit for fuel only, the No. 9 team returned to the track only to have a tire come apart. Elliott would pit again and lose a lap.
Here is the updated Round of 8 Playoff Grid with one race until the Championship 4:
- Joey Logano (locked in by way of win)
- Kevin Harvick, +42 points
- Denny Hamlin, +27
- Brad Keselowski, +25
—Cut Line—
5. Alex Bowman, -25
6. Chase Elliott, -25
7. Martin Truex Jr., -36
8. Kurt Busch, -81
Post-Race Stat Pack:
