Sat Apr 5 17:37:54 2008

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Busch dominates for Nationwide win at TMS

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Fort Worth, TX (Sports Network) - Kyle Busch didn't need a good starting position to dominate Saturday's O'Reilly 300 at the Texas Motor Speedway. The No.18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota started near the back and still led 126 of 200 laps crossing the finish line a comfortable 1.041 seconds ahead of Jeff Burton.

The victory was Busch's first of the season and 12th of his Nationwide career.

"A great job by all these guys at Joe Gibbs Racing...the car was awesome," said Busch.

Kevin Harvick, who sat on the pole because of Thursday's rained out qualifying session, proved he might have had the fastest car anyway, by leading right from the drop of the green flag. The No.33 Chevrolet held off Tony Stewart, who worked his way from sixth to second for 53 laps before Stewart slid around him for the first lead change of the race.

While the two were fighting for the lead, Busch was flying through the field from his 31st starting spot on the grid. By lap 40 he was already in the top-10 and still closing on the leaders. He cracked the top-four before lap 50.

On the first green flag pit stop, Harvick had problems leaving the pit. He made one slow lap and returning to the garage with a broken left axle. It was Stewart who held the lead after the stops, with Bowyer and Busch about three seconds back.

Busch, however, was still the fastest car on the track, even faster than the leader and he passed Bowyer for second place at lap 68. Then on lap 71 Stewart suddenly slowed. He thought it was a right-side vibration and pulled down pit lane. They changed tires and off he went, but he was now down a lap.

Busch inherited the lead from Stewart with about a one-second edge on Bowyer and three seconds on Burton. By lap 85 the gap was 3.007 seconds between Busch and Bowyer and the No.18 Toyota driver had lapped all but 15 cars.

The inevitable caution, for debris, erased Busch's big lead, but it didn't slow the Las Vegas native down. The big loser on the stop was the No.2 Bowyer Chevrolet that fell from second to fourth. So it was now Burton trying to stay with Busch.

It was all Burton could do to keep up with Busch and he fell one second back at the 115-lap mark. The only car on track with Busch's speed was the No.32 Toyota of Brian Vickers, who had come from 19th on the grid to fourth place behind Busch, Burton and David Reutimann.

But unless he broke or made a driving error this was Busch's race. He had the lead up to three seconds again by lap 130 and 5.168 seconds at lap 145.

Meanwhile, Stewart was back on track and the first car one lap down. Should a caution flag come out he would get the "Lucky Dog" pass and be back in the race. Unfortunately a long green-flag run coupled with Busch's speed meant that Stewart never got that free pass and finished 10th.

Final green flag stops began around lap 152. Busch came in on lap 155, made no changes and off he went. He had just returned to the track when Kyle Krisiloff spun to bring out just the third caution flag of the day.

The front four cars after the stops had not changed positions - Busch, Burton, Reutimann and Vickers.

Reutimann was slow on the restart and reported that he was down a cylinder, moving Vickers up to third place with 35 laps to go. But this race was all about the No.18 Toyota.

Busch rebuilt the lead to one second with 30 laps remaining and 4.006 seconds with 13 to go. But Krisiloff blew a tire with 12 laps to go to give Burton and David Ragan, who also stayed out, one last shot at Busch. Clint Bowyer was fourth, with four fresh tires.

"I thought staying out in the fresh air would be best," said Busch.

Bowyer got around Ragan relatively quickly, but he and Burton fought for second and it gave Busch a chance to open up a solid lead. From there Busch cruised to the checkered flag without challenge leading 126 of 200 laps.

Bowyer, Labonte and Jamie McMurray completed the top-five.

The next race is scheduled for Friday, April 11th at the Phoenix International Raceway.