Sat May 24 22:47:47 2008

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Busch makes fuel run work for win at Lowes

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Concord, NC (Sports Network) - Kyle Busch is not only a "lead foot," but he knows how to make a fuel economy run too. He did just that filling up with 69 laps to go and made it work capturing Saturday night's Carquest Auto Parts 300 at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. The No.32 Braun Racing Toyota crossed the finish line just ahead of Denny Hamlin.

The victory was Busch's fourth of the season and 15th of his Nationwide career.

"What an awesome race car," said Busch.

Busch filled up for the final time on lap 131 of the 200 scheduled laps. He not only went the distance, he carried it two laps further when the race went to a green-white-checker finish.

Busch got a good restart on lap 200 and still had the lead as they saw the white flag. Then Mike Wallace spun and hit the wall to bring out the caution flag and an immediate end to the race.

Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and pole winner Brian Vickers completed the top-five.

Vickers started on the pole, but it was David Ragan who led the first lap. After eight laps, Kasey Kahne, the Sprint Cup All-Star winner, took a turn at the top. Ragan returned the favor taking the lead back from Kahne on lap 22. Moving up through the field was Earnhardt Jr. who was up to third, just before a caution flag slowed the field.

However, everything got jumbled on the next caution flag. Jason Leffler (took no tires) jumped six places and into the lead with Sam Hornish Jr., Jimmie Johnson and David Reutimann behind him. Ragan came out sixth.

Hornish Jr. and Leffler flip-flopped the lead a couple of times, but it didn't take long for Ragan to return to the leaders and "Junior" was coming on strong too.

Hornish Jr. was doing fine until he spun himself without any outside help. The incident brought out another caution flag with Ragan and Vickers winning the race off pit road this time. Also showing strength was Hamlin in the No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and Busch in the No.32 Braun Racing Toyota.

Busch charged to the lead on lap 75. Ragan, in second, couldn't get around Busch so he slid up the track and Earnhardt Jr. took a run at him. Meanwhile, Ragan fell all the way to fourth as Hamlin pushed past him into third place.

Busch was still the leader at the midway point, while all the stars were lined up behind him - Earnhardt Jr., Hamlin, Ragan and Johnson. But Busch has been strong all year and he was on Saturday night as well. By lap 115 his lead was more than two seconds over "Junior" and five seconds on Hamlin.

A Bryan Clauson caused caution flag was a disaster for Busch who after a lengthy stay on pit lane came out eighth. Vickers was the big winner grabbing the lead with 75 laps remaining. Earnhardt Jr. sat in second with his "employee" Keselowski third and Hamlin fourth.

Because he was back in the pack, the No.32 team decided to top off with fuel on the next caution flag and try to go the rest of the way without pitting again.

meanwhile, when Vickers got loose on lap 136, Earnhardt Jr. slid underneath him for his first lead of the race. Two laps later his "employee" charged past Earnhardt Jr.

But if they both looked in their rearview mirrors, they could see Jeff Burton making his first appearance with the leaders. The No.29 Chevrolet was third with 55 laps to go and less than one second back.

Keselowski wasn't backing down from either "Junior" or Burton. With 50 laps to go he built his lead to 1.5 seconds. Then Kelly Bires and Kahne got together with 41 laps remaining to bring out a caution flag and send almost everyone down pit lane for one final time.

Busch, Greg Biffle and Jose Wise stayed out. Behind them Hamlin won the race out of the pits with Clint Bowyer and Keselowski just behind. Earnhardt Jr.'s crew was a bit slow and he came out 12th.

The green flag dropped with 35 laps remaining and Hamlin was flying. He got Wise on the first lap. Another caution flag would help Busch and Biffle and they got one with 26 laps to go, but the yellow flag also allowed Hamlin and fourth-place Keselowski to get right on their rear bumper.

On the restart, Hamlin, Keselowski and Earnhardt Jr. got around Biffle. And then with 20 laps to go a debris caution flag slowed the field again. Busch could now likely reach the checkered flag, but he still had to hold off some fast race cars.

Busch built about four lengths on Hamlin, but Hamlin slowly began to reel him back in. The margin was three-tenths of a second with 10 laps to go. Hamlin got side-by-side with six remaining, but he couldn't completed the pass and he had to try and duck back in line. When he did, Keselowski caught them both, but they were coming up on traffic and he couldn't make the pass.

Then an 11th caution flag with three laps to go extended the race to the green-white-checker finish and Busch held them all off for the win.

Bowyer finished sixth and will take a 67-point lead over Busch to the next event, scheduled for Saturday, May 30th at the Dover International Speedway.