Busch uses late pass to capture Xfinity race
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Busch took advantage of Ryan Blaney's last-lap bobble, making an inside pass on the back straightaway to win the Xfinity Series race Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Busch raced to his second Xfinity Series victory in three years at Indianapolis — both from the pole — and pushed his series-record victory total to 72. The margin of 0.421 seconds was the closest in the four races held on the historic 2.5-mile oval.
Though Busch, sidelined at the start of the season after breaking his right leg and left foot in the Xfinity opener at Daytona, dominated the race, he surrendered the lead on the final restart after choosing the outside line. Blaney outraced him to the first turn on Lap 76.
The 21-year-old looked as if he would hold on after extending the lead to 0.808 seconds with 10 laps left. But with Busch closing and Blaney trying to move past a lapped car, Blaney's car wiggled, Busch ducked inside and regained the lead.
SATURDAY'S RESULTS
Lap length: 2.5 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
1. (1) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 100 laps, 0 points.
2. (11) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 100, 43.
3. (2) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 100, 42.
4. (5) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 100, 0.
5. (6) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 100, 39.
6. (16) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 100, 0.
7. (10) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 100, 0.
8. (14) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 100, 36.
9. (9) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 100, 36.
10. (13) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 100, 34.
11. (7) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 100, 33.
12. (20) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 100, 32.
13. (4) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 100, 31.
14. (8) Aric Almirola, Ford, 100, 0.
15. (26) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 100, 29.
16. (12) Chris Buescher, Ford, 100, 28.
17. (15) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 100, 0.
18. (17) J.J. Yeley, Toyota, 100, 26.
19. (18) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 99, 25.
20. (22) Ryan Reed, Ford, 99, 24.
21. (25) Cale Conley, Toyota, 98, 23.
22. (30) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 98, 22.
23. (23) Darrell Wallace Jr., Ford, 98, 21.
24. (36) Martin Roy, Chevrolet, 97, 20.
25. (29) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 97, 19.
26. (37) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 97, 18.
27. (24) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 97, 0.
28. (31) Stanton Barrett, Ford, 97, 16.
29. (32) Eric McClure, Toyota, 96, 15.
30. (38) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 95, 14.
31. (19) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 92, 13.
32. (28) B.J. McLeod, Dodge, 90, 0.
33. (40) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 87, 11.
34. (3) Erik Jones, Toyota, 80, 0.
35. (34) Peyton Sellers, Chevrolet, oil leak, 77, 9.
36. (27) David Starr, Toyota, accident, 22, 8.
37. (21) Blake Koch, Toyota, accident, 22, 7.
38. (33) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, handling, 18, 6.
39. (39) Josh Reaume, Dodge, electrical, 8, 5.
40. (35) Jeff Green, Toyota, vibration, 2, 4.
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Race Statistics
Average Speed of Race Winner: 136.529 mph.
Time of Race: 1 hour, 49 minutes, 52 seconds.
Margin of Victory: 0.421 seconds.
Caution Flags: 3 for 16 laps.
Lead Changes: 8 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K.Busch 1-10; D.Suarez 11-13; K.Busch 14-17; P.Menard 18-26; T.Dillon 27-34; K.Larson 35-37; K.Busch 38-75; R.Blaney 76-99; K.Busch 100.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): K.Busch, 4 times for 53 laps; R.Blaney, 1 time for 24 laps; P.Menard, 1 time for 9 laps; T.Dillon, 1 time for 8 laps; D.Suarez, 1 time for 3 laps; K.Larson, 1 time for 3 laps.
Top 10 in Points: 1. C.Buescher, 651; 2. C.Elliott, 626; 3. T.Dillon, 621; 4. R.Smith, 600; 5. E.Sadler, 594; 6. D.Wallace Jr., 568; 7. D.Suarez, 558; 8. B.Gaughan, 537; 9. B.Scott, 527; 10. R.Reed, 526.