The Final Lap with Kerry Murphey

NSCS Race Recap: Kyle Busch Holds Off Mark Martin For Bristol Win

Kyle Busch celebrates winning the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory of the season. (Photo credit: CIA STOCK PHOTO)
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn.—Kyle Busch made a statement Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

So did polesitter Mark Martin, who pressured Busch to the finish line of the Sharpie 500 during a four-lap run to the checkered flag but couldn’t make the pass for the win.

Instead, Busch won for the fourth time this season and for the second time at Bristol in 2009.

Busch showed emphatically he is not out of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series picture, and Martin strengthened his hold of a spot in NASCAR’s postseason. Busch moved up two positions to 13th, 34 points behind 12th-place Matt Kenseth.

Martin likewise gained two spots to 10th in the standings. The top 12 drivers after the Sept. 12 race at Richmond qualify for the Chase.

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NNS Race Recap: David Ragan Outduels Carl Edwards For Bristol Win

David Ragan celebrates winning the Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway, his second career NASCAR Nationwide Series victory. (Photo credit: CIA STOCK PHOTO)
By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

BRISTOL, Tenn.—With a strong restart on a green-white-checkered-flag finish, David Ragan held off Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards in Friday night’s Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Ragan led the final 56 laps of the NASCAR Nationwide Series event at the .533-mile speedway, but Edwards was the big winner, as he trimmed Kyle Busch’s lead in the series standings from 339 to 248 points. Busch was the victim of an early accident and finished 28th, 59 laps down.

“It was a fun night to drive such a fast racecar,” said Ragan, who chose the outside line for the final restart, as the race went four laps beyond its scheduled distance. “The outside had been great all night. I really struggled passing cars on the bottom.

“I raced with Carl—it was fun racing with a teammate—and I was able to pin him behind a lapped car. I don’t think I would have passed him (otherwise), because he was running that middle groove, and I just couldn’t get around him.”

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RACE RECAP | BRISTOL | CUP SERIES
10 Matt Kenseth
9 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
8 Jimmie Johnson
7 Kurt Busch
6 Ryan Newman
5 Denny Hamlin
4 Greg Biffle
3 Marcos Ambrose 4th top 5 this season
2 Mark Martin went from 12th to 10th in points

VICTORY LANE

1 Kyle Busch picks up his 3rd win at Bristol, 4th win this season and moves to 13th in points just 34 back of 12th in the standings.

OTHER STORIES ON THE DAY

-Joey Logano brought out the first caution with his wreck

-Tony Stewart had radio problems, he could hear them, they couldn’t hear Tony

-Denny Hamlin cut down a left front tire for the second caution

-A.J. Allmendinger lost some brake parts

-Bobby Labonte wrecked

-Rain came out while Jimmie Johnson was leading, came into the pits and had a problem with his right rear tire, didn’t get all the lugs tight and had to come back around. Ryan Newman only took 2 tires and came out first, Michael Waltrip stayed out on the track to lead the race.

-Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick got caught up in a wreck. Also involved was Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, Sam Hornish Jr., Casey Mears, & Reed Sorenson.

-Tony Stewart’s #14 stalled during the previous caution, went behind the wall to diagnose the issue, luckily for Tony, he’s already clinched a spot in the chase.

-Juan Pablo Montoya had a tire going down and had to hit pit road after a restart

-10th caution was caused by Martin Truex Jr.’s left front tire. Truex got into Jamie McMurray. Martin had a great car all night

-Michael Waltrip and Clint Bowyer wrecked and the race was red flagged wit 8 laps to go

-Clint Bowyer drops to 15th in points

Beyond the News with Katy Lindamood:  The beauty of NASCAR lies in the aggression you see on the track. It’s the attitudes you see after a wreck during the closing laps. It’s the bumping and banging between two rivals fighting for a position. It’s the occasional temper tantrum you see when a driver’s day ends early because of a mistake. It’s the fighting and helmet throwing that occurs when one driver thinks another “put him in the wall.” It’s the wreck that sends one of the top competitors in the sport down the backstretch end over end while everyone holds their breath waiting to see if he will survive. It’s these things we remember year after year. Fifteen years from now fans will still be talking about Carl Edwards’ Talladega crash into the catch fence but most people won’t be able to tell you that Brad Keselowski won the race.

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NATIONWIDE SERIES | BRISTOL
10 Michael McDowell
9 Paul Menard
8 Michael Annett
7 Clint Bowyer
6 Jason Leffler
5 Matt Kenseth
4 Kevin Harvick led the most laps
3 Brad Keselowski recovered after contact with Justin Allgaier
2 Carl Edwards

VICTORY LANE

1 David Ragan picks up his second win of the season, and career in the Nationwide Series with his first coming earlier this season at Talladega.

OTHER STORIES ON THE DAY

-Points leader Kyle Busch was clipped and put in the wall by Chase Austin in the #07 who was trying to get out of the way.

-A big points night for Carl Edwards who finished second, and Kyle Busch’s troubles putting him 28th on the day.

-Roush-Fenway dominated this race with 3 cars in the top 10, winner David Ragan, Carl Edwards 2nd, and Matt Kenseth 5th.