By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
(July 9, 2011)
SPARTA, Ky. — What was Kyle Busch’s dominant impression of his victory in the inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway?
It wasn’t that he’ll be written into the record book as the first Cup winner at the 1.5-mile track, the first speedway introduced into the series in 10 years.
No, Busch will remember Saturday’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky as the last thing he won on the way to his next race—in this case Sunday’s marquee Super Late Model event at Slinger Speedway in Wisconsin.
That’s the way Busch thinks—win and move on.
In holding off fast-closing David Reutimann and Jimmie Johnson in a two-lap stretch run, Busch won for the third time this season, the 22nd time in his Cup career and the 99th time across NASCAR’s top three national series, third most all-time.
Even though he won two of the three events at Kentucky Speedway over the weekend—he won the Camping World Truck Series race Thursday—Busch wasn’t thinking about the numbers, not even that he had leap-frogged past Kevin Harvick (16th Saturday) and Carl Edwards (fifth) into the top spot in the series standings.
Asked what the most impressive part of the Kentucky win was to him, Busch replied, “That I won on the way to Slinger. I’ve got to go to Slinger (Sunday). I’m going to stay here tonight, chill out and get a good night’s sleep, get out of here in the morning and head up there and, hopefully, win a Late Model race.”
Saturday’s race wasn’t settled until Busch kept Johnson at bay on the last restart, clearing Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet off Turn 2. Reutimann restated in the fourth spot but charged forward, passing Johnson just short of the finish line on the final lap. Reutimann finished .179 seconds behind Busch.
Johnson said his inability to stay beside Busch on the next-to-last lap cost him a chance to win the race.
“I was able to hang with the 18 (Busch) inside of Turns 1 and 2, and he just cleared me going down the back,” Johnson said. “The outside lane had a little bit more momentum coming off of (Turn) 2 down the back. If I could have stayed inside of him, it would have been one heck of a finish at the end.
“But it didn’t happen that way, and then he cleared me and went on, and then I had my hands full with the 00 (Reutimann). David was probably the best car at the end, and if he had cleared me sooner, I think he would have been up there with the 18 racing for the win.”
Ryan Newman played pit strategy perfectly and came home fourth, followed by Edwards. Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, David Ragan, Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon completed the top 10.
Busch had regained the lead during a cycle of green-flag stops late in the race, but a caution for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s blown left front tire slowed the race for the fifth time and set up a restart on Lap 260 of 267.
Busch pulled away, with Johnson chasing, but Clint Bowyer’s wreck in Turn 2 bought out the sixth caution on Lap 262 to bunch the field for a restart with two laps left.
During a 105-lap green-flag run that began on Lap 36 after a competition caution and included two rounds of pit stops, Busch opened a lead of more than eight seconds, but his advantage disappeared when NASCAR called a caution on Lap 140 for debris on the backstretch.
Keselowski and Tony Stewart opted not to pit under the caution and restarted on the front row on Lap 147. Earnhardt, who had fallen off the lead lap during the long green-flag run, got his lap back on a wave-around, and a quick caution on Lap 151 gave him a chance to pit for fuel and tires.
Keselowski and Stewart ran 1-2 after a restart on Lap 158, but both drivers had to pit for fuel early in the next cycle, and Busch reclaimed the top spot when Keselowski brought the No. 2 Dodge to pit road on Lap 186.
When Jamie McMurray’s engine erupted like Vesuvius on Lap 200, bringing out the fourth caution of the race, the lead-lap cars were back on similar pit cycles.
Busch, who led a race-high 125 laps, opened a four-point margin in the series standings over second-place Edwards and a 10-point cushion over third-place Harvick.
Note: When the green flag waved to start the race, cars carrying fans to the track were backed up on I-71, trying to get to the parking lots. Midway through the event, Kentucky Speedway G.M. Mark Simendinger issued the following statement: “We’ve had an overwhelming response to our inaugural NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400. We know we had challenges related to traffic. We’re already planning improvements and looking forward to a much better situation for next year’s event.”

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(July 8, 2011)

SPARTA, Ky. — Saving fuel from the start of the final green-flag run, Brad Keselowski held off Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch to win Friday night’s Feed the Children 300 Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway.

In winning his first Nationwide race of the year and the 13th of his career, Keselowski beat runner-up Harvick to the finish line by 1.180 seconds. Busch rolled across the stripe 3.796 seconds behind the winner.

Kasey Kahne came home fourth, followed by polesitter Elliott Sadler, who took the series points lead from 17th-place finisher Reed Sorenson with his fifth-place run. Sadler leads Sorenson by four points 18 races into the season.

Keselowski said calculating how much fuel he was saving is more of a seat-of-the-pants operation, rather than a precise calculation.

“I like to say it’s a special gauge we put in the car—I call it an assonometer,” Keselowski said. “It’s my ass. That’s my gauge.”

Keselowski said clean air was crucial to the performance of his car.

“I felt like we were pretty good the very first run,” Keselowski said. “You never know when you have a race-winning car, especially when it transfers from day into night. I certainly felt more comfortable once I got clean air, and I said something to (crew chief) Todd (Gordon) about it.

“You get that clean air, and these cars are just phenomenal to drive, and mine was no exception. It was really, really fast.”

Keselowski, who led a race-high 132 laps, had pulled away to a lead of more than two seconds before Robert Richardson backed into the outside wall on Lap 133 to cause the fifth caution of the race. Taking fuel only, Keselowski was first off pit road, followed by Harvick and three Turner Motorsports Chevrolets, driven by Mark Martin, Justin Allgaier and Sorenson.

With all drivers trying to save fuel after a restart on Lap 139, Keselowski again pulled out to a lead of more than one second and held the top spot the rest of the way, as the race ran green for the final 61 laps.

Ford drivers Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne all had to make late pit stops for fuel. Stenhouse, third in the series standings and 27 points behind Sadler, left the track frustrated.

“That was a tough night,” Stenhouse said. “Our (car) was fast. We had a car to win—we just are getting beat on this fuel mileage stuff every week. We’re just going to have to go to the shop and figure it out.”

Notes: Mike Wallace finished 16th in his 400th career start. … Kahne had his first trip in a JR Motorsports car, after five Nationwide starts for Turner Motorsports this year. … Kenny Wallace continued his Lazarus act with his seventh top 10 of the season, after recording none last year. … The victory was Gordon’s first as a crew chief.

1 18 Kyle Busch M&M’s Toyota 2011 Owner Points 3rd
2 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 14th
3 22 Kurt Busch Shell/Pennzoil Dodge 2011 Owner Points 4th
4 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Toyota 2011 Owner Points 19th
5 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 6th
6 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge 2011 Owner Points 22nd
7 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford 2011 Owner Points 2nd
8 6 David Ragan UPS Ford 2011 Owner Points 17th
9 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 12th
10 27 Paul Menard Sylvania/Menards Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 16th
11 9 Marcos Ambrose Porter-Cable Ford 2011 Owner Points 21st
12 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 28th
13 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Ford 2011 Owner Points 5th
14 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 8th
15 20 Joey Logano Home Depot Toyota 2011 Owner Points 20th
16 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Good To Go Toyota 2011 Owner Points 23rd
17 00 David Reutimann TUMS Toyota 2011 Owner Points 26th
18 39 Ryan Newman Tornados Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 10th
19 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 1st
20 33 Clint Bowyer Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 9th
21 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 2011 Owner Points 13th
22 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 24th
23 43 A J Allmendinger Valvoline Ford 2011 Owner Points 15th
24 47 Bobby Labonte Cottonelle Clean Care Toyota 2011 Owner Points 29th
25 13 Casey Mears GEICO Toyota 2011 Owner Points 34th
26 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 2011 Owner Points 11th
27 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota 2011 Owner Points 25th
28 5 Mark Martin Quaker State/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 18th
29 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 7th
30 51 Landon Cassill(i) Security Benefits/Thank A Teacher Today 2011 Owner Points 31st
31 87 * Joe Nemechek(i) NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 2011 Owner Attempts
32 36 Dave Blaney Big Red Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 33rd
33 60 * Mike Skinner(i) Big Red Toyota 2011 Owner Attempts
34 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet 2011 Owner Points 27th
35 34 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford 2011 Owner Points 30th
36 46 * J J Yeley Red Line Chevrolet 2011 Owner Attempts
37 38 * Travis Kvapil(i) Long John Silver’s Ford 2011 Owner Attempts
38 66 * Michael McDowell Standard Publishing/Relentless Hope Toyota 2011 Owner Attempts
39 71 * Andy Lally # Cool Works Cup Ford 2011 Owner Attempts
40 81 * Scott Riggs(i) Whitney’sCollision.com Chevrolet 2011 Owner Attempts 7
41 37 * Tony Raines Front row Motorsports Ford 2011 Owner Attempts
42 32 Mike Bliss(i) Big Red Ford 2011 Owner Points 32nd
43 7 Scott Wimmer(i) SPEED Energy Dodge 2011 Owner Points 35th

1 2 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Chevrolet 31.082 173.734
2 60 Carl Edwards(i) Valvoline NextGen Ford 31.092 173.678
3 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Blackwell Angus Ford 31.122 173.511
4 20 Joey Logano(i) GameStop/Wipeout Toyota 31.147 173.371
5 22 Brad Keselowski(i) Discount Tire Dodge 31.177 173.205
6 33 Kevin Harvick(i) Rheem Heating, Cooling and Water Chevrolet 31.202 173.066
7 11 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Toyota 31.241 172.850
8 31 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet 31.292 172.568
9 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota 31.305 172.496
10 16 Trevor Bayne RickyvsTrevor.com Ford 31.323 172.397
11 30 Reed Sorenson Rexall Chevrolet 31.513 171.358
12 32 Mark Martin(i) Dollar General Chevrolet 31.561 171.097
13 87 Joe Nemechek D.A.B. Constructors, Inc. Toyota 31.575 171.021
14 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Chevrolet 31.638 170.681
15 39 Will Kimmel Crosley/Clarksville Schwinn Cyclery Ford 31.675 170.481
16 19 Mike Bliss TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 31.702 170.336
17 01 Mike Wallace Cowboys and Aliens Chevrolet 31.756 170.047
18 7 Kasey Kahne(i) GoDaddy.com/Verisign Chevrolet 31.765 169.998
19 09 Kenny Wallace UNOH Toyota 31.795 169.838
20 88 Aric Almirola Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet 31.813 169.742
21 62 Michael Annett Pilot/Flying J Toyota 31.980 168.856
22 28 Derrike Cope Becker Law Office Chevrolet 32.144 167.994
23 70 David Stremme(i) Keen Parts, Inc. Chevrolet 32.166 167.879
24 72 John Jackson CrashClaimsR.us Toyota 32.208 167.660
25 44 Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 32.243 167.478
26 64 David Reutimann(i) Aspen Dental Toyota 32.245 167.468
27 81 Blake Koch # Daystar.com Dodge 32.246 167.463
28 03 Scott Riggs North TX Pipe Dodge 32.249 167.447
29 13 Jennifer Jo Cobb # TenForJen.com Dodge 32.295 167.209
30 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Chevrolet 32.306 167.152
31 49 Dennis Setzer Jay Robinson Racing Chevrolet 32.412 166.605
32 14 Eric McClure Hefty BlackOut/Reynolds Chevrolet 32.455 166.384
33 46 Chase Miller Key Motorsports Chevrolet 32.483 166.241
34 15 Timmy Hill # Lilly Trucking of VA Ford 32.582 165.736
35 52 Kevin Lepage Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 32.675 165.264
36 42 Tim Andrews Key Motorsports Chevrolet 32.693 165.173
37 75 Johnny Chapman Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 32.760 164.835
38 02 Jamie Dick(i) VivaAutoGroup.com Chevrolet 32.967 163.800
39 40 Charles Lewandoski # Key Motorsports Chevrolet 32.981 163.731
40 23 Robert Richardson Jr. North TX Pipe Chevrolet 33.747 160.014
41 18 Kyle Busch(i) NOS Toyota Owner Points
42 51 Jeremy Clements racedaysponsor.com Chevrolet Owner Points
43 74 Mike Harmon IPT Pellet Grills/Riverwalk Cafe Chevrolet 33.285 162.235