Victory at Richmond Makes Three Consecutive NASCAR Cup Wins for Kyle Busch

Busch won his third consecutive race of the 2018 NASCAR Cup season on Saturday, proving that he is the ultimate wheelman, at least for the time being.

byT. Walker|
Victory at Richmond Makes Three Consecutive NASCAR Cup Wins for Kyle Busch
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​​​​The day was thunderous for Kyle Busch who started the Toyota Owner’s 400 from the 32nd position before he grabbed the checkered flag at Richmond Raceway. Actor Michael Rooker, known to NASCAR fans as Rowdy Burns in the movie “Days of Thunder,” led the NASCAR Cup Series field to green as the Honorary Pace Car Driver, but the race then turned into The Kyle Busch Show. This season Busch has won at Texas Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and now Richmond Raceway. Besides his three wins, he has seven top-fives and eight top-10s in nine starts.

After the race, Busch went into the stands and greeted fans. When asked if he had done it before he responded, "Maybe once, but probably not." Busch also added, "It was a 10-year anniversary. You know what? I was wondering if I'd come out alive. I think it certainly was different tonight. I saw a lot of yellow there at the front fence line." Busch was referring to the anniversary of his feud with Dale Earnhardt Jr., which led to him becoming one of the most booed NASCAR drivers today. He leads all drivers in the points standings.

RICHMOND, VA—APRIL 21: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/5-hour ENERGY Toyota, pits during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway., Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

The Field

The day looked encouraging for Team Penske driver Joey Logano who swept stage one and stage two. He couldn’t get the win, but he completed the race with a top-five finish. Martin Truex Jr. had an agonizing day after leading a race-high 121 laps. The driver of the No. 78 car was on the verge of winning his first short track race when a long pit stop foiled his changes.

Stewart-Hass driver Kurt Busch led the second most laps of the Toyota Owner’s 400 with 98, but he wasn’t able to close out the race with a top 10. He finished right outside the top-10 in eleventh. One of the most surprising finishes of the day was Chase Elliott. A series of cautions in the final laps and a late race charge by Elliott put him in a position to become the runner-up at Richmond. He secured his fourth top-10 finish of 2018.

The Toyota Owners 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Race at Richmond Raceway Results

(Position Finished, Driver, Manufacturer, Laps Completed, Laps Led)

1. Kyle Busch, Toyota, 402, Led 32

2. Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 402

3. Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 402, Led 6

4. Joey Logano, Ford, 402, Led 92

5. Kevin Harvick, Ford, 402, Led 8

6. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 402

7. Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 402

8. Brad Keselowski, Ford, 402

9. Clint Bowyer, Ford, 402, Led 45

10. Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 402

11. Kurt Busch, Ford, 402, Led 98

12. William Byron, Chevrolet, 402

13. Erik Jones, Toyota, 402

14. Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 402, Led 121

15. Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 402

16. Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 402

17. Aric Almirola, Ford, 402

18. Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 402

19. Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 402

20. Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 402

21. Trevor Bayne, Ford, 402

22. Ryan Blaney, Ford, 402

23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 402

24. Paul Menard, Ford, 401

25. Darrell Wallace Jr., Chevrolet, 401

26. Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 401

27. AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 401

28. Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 401

29. Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 400

30. Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 400

31. Michael McDowell, Ford, 400

32. Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 399

33. David Ragan, Ford, 399

34. Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 397

35. Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 393

36. Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 386

37. Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Accident, 368

38. Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Electrical, 188

Back to the Superspeedway

Short track action is over for now; next up on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is restrictor plate racing. The top-level stock car series is moving on to the unpredictable Talladega Superspeedway where it’s anybody’s race to win and every driver's race to lose. If Kyle Busch can make it four wins in a row, his victory would be a treat for NASCAR fans. The Geico 500 (188 laps, 500.08 miles) will race Sunday, April 29 at 2:00 p.m. EST.

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