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Kyle Busch still has horses

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From the Associated Press

Kyle Busch was frustrated by NASCAR’s latest rule change. He took it out on the competition.

Busch led all but three laps Saturday night at Clermont, Ind., to win the Kroger 200 for Toyota’s 15th victory in 22 Nationwide races this season. It was the first event since NASCAR’s mandate Wednesday to cut down the horsepower in Series engines knocked 15 horsepower out of Toyota’s engines. NASCAR changed the parameters after rival teams complained, even though Toyota was within the rules.

“We wanted to come out here this weekend and sort of get a little sweet revenge on everybody,” Busch said. “It turned out that way, and it worked out in our favor.”

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Busch won his 15th race of the season spanning NASCAR’s three series, breaking the record of 14 set by Kevin Harvick in 2006. He has six Nationwide wins in 20 starts this year.

Pole-sitter Colin Braun finished second, and Mike Bliss moved up from 17th to finish third. Eighteen-year-old Joey Logano was eighth.

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Scott Dixon took another big step toward a second IndyCar championship, holding off Helio Castroneves, his closest pursuer, for a victory in the Rexall Edmonton Indy.

Castroneves, still looking for his first win of the season, kept the pressure on Dixon on the temporary airport circuit. But Castroneves nearly slid off course on worn-out tires six laps from the end, allowing the New Zealander to cruise to his fifth victory of the season.

Castroneves led a race-high 35 laps and appeared to have the best car in the 27-car field most of the day. But Dixon, who had been running third behind Penske Racing teammates Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe, got past both of them during a pit stop under caution on lap 51.

“We were struggling at the start of the weekend,” Dixon said. “We were probably at best about 11th. . . . But my guys nailed that pit stop and we got that lead and we were going to be unstoppable.”

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Dixon, who led the final 30 laps on the 1.973-mile, 14-turn circuit, began the day 58 points ahead of Castroneves and now leads the Brazilian by 65 heading into the race at Kentucky Speedway in two weeks.

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Ashley Force earned her first career No. 1 qualifier at the NHRA’s FRAM-Autolite Nationals at Sonoma, Calif.

The 25-year-old daughter of NHRA great John Force had her pass of 4.096 seconds at a top speed of 301.60 mph in her Mustang from Friday night hold up.

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