Kyle Busch drives to NASCAR Nationwide Series victory
AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Kyle Busch won yet another NASCAR Nationwide Series race Saturday with a dominant performance at Phoenix International Raceway.
It was the 12th Nationwide victory this season in 25 starts for Busch, who’s also a regular in NASCAR’s premier Sprint Cup Series.
Justin Allgaier finished second in the ServiceMaster 200, Austin Dillon was third, Regan Smith was fourth and Sam Hornish Jr. was fifth.
As a result, Dillon takes an eight-point lead over Hornish in the Nationwide title standings to the season finale next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida.
“We do that one more week,” Dillon said of his third-place finish, “and we have a championship.”
Busch and other Cup series regulars are not eligible for the Nationwide championship.
Busch said his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was so strong it “makes my job look a little easier. It’s fun to drive these cars.”
Starting from the pole position, Busch led 169 of the 200 laps, although Brad Keselowski briefly took the lead just past the midpoint of the race after pit stops.
But on Lap 142, Keselowski’s No. 22 Ford spun and hit the wall after being nudged by Brian Scott’s Chevrolet. Keselowski returned after repairs but finished 19th.
Around the same time, Busch struggled for a bit with his car’s handling but was able to make up the lost ground when a series of caution periods kept regrouping the field.
“I was just a little too loose right there and was waiting for my car to come back to me,” Busch said.
Twitter: @PeltzLATimes
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