KANSAS CITY – Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) wins Buschy McBusch Race 500 at Kansas Speedway Sunday. Not only did he win the race but Sunday was his birthday.
Chase Briscoe started 19th and finished 26th.
With the win, Kyle Busch — who led four times for a total of 20 laps in the race — becomes the 10th different winner in 11 races this season. And, if that weren’t serendipitous enough … he won on his 36th birthday, joining Cale Yarborough as the only drivers in NASCAR history to win on their birthday more than once.
Busch also completed the sweep of Kansas after winning the Camping World Truck Series event on Saturday (May 1) night.
A total of 220 laps went by with no cautions for cause; the only yellows were a competition caution after 25 laps and pauses after Stages 1 and 2 (won by Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson, respectively).
The first caution for cause was for an uncontrolled tire from Tyler Reddick’s pit crew, which NASCAR didn’t call until eight minutes after the fact. Then came a series of crashes in the final 47 laps. It got to the point where Kyle Busch was forced to win in a two-lap shootout, which mercifully took place without issue.
Race Facts:
Event: Buschy McBusch Race 400 (Round 11 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/80 laps/107 laps)
Race Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-80):
● Chase Briscoe started 19th and finished 26th.
● At the lap-25 competition caution, Briscoe reported the HighPoint.com Ford Mustang was too loose in the back end and lacking straightaway speed. The team pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment, and Briscoe restarted in the 33rd position after dropping to the tail end of the longest line to serve a pit road speeding penalty.
● Briscoe worked his way forward to sit 26th when the first stage ended on lap 80. Though the previous adjustments were an improvement, the HighPoint.com Mustang was still too free in the back and the front end was tightening up.
● Crew chief Johnny Klausmeier brought his driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and additional adjustments, and Briscoe lined up 24th for the beginning of Stage 2.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 81-160)
● Briscoe started 24th and finished 20th.
● On lap 119, Briscoe entered the top-20 after starting the stage in 24th on lap 87. The next laps, cars began making scheduled green-flag pit stops and the HighPoint.com Ford Mustang moved into the eighth position.
● Briscoe made his green-flag stop on lap 121, receiving four tires and fuel with no adjustments after reporting he was happy with the balance of the No. 14. He returned to the track in 26th, one lap down to the leaders.
● With the laps winding down in Stage 2, Briscoe slowly advanced back into the top-20 and was scored 20th when the green-and-white checkered flag waved signaling the end of the stage.
● At the stage break, Briscoe pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments for the HighPoint.com Ford Mustang, which had gotten loose over the long green-flag run.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 161-267):
● Briscoe started 24th and finished 20th.
● Briscoe began the final stage in 24th after a handful of cars waved around to rejoin the lead lap but dropped back to 30th after the No. 23 nearly made contact with the wall in front of him on lap 170.
● By lap 204, the No. 14 was back in 25th, and Briscoe continued to make up ground as the field approached the next scheduled green-flag stop.
● The HighPoint.com team made its final scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 213 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. The No. 14 started off the stage too loose, but the handling had improved.
● Briscoe weathered four incidents that brought out the caution flag over the final 36 laps of the race. He lined up 21st and on the lead lap for the final restart on lap 265 and picked up one position before taking the checkered flag.
SHR Race Finish:
● Kevin Harvick (Started 4th, Finished 2nd / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
● Chase Briscoe (Started 19th, Finished 20th / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)
● Cole Custer (Started 10th, Finished 24th / Running, completed 266 of 267 laps)
● Aric Almirola (Started 18th, Finished 29th / Running, completed 264 of 267 laps)
SHR Points:
● Kevin Harvick (8th with 348 points, 133 out of first)
● Cole Custer (25th with 191 points, 290 out of first)
● Chase Briscoe (26th with 172 points, 309 out of first)
● Aric Almirola (28th with 167 points, 314 out of first)
SHR Notes:
● Harvick earned his fourth top-five and eighth top-10 of the season, and his 11th top-five and 18th top-10 in 31 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas.
● This was Harvick’s second straight top-five. He finished fourth in the series’ last race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.
● This was Harvick’s third straight top-five at Kansas.
● This was Harvick’s best finish so far this season. His previous best result was fourth, earned twice (season-opening Daytona 500 and last Sunday at Talladega.)
● Harvick finished seventh in Stage 1 to earn four bonus points and 10th in Stage 2 to earn one more bonus point.
● Briscoe was the highest finishing NASCAR Cup Series rookie.
Race Notes:
● Kyle Busch won the Buschy McBusch Race 400 to score his 58th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his second at Kansas. His margin over Harvick was .336 of a second.
● There were seven caution periods for a total of 36 laps.
● Twenty-two of the 39 drivers in the Buschy McBusch Race 400 finished on the lead lap.
● Denny Hamlin remains the championship leader after Kansas with an 87-point advantage over second-place Martin Truex Jr.
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 9 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The race begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
