NASCAR: Kyle Busch wins Xfinity Series race at Michigan
This comeback was a little bit more personal.
Kyle Busch had already returned to NASCAR competition this season, but on Saturday he returned to Victory Lane, winning the Great Clips 250 at Michigan International Speedway by passing Chase Elliott with four of 125 laps remaining in the race.
The win is Busch’s 71st in the Xfinity Series and came in his first start since he broke his right leg and left foot in a wreck in the series season-opener at Daytona Beach, Fla., in February.
“It feels good,” Busch said in Victory Lane. “This is only a preliminary for what we’ve got to do on Sundays (in the Sprint Cup Series), but it’s a start. You’ve got to start somewhere, right?”
Busch, normally not among race fan favorites, received a hardy round of cheers from the Michigan crowd after the race.
Elliott finished second, Kyle Larson was third, Chris Buescher fourth and Elliott Sadler fifth.
Turning point
Joey Logano and Harvick were battling for the lead and made contact with seven laps remaining, knocking both out of contention for the win. As those two took each other on, Elliott moved in to take the lead with Busch tucked in not far behind him.
Three who mattered
Kyle Busch: He still needs a win in the Sprint Cup Series to help his cause to make the Chase, but a victory in the series that sidelined his season surely is special.
Chase Elliott: Elliott capitalized on an opportunity only to see Busch run him down to deny him the victory.
Kevin Harvick: His run-in with Logano opened the door for a dramatic ending.
Observations
▪ Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher continues to lead the series standings and holds a 25-point advantage over Ty Dillon as the Xfinity Series heads to a standalone event next Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway.
They said it
“It wasn’t intentional. I just didn’t let my foot out of it – I was going for the win.” – Kevin Harvick on late race incident with Joey Logano.
N@SCAR
Three tweets from Saturday’s race:
Guess who made a visit to Victory Lane? A sleepy @brextonbusch w/ mom @SamanthaBusch, here to celebrate dad! #AskMRN pic.twitter.com/ITBRQFBC4g
— Motor Racing Network (@MRNRadio) June 13, 2015
Caution out as @BubbaWallace's crew works to bang out the damage. #AskMRN pic.twitter.com/Cd9J1FVr04
— Motor Racing Network (@MRNRadio) June 13, 2015
Caution is out as @CaleConley gets into trouble, @jjyeley1 able to dip by w/ no contact. Lap 32/125 at #XFINITYSeries pic.twitter.com/KyAosEhjIe
— XFINITY Racing (@XFINITYRacing) June 13, 2015
Next race
Atticat 300
Where: Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill.
When: 9:30 p.m. Saturday
TV: Fox Sports 1
Radio: Motor Racing Network
This story was originally published June 13, 2015 at 4:29 PM with the headline "NASCAR: Kyle Busch wins Xfinity Series race at Michigan."