Kyle Busch dominates laps, restart for OT win

Kyle Busch won the Alsco 300 Xfinity race on Friday night after leading 185 of 201 laps.

A late caution flag led to an overtime lap, which Busch led after an impressive restart for his 80th series win and his first at Kentucky in the series.

Busch has won the 400-mile Sprint Cup Series race twice and loom as one of the favorites on Saturday night.

Standings leader Daniel Suarez took the most points in the 300-mile race.

Track upgrade: Kentucky Speedway underwent a full repave during the offseason, and Turns 1 and 2 had their banking increased from 14 to 17 degrees. The racing groove narrowed in the process. Turns 3 and 4 remained 14 degrees.

The track also added 3,200 feet of SAFER barrier.

Carl Edwards cautions that Kentucky’s new look and feel might offset past performance.

The headache-inducing bumps have been smoothed down, while increased banking in turns 1 and 2 sets cars up for higher speeds entering turns 3 and 4 that remain at 14 degrees. Last month’s test provided teams a sneak preview, but Edwards believes the key is adjusting to changes that have occurred since then.

“It doesn’t feel like much carries over at all anymore because things evolve so quickly,” said Edwards, who will start fifth in Saturday’s Sprint Cup race. “To me, it’s a whole new track with this surface.”

Rookie update: Goping into Friday night’s race, Erik Jones tops the Rookie of the Year standings as he’s opened up a 47-point lead over second-place Brandon Jones.

This story was originally published July 8, 2016 at 11:04 PM with the headline "Kyle Busch dominates laps, restart for OT win."