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March 28, 2024

NASCAR blog: Updates from the speedway

NASCAR

Sam Morris

Kyle Busch celebrates winning the Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday.

Updated Sunday, March 1, 2009 | 7:48 p.m.

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Kyle Busch celebrates winning the Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday. Launch slideshow »

Kyle Busch is the 2009 Shelby 427 Sprint Series Cup champion.

The 23-year-old came from a 39th place start to take his first Sprint victory of the season. After the race's 14th caution left three laps to go, the No. 18 car broke away from the pack and never let anyone get close.

Busch led the final 17 laps, passing Clint Bowyer during the 268th lap to take the lead for good.

Following his cross of the finish line, Busch exited his car, grabbed the checkered flag and kissed the finish line before getting back in and driving to Victory Lane.

"I tell you what, this is pretty cool," Busch said. "I didn't know exactly what it would mean, but coming to the checkered flag, there were knots in my stomach. It's bigger than winning the Daytona 500. I said it wasn't going to be, but it is."

Busch struggled in his first visit to Vegas, wrecking 11 laps into his Cup debut race and finishing 41st.

But this time around, after the win, he had an elaborate victory celebration.

Lap 259 - 5 p.m.

A Shelby 427 record-setting 12th caution was just raised because of debris on the track. Under 30 laps to go and who's in the lead? Who do you think? It's Kyle Busch.

Following the caution from Gordon's blown tire, Busch took the lead from Jeff Burton on the restart and has led ever since. The 23-year-old driver has been doing his best to conserve fuel for the end while still keeping the lead. With the checkered flag finding its way to the track, this is when crew chiefs make the kinds of calls that can decide a race.

Lap 220 - 4:35 p.m.

Just when this race was starting to shape up with race leaders coming in for one of their final pit stops of the day, the 11th caution comes up and a shake-up comes with it.

Top five runners Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon both had trouble entering pit row. Johnson came in first and locked his brakes, skidding into his pit and nearly taking out a couple of his crew members.

If that sounds bad, what happened to Gordon was worse. The No. 24 car's left rear locked up as he turned into pit row and ended up skidding past the entrance. Seconds later, debris was coming off the front left-hand side from a blown tire.

After racing well all day, Gordon fell to 14th place while Johnson lost an entire lap.

Lap 160 - 3:33 p.m.

Just a year ago at LVMS, Jeff Gordon was involved in one of the nastiest wrecks of his career when his No. 24 car slammed into a stretch of interior wall not equipped with the track's soft wall system. In other words, he hit concrete.

The track has installed the SAFER barrier along all its barriers because of that wreck, but so far today Gordon has had no problem avoiding trouble. The No. 24 car is currently sitting first and Lap 160 just became the 20,000th lap Gordon has led in his career. He sits 7th in NASCAR history.

Lap 130 - 3:33 p.m.

Click to enlarge photo

Kurt Busch (2), front left, and Marcos Ambrose (47), right, race around turn two during the 2009 Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Behind them are Kevin Harvick (29) and David Stremme (12).

Update on the Las Vegas Busch brothers. Want the good or bad news first?

The good news is that, after spinning out just 22 laps into the Sam's Town 300 Saturday because of early aggressiveness, Kyle has stayed patient and is sitting nicely in eighth place.

The bad news is Kurt, who has managed to keep himself in the No. 2 spot up to this point despite complaining of minor engine problems all day, has a broken valve spring. A lengthy pit stop has dropped him to 26th.

Lap 96 - 3:15 p.m.

A caution flag is up after David Stremme, who was running in 13th place, spun out after being tapped by Carl Edwards.

Click to enlarge photo

Racer Greg Biffle is introduced before the start of the Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Our current leader? Greg Biffle, who has come from a Row 12 start to claim the lead. Biffle ended a 76-race streak without a win in the Nationwide Series Saturday by winning the Sam's Town 300. If he were to win today, it would be the first time a driver won two national touring series in the same weekend at LVMS since Jeff Burton did it in 2000.

Lap 74 - 2:50 p.m.

Another car, another Top 10 points leader, is out with engine trouble. Joining Matt Kenseth, who was going for three straight Sprint Cup Series wins in a row, is David Ragan and the No. 6 UPS Ford. Ragan is currently eighth in Sprint overall points. Both have thrown in the towel for Las Vegas and will hope luck is better at the Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta next weekend.

"Just one of those things, when you're pushing the issue it can happen," Ragan said. "I just wish it hadn't happened so early in the race. All we can do now is pack up and head out to Atlanta."

Click to enlarge photo

Las Vegas native Kyle Busch (18) makes a pit stop during the 2009 Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Lap 56 - 2:35 p.m.

Jimmie Johnson relinquished the lead for the first time since Lap 1, making his first stop at pit row. The No. 48 car took the lead from Kurt Busch immediately and has been running well - Johnson ordered his crew not to make any major changes. Johnson has had a good history at LVWS. He won the Shelby 427 Sprint Cup Series here three consecutive years from 2005-07.

Kyle Busch led the race briefly as a number of cars made their first stops at pit row. The No. 18 car headed to the pit during Lap 8 for gas so he was able to move up. The fact may be a bit misleading -- in reality Busch is somewhere around 23rd place. He started the race in 39th.

Click to enlarge photo

Matt Kenseth (17) is forced to drop out after suffering engine problems during the 2009 Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Lap 7 -- 2:13 p.m.

An early blown engine has sent Matt Kenseth to the garages early here in Las Vegas. Kenseth was running near the back when his car failed on him.

"It's really disappointing," he said. "This crew does a great job, I think it's our first failure in two years. I don't know what happened."

Lap 2 -- 1:57 p.m.

And the first caution is already up. Brad Keslowski, driving the No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, got in trouble around turn No. 2 after skidding against the wall. Matt Kenseth, the Sprint Cup Series overall leader coming into the race, has become the first driver hit with a speeding penalty as he exceeded 45 mph coming out of pit row. There were 12 speeding penalties in Saturday's Nationwide Race.

And they're off ... -- 1:33 p.m.

The Sprint Cup Series has officially kicked off today as the excitement rises at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. And it includes two Las Vegas natives.

Click to enlarge photo

Kurt Busch's team stands for the National Anthem at the Shelby 427 Sprint Cup Race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Kyle and Kurt Busch will start the day at the front of the 43-car field, as they qualified 1-2 here on Friday. It was just the third time in NASCAR history the fastest two qualifiers were brothers.

While Kyle will start from the pole position, his time out front won't last long. A blown engine on Friday will force him to surrender his top spot to Kurt per NASCAR rules. By the time the green flag officially drops, Kyle will start near the end of the pack.

"We were exciting about him sitting on the pole," said Kyle's crew chief, Steve Addington. "It's cool that him and his brother qualified on front row. I wish they could have taken that green flag together. That'd be a great picture, I'd love to have it hanging on the wall. But it's just something we'll have to work through."

Although starting from the back, Kyle seemed optimistic when he addressed the grandstands before the race.

"Welcome to Vegas, thanks to everyone for coming out," he said. "We're starting in the back but we're going to get it done."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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