Kurt Busch wins wild Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona

[media-credit name=”Credit: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”228″][/media-credit]Before the green flag even flew in the Subway Jalapeno 250 on Friday night at the Daytona International Speedway there had already been fireworks.

Danica Patrick in a way called her shot. Saying she wasn’t going to bet against herself while her team said it was the night that she broke through. Unfortunately her night ended like her others at Daytona, wrecked.

Then in qualifying last weekend’s winner, Austin Dillon, went out and won the pole. His celebration was short lived. Dillon failed post-qualifying inspection because of an open cooling hose in his Chevrolet. He failed under section 20A-2.1J and had his time disallowed and moved to the rear of the field. Any further penalties will be announced early next week.

When the race went green it didn’t take long for the action to get exciting even though drivers quickly made their way into the tandem style drafting. Pairing after pairing took their turn at the front, seeing only two cautions and 12 drivers having led by halfway.

During much of the second half of the event the Busch brothers, Kyle and Kurt, often found themselves the leaders with Kurt leading on six different occasions for a race high 23 of 101 laps. But fan favorite Patrick soon arrived and began to flex her muscle, making moves without any drafting help at times.

Then came the Big One on lap 65, which would change the complexion of the race. As Mike Wallace slowed in turn two the hard charging pack behind him had nowhere to go. When the smoked cleared 16 cars involved including Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Mike Wallace, Clint Bowyer and other favorites.

Kurt Busch came out with damage as well but it wasn’t enough to keep him out of contention. The James Finch team taped up their No. 1 Chevrolet and watched Busch fight back through the field. Whether his car was spewing water or losing its drafting help, Busch continued to fight and found himself near the front when it mattered most.

A debris caution three laps to go set up the races finish. A green-white-checkered finish that saw Stenhouse push Busch past the tandem of Dillon and Annett. Then as Busch crossed the finish line Dillon spun behind him, collecting Kyle Busch, Johanna Long and Jason Bowles.

It was the second win for Busch in 2012 but his first for Phoenix. In April he delivered Kyle Busch Motorsports their first career NNS win. It was also the first time Busch had won at Daytona and the 23rd win of his career. But, Friday night in Daytona it was all about the little team who could.

“We just won at Daytona!” shouted Busch in Victory lane. “I got these guys at Phoenix, this is unbelievable. Passion and heart, that’s all I can give. That’s all I can do right now. And to do this for James Finch, this is awesome. To be an underfunded team, to come out only four times a year – we’ll be at Indy in a few weeks – it’s amazing to do what we can with a little team and to preserve.

“And Ricky Stenhouse, in a Ford, thanks to him, this Chevrolet is in Victory Lane. Thanks to Nationwide and these fans. Running this series gives me a lot of confidence but it’s just passion and heart. That’s all I can give right now.”

There was no shortage of emotion from Busch or the Phoenix team.

“I’m a racer. I don’t know much about anything else. There’s time when you get caught up in marketing or PR and everything else that goes along with it, but you’ve got to do all the steps in this day and age.

“I keep saying I grew up 30 years too late, I still haven’t grown up, even though I’m 33. But back in the 80s, that’s what this team reminds me of. It’s family. And you go hard or you go home.”

Stenhouse finished second and Annett third, earning his best career NNS finish. They were also two of the four drivers who became eligible for the Dash4Cash program along with Dillon and Sadler. They’ll race for $100,000 bonus next weekend in New Hampshire.

Going into New Hampshire, Sadler remains the point leader over Dillon. Stenhouse still sits third.

The Subway Jalapeno 250 also set a record for lead changes and leaders. There were 42 lead changes and 16 leaders, the previous record had been 38 lead changes among 16 drivers back in February.