Kyle Busch took the checkered flag at Kansas Speedway after multiple attempts in NASCAR Overtime. It would be Busch’s 61st win in the Camping World Truck Series and also marks the fifth win for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2021.
“It’s pretty awesome, we had some great accomplishments as a team.” Busch stated. “It’s just a true team effort and a testament to everybody at Kyle Busch Motorsports. It’s fun to have the opportunities with running for my own trucks and going out there and be able to put on good shows, good finishes, good races, and work with some good talented people.”
Stages 30/30/74 would make up the 134 lap event, with John Hunter Nemechek on the pole.
Stage 1: Laps 1-30
Nemechek and teammate Busch would take the green flag. A good portion of the Top 10 would go three-wide, with Todd Gilliland one of the drivers to fall backward at the start.
Sheldon Creed would launch himself up to second while Ben Rhodes, Matt Crafton, and Austin Hill challenge Busch for third. A few laps later Busch would have a run off of Turn 2, and use it to breeze past Rhodes for third.
Creed took away the lead from Nemechek as he would pass the No. 4 down the inside into Turn 1. Nemechek would try and fight back for the lead but would get loose off Turn 2, losing out to Busch as he would drop to third.
Busch’s No. 51 would come to life as he made a pass on the bottom of Creed’s No. 2, placing him back to the front. Nemechek would quickly dispose of Creed, making it a Kyle Busch Motorsports 1-2.
The No. 51 would take the first stage, with Nemechek behind Busch. Creed, Rhodes, Crafton, Austin Hill, Stewart Friesen, Todd Gilliland, Derek Kraus and Ross Chastain would be the Top 10.
Stage 2: Laps 38-60
Busch led on the restart but it was Creed that would muscle his way to the front shortly afterward.
A few laps later Busch would run down the No. 2 and reclaim the race lead.
On Lap 43 Chase Purdy would have a big moment, sliding his truck. The No. 23 would keep it straight, however, and the race stayed green.
Busch would take the Stage 2 win, sweeping both stages. Nemechek again would be in second, while Creed, Austin Hill and Zane Smith would round out the Top 5. Friesen, Kraus, Rhodes, Gilliland, and Hailie Deegan would rack up the Top 10.
Nemechek would beat Busch off pit road during the stage break to lead on the restart.
Final Stage: Laps 67-140
As the field bunched up to start the final stage, Nemechek would lead the field down, with Creed battling the No. 4. Teammate Busch would make a three-wide pass on the inside of both Nemechek and Creed, and would take the lead immediately.
A caution would fly as Carson Hocevar nearly spun out battling with Christian Eckes. He would save it but the yellow flag would fly.
The leaders would stay out on the track, but Johnny Sauter would come down pit road to make some big swings to his No. 13.
A majority of the front runners would swarm Busch on the next restart, as he would get in a four-wide situation with the other drivers. Creed would come out on top with teammate Smith right behind him.
On Lap 97, Nemechek would run down Creed and take the lead away. Smith would bring his truck down pit road as green flag pit stops began.
Tyler Ankrum would have troubles as he would go around, but no caution would fly, dropping the No. 26 down in the running order.
Busch’s truck would come to life as he closed in on the front two of Creed and Nemechek with a three-wise pass for the first position. Shortly afterward, the leaders, one-by-one, would come down pit road.
With 17 to go Creed hit the Turn 1 wall due to his right front tire going down. A lap later Sauter would pit from the lead, bringing Busch back up to the front.
The yellow flag would fly with seven laps to go, bunching the field up. Jennifer Jo Cobb’s truck stalled on the track, bringing out the yellow. This would lead to NASCAR Overtime. Rhodes brought his car down pit road for fresh tires, as well as Deegan.
Busch and Chastain led the field to green. Rhodes made it three-wide with Busch and Chastain, who would come out on top with a pass to the bottom. However, there would be trouble behind them as Friesen went for a spin off of Turn 2, and collecting Kraus and knocking the two out of contention.
Chastain and Smith would lead for another attempt at overtime. Smith would try to block Busch but would force the No. 51 up against the outside wall as the field flocked to three to four-wide racing. Many drivers would experience several tire rubs on their trucks, but everyone would keep it clean as the leaders fought it out.
Hill and Chastain would duke it out for the lead, and Busch would make it three-wide for the lead as they got to the final lap. Busch’s No. 51 would breeze by Chastain and Hill, running away from the two drivers to claim the victory at Kansas.
There were 36 lead changes among seven different drivers.
The Camping World Truck Series heads to Darlington Raceway for the LiftKits4Less.com 200 on Friday, May 7 at 7:30 PM ET. Coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 and MRN Radio for 147 laps of action.
Results:
- Kyle Busch, Stage 1 and 2 winner, 59 laps led
- Ross Chastain, six laps led
- Austin Hill
- Christian Eckes, three laps led
- John Hunter Nemechek, 16 laps led
- Todd Gilliland
- Zane Smith
- Raphael Lessard
- Johnny Sauter, 13 laps led
- Ben Rhodes, two laps led
- Chandler Smith
- Bayley Currey
- Hailie Deegan
- Stewart Friesen
- Tyler Ankrum
- Austin Wayne Self
- Grant Enfinger
- Tanner Gray
- Chase Briscoe
- Ryan Truex – one lap down
- Timothy Peters – one lap down
- Timmy Hill – one lap down
- Carson Hocevar – one lap down
- Matt Crafton – one lap down
- Chase Purdy – two laps down
- Danny Bohn – two laps down
- Bret Holmes – two laps down
- Derek Kraus – two laps down
- Spencer Davis – three laps down
- Jordan Anderson – three laps down
- Dawson Cram – three laps down
- Sheldon Creed – four laps down, 41 laps led
- Kris Wright – five laps down
- CJ McLaughlin – seven laps down
- Spencer Boyd – seven laps down
- Tate Fogleman – ten laps down
- Jennifer Jo Cabb – OUT, Electrical
- Jessi Iwuji – OUT, Too slow
- Norm Benning – OUT, Too slow
- Ryan Reed – OUT, Steering
