Busch wins Nationwide race in Mexico for his third straight
Quote selected text Published April 20th, 2008 in NASCAR News
Kyle Busch won the last two Nationwide events on ovals, but he is pretty good on road courses too, winning Sunday’s Corona Mexico 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota crossed the finish line 0.738 seconds ahead of Marcos Ambrose.
The victory was Busch’s third of the season, first in Mexico and 14th of his Nationwide Series career.
“It’s a pretty phenomenal job by these Joe Gibbs Racing guys,” said Busch.
Scott Pruett, Carl Edwards and Patrick Carpentier completed the top-five.
Nineteen-year-old Colin Braun won the pole and led the first lap, but veteran road racers Scott Pruett beat Braun down the front straight and into the first corner on lap two to take the lead.
Pruett kept expanding the lead until the first caution flag on lap three.
Meanwhile, Mexican driver Adrian Fernandez, who had to start from the back of the field because David Green qualified his car, was already up to 26th after three green-flag laps.
Following a red-flag for cleanup of a Kertus Davis accident, it was still Pruett showing the way with Braun staying put in second place.
The first round of pit stops began as early as lap 11, but Pruett stayed out until lap 17. After the first round of stops had cycled through, Scott Wimmer owned the lead, while Pruett was way down in 11th place behind Braun, Edwards and Busch. And Fernandez was up to 16th.
Busch, Edwards, Braun and Pruett began to work their way back up the charts. Busch was up to second by lap 30. The No.20 Joe Gibbs Racing machine powered down the front straight and beat Wimmer into the first turn on lap 34 to take the lead. Meanwhile Edwards was up to third, Braun fourth and Pruett sixth.
A number of teams pitted on lap 35 following a caution flag. The teams couldn’t reach the checkered flag yet, but were gambling that enough caution flag laps would happen over the final half of the race so that they could make it. They would need an estimated 12 laps for the strategy to work.
Wimmer was the leader of those who pitted and took the fuel strategy gamble returning to the track in 18th place.
Michel Jourdain Jr. brought out another red flag, on lap 40, when he left fluid all over the track following a restart. After they restarted Pruett used the opportunity for new tires and to top off the fuel tank. That made it possible that he could now reach the total distance without another stop. He restarted in 17th place. Busch, Edwards and Braun continued on.
Then on lap 47 Busch gave up the lead for tires and fuel. Bowyer and Sam Hornish Jr. followed Busch down pit road. Braun pulled off on the next lap leaving Edwards as the only car not to pit.
Was he trying to stretch his fuel for the final 45 laps? And would it matter since all the cars behind him had newer tires and more fuel?
The answer came on lap 49 when Edwards gave up the lead for new tires and fuel, but he returned to the track mired in 25th place.
The race restarted on lap 50 with Pruett leading Ruben Pardo and Wimmer. Pardo stumbled as the green flag dropped and Wimmer got around him for second place. Then Pardo re-took the position.
But Pruett was out front and a great open-wheel driver. He had never won a NASCAR event and he was determined to make up for last year (when Juan Pablo Montoya knocked him out of the way en route to the victory).
Busch was charging through the field and by lap 59 was up to third. He went underneath Pardo for second on lap 60, but it was a long way to go to catch Pruett, who had “checked out.” Pruett’s lead was more than six seconds at lap 61.
Then a debris caution flag slowed the field and brought Busch right on Pruett’s rear bumper with 17 laps to go. The green flag dropped with 15 laps remaining.
More at Miami Herald/The Sports Network
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS:
FIN, ST, CAR, DRIVER, MAKE, SPONSOR, PTS/BNS, LAPS, STATUS
1 6 20 Kyle Busch Toyota Doosan Infracore 190/5 80 Running
2 4 59 Marcos Ambrose Ford Kingsford Hickory Charcoal 170/0 80 Running
3 2 40 Scott Pruett Dodge Fastenal 175/10 80 Running
4 3 60 Carl Edwards Ford Scotts Water Smart 165/5 80 Running
5 6 9 Patrick Carpentier * Dodge Auto Value 160/5 80 Running
6 8 2 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet BB&T 150/0 80 Running
7 21 29 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet Holiday Inn / Holiday Inn Express 151/5 80 Running
8 28 88 Brad Keselowski Chevrolet U.S. Navy 142/0 80 Running
9 24 1 Mike Bliss Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming 138/0 80 Running
10 12 66 Steve Wallace Chevrolet Atreus Homes & Communities 134/0 80 Running
11 11 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Dodge Penske Truck Rental 130/0 80 Running
12 33 99 David Reutimann Toyota Aaron’s Dream Machine 127/0 80 Running
13 19 7 Mike Wallace Toyota GEICO 124/0 80 Running
14 17 64 Max Papis Chevrolet Atreus Homes & Communities 121/0 80 Running
15 32 5 Adrian Fernandez Chevrolet Lowe’s 118/0 80 Running
16 9 111 Jason Keller Chevrolet America’s Incredible Pizza Company 120/5 80 Running
17 13 27 Brad Coleman Ford Carino’s Italian Grill 112/0 80 Running
18 16 22 Ruben Pardo Dodge Bombardier Learjet / Telcel 109/0 80 Running
19 26 28 Kenny Wallace Chevrolet Reel Deal “Card Games” on Phantom EFX 106/0 80 Running
20 15 37 Rafael Martinez Ford Scotiabank Inverlat / Canel’s 103/0 80 Running
21 36 38 Jason Leffler Toyota Great Clips 100/0 80 Running
22 22 6 David Ragan Ford Discount Tire 97/0 80 Running
23 41 4 Landon Cassill * Chevrolet Miccosukee Resort & Gaming 94/0 80 Running
24 42 161 Kevin Lepage Ford Specialty Racing 91/0 80 Running
25 30 81 D.J. Kennington Dodge MC2 Energy Drink / NPPL 88/0 80 Running
26 14 17 Erik Darnell Ford CitiFinancial 85/0 80 Running
27 18 47 Kelly Bires Ford Clorox 82/0 80 Running
28 37 198 Alex Garcia Chevrolet Dixien / OmniSource Corp. 79/0 80 Running
29 27 24 Brian Simo Chevrolet Hefty 76/0 80 Running
30 25 41 Kyle Krisiloff Dodge Polaroid 73/0 80 Running
31 35 30 Stanton Barrett Chevrolet NOS Energy Drink / 4caring.org 70/0 80 Running
32 15 33 Ron Hornaday Chevrolet RoadLoans.com 67/0 78 Running
33 3 16 Colin Braun Ford 3M 69/5 76 Running
34 10 186 Antonio Perez Dodge Telmex / Chivas Racing 61/0 75 Running
35 5 25 Boris Said Ford No Fear / Team Smithfield / Advance Auto Parts 58/0 54 Running
36 20 32 Michel Jourdain Jr. Toyota Visit Durango / Visit Mexico 55/0 39 Running
37 34 109 Kevin O’Connell Chevrolet Gen’l Environmental Mgmt / Taleo Grill 52/0 32 In Pit
38 38 331 Kenny Hendrick Chevrolet INTERUSH / GrandStay.net 49/0 30 In Pit
39 39 184 Jose Luis Ramirez Dodge The Perfect Game / Rayere 46/0 28 Out of Race
40 31 90 Chris Cook Chevrolet Drifting Mexico 43/0 20 In Pit
41 43 91 Larry Gunselman Chevrolet MSRP Motorsports 40/0 17 In Pit
42 42 52 Scott Gaylord Ford Means Racing 37/0 12 In Pit
43 39 01 Kertus Davis Chevrolet RaceGirl 34/0 1 In Pit
- Fernandez to drive JR Motorsports entry in Mexico
- Kyle Busch considers running full Nationwide schedule
- Boris Said to drive in Mexico City and Montreal
- NASCAR announces new international racing series
- Goodyear still has rain tires for NASCAR road race
Well, like Tony said, he has the touch and no matter what kind of track he goes to, he can tell them how to set up the car to his driving style, and that is something alot of drivers cant communicate to their crew chiefs. Kyle is setting a whole new level for drivers out there running in all three series and he will be coaching Joey Lagano the youngest of the Gibbs drivers.he will be the one to contend with in Dega next week JD said since he has not had any good finishes there with his former Hendrick team and he wants to win there
that was a good race for a non cup weekend, congrats to Kyle and to Gibbs.
#88, JUNEBUG IS NEXT WEEK, TALLADEGA IS HIS TRACK !!!
JAG wrote:
NOW, WHY IS IT SOMETHING NOT EVEN ABOUT DALE JR FINDS ITS WAY INTO A TOPIC THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM, GIVE IT A BREAK
JAG wrote:
What does Dale Jr. have to do with this forum, we hear enough about Dale Jr. he wasn’t even in this race. jeez
I hope NASCAR hammers Boris with a big, fat fine. He repeatedly said on camera that he was going to retaliate against Ambrose at a later date. They even caught him saying stuff to his crew chief in the pits. Watch the tape Boris Almighty. You’ll see it was a racing deal of sorts and you getting a little loose at the beginning of the incident didn’t help the situation. NASCAR fines Stewart, Junior and Robby for less. I really hope they fine that Big Bird head of yours.
wrote:
here is Ambroses statement;
Ambrose tried to smooth things over following the race.
“I’m going to ring him on Monday and hopefully sleep will help him just think through things a little bit more,” Ambrose said. “I value Boris’ friendship and he is a fantastic racer. I didn’t mean to do it.”
Ambrose didn’t shy away from responsibility, though.
“I got into him and spun him out and ended his day,” Ambrose said. “I feel bad for him but our day has been fantastic.”
JAG wrote:
I agree with all the others who said that Jr. has absolutely nothing to do with this article. And, to add to that point, Kyle got this win in the Nationwide Series today, and the two previous to that (mentioned in the article) also in the Nationwide Series. So, mentioning Jr. winning at Talladega next week in the #88, which is the car he drives in the Sprint Cup Series, has absolutely no meaning at all compared to Kyle’s Nationwide win. Now, with that being said, I just want it to be know, I’m not a fan of Kyle Busch at all, I honestly can’t stand the kid. But I will give him his dues, he’s a good driver. I just wanted to say that I’m not defending Kyle by writing this comment, only trying to educate some uneducated commentators.
I’d like to see a non-cup driver when a Nationwide race for once!
RedDevil wrote:
I was actually suprised that there were only 7 Cup drivers in this race, 6 if you don’t count Hornish and Carpentier
l0l
Oops I meant 5 not 6
KYLEFORLIFE18 wrote:
Actually Howie opened the door by mentioning Dega lol
KYLEFORLIFE18 wrote:
BECAUSE IT’S JUNEBUG ALABAMA, NOT MELT IN YOUR MOUTH ALABAMA, WHERE HE “KYLE BUSCH” WILL MELT ON THE TRACK!!!
Howie motorsports photography wrote:
So what!!!
Is there something wrong, did I hit a soft spot, everyone knows it’s Earnhardt, Alabama, don’t you wish it was Busch, Alabama???
Who cares if he wasn’t in this race, just gives him more time to gear up for next weekend!!!
Dustin wrote:
All I said is this, Jr’s turn is next weekend, it is his track, did not say anything about Kyle, sorry I smashed some nerves out there!!!
You go JAG:
They can’t beat you down for telling the truth. Maybe your timing was a little off by what they perceived as raining on the Shrubs (win) but thats their problem, right.
Guys it’s not like EVERY ONE of you haven’t interjected a off the wall comment at some time in the past articles and will do it in the future sooo lighten up. JAG just couldn’t wait till for a JR. article to speak up…
gonesouthern wrote:
JAG= Thank You!, you ROCK gonesouthern, yep some people can’t stand it, but it’s ok to mention their drivers on Junebugs articles, but Junior to be mentioned on their articles, that’s NOT ALLOWED, strange isn’t it?
GO JUNIOR # 88 at Talladega!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BTW, it would still be hard for others to win a race new rules and all if Dale Sr was kicking today!!!
He is the teacher of NASCAR !!!
JAG wrote:
because the topic is about Mexico City not ALABAMA, if you try to stay on the topic instead of always talking about something else you might be able to get more interaction on her, Jr is just one driver, maybe he should race against himself.
out of 18 posts their are only 4 pertaining to the Nationwide race and the rest are all B_llS__t.
Fisha695 wrote:
because its nice to have a weekend off. I went to Whiskey River for the opening and now we are rock climbing in Talladega Natl Forest.
when i get to your neck of the woods Fisha, Ill be at Nicks lake house and hangin on the lake with Robby.
as far as me starting this thing with Dale on here mentioning Dega, I quoted something JD Gibbs saying that Kyle would like to WIN there and someone started the ball rollin with the JR. crap.
i wish Kenneth would step in and delete all the posts not pertaining to the original story because it does get old.
Well I guess he could start with you shutterbug since none of what you said above had anything to do with the race in Mexico !!! What is up with you crying like a baby for Kenneth to do this or that for you every time some one posts something you don’t like. Man up boy and stop being such a wuss !!!
News flash shutterbug: This is a forum for all to speak on not just to please you !!!
PS: Be careful and please don’t fall off any rocks, we would hate to not have your insightful opinions
to lighten up our day any more… lol lol
I must say that was a good race to watch. It had a lot of hard driving (the Aussie) and a fair amount of beat and banging went on. With passing at a premium it made for some very interesting attempts at every opportunity. My man Boris really got up tight didn’t he ?? Wow, You do not see him get that mad over a tap very often. Just goes to show how much tension there was going on during the race.
Kyle did a good job going from the back to the front and taking the lead with out runing over to many cars this time…
I hope JR crashes and flips 27 times at Talladega
I feel the need to respond to some of the comments left in response to my comment.
I am a huge Dale Jr. fan. Believe me, I would love to sit here and talk trash about other drivers, Kyle especially, but I didn’t feel that this article was the place for it. Now, I’m sure many of us have multiple interpretations of how this site is supposed to work, but the way that I interpret it is the site is here for us to read articles and then comment about those particular articles. So many times, people make comments on certain articles that have nothing to do with those articles, which in turn (like what’s going on right now) causes all this discussion that does nothing but get farther away from the article originally written. So basically, I guess what I’m trying to say is that there is a time and place for everything. And I do apologize for the bashing that I did by mentioning that I was only “trying to educate uneducated commentators.” That may have been a little below the belt.
wrote:
Can’t put your initials down when you comment, shame, shame, you must be as goofy as a two peckered billy goat, you shouldn’t wish that on anyone, it might bite you in the rear someday, BUT NO, junior won’t do that, that is his favorite track, he will win or be at least 95% close to the victory, and for other people, I didn’t think you owned this website, others including myself can talk about anything we want pertaining or not pertaining to certain articles, LOL…………..
Ha, Jr. Fans are idiots.
Congrats to Kyle Busch for yet another win. He is one hell of a driver. Hendrick made a huge mistake getting rid of him for somebody like Dale Jr. Sure, Jr will sell more merchandise to his “fans” but Kyle just has so much more potential.
Gibbs, you hit the jack pot with Busch. I really don’t like him that much, but I can see why a couple of people do.
Go 48.
Trey wrote:
Same with you, you must be as goofy as a two peckered billy goat!!!
Actually, a two peckered billy goat ought to be quite sophisticated.
JAG wrote:
Or Bi-Sexual or Homo in fact……….
Shame on you too, 48 is Juniors teamate, shouldn’t cutdown teamates if you are a true blue 48 fan.
Trey wrote:
Actually,Rick Hendrick did make a big mistake with Kyle, but I ran JJ’s fanclub and it was Jeff and Jimmy that didnt get along with him, so basically it was 2 against 1. they did not want to pour the time into getting the whole thing between them to gel so it was byebye Kyle. Ricks hands were tied and Kyle will mature with Gibbs, he gets along good with Tony and Denny. it will work alot better with those 3 than it will with Jeff, Jimmy and Dale Jr. On media day at Hendrick their was alot of tension and when Dale Jr. walked in the room their was alot of laughing going on behind his back but Rick wanted him to feel at home so Jimmy and Jeff told the guys to knock it off, it wasnt nice. i hope it works for Dale Jr. but he has alot to prove and he expected to get a championship or he will just be another Casey Mears there. Kyle on the other hand will bring Gibbs alot of championships, he is rated one of the drivers who will earn multiple titles if he settles down like he has been doin. at Gibbs he is called the LITTLE INTIMIDATOR because you dont want him in your rear view mirror. he is that good and people dont understand how his dad pushes him to succeed. we will just have to see.
JAG wrote:
RULES FOR COMMENTING BELOW: Profanity, inappropriate comments, racial slurs and attacking others on this blog will not be tolerated. Breaking these rules will first get your posts removed and then you will be banned. In other words, spirited debate is always encouraged here but be respectful doing it.
wrote:
RULES FOR COMMENTING BELOW: Profanity, inappropriate comments, racial slurs and attacking others on this blog will not be tolerated. Breaking these rules will first get your posts removed and then you will be banned. In other words, spirited debate is always encouraged here but be respectful doing it.
Who’s doing this, no names mentioned?
JimmyJohnsonFanClub48 wrote:
LITTLE INTIMIDATOR ???????????????????
There will NEVER—–NEVER be another Intimidator, Little or big !!!!
Trey wrote:
And probably pretty well liked by the female Goats……
Go Ambrose..l0l
JAG wrote:
well considering gordon has won there the past two times i think we should just go ahead and call it Gordonstheman, Alabama.
Andrew wrote:
Oh geez Andrew, don’t talk about another driver, you’ll get your head bit off, apparently we are not allowed to do that, the make believe owner says, or alot of make believe owners of this site say’s.
Dustin wrote:
The voice of reason speaks, you all should listen.. SEE ABOVE…
Jag, Guest, Trey + You guys need a time out, big time !!!
The rest of you hecklers need to give it a rest (fisha) no need to GOAT them on…
Jag: if you want support when you go over board a little then do not come right back with another lame post. Im ashamed I stood up for you today. Nuff said OK
wow, 37 posts and nothing new about the race, just about goats, you guys are real intelligent on here, Kenneth should just give this up. And for JAG, 12 posts about nothing but what someone else said followed up by stupid GOAT crap, what gives to much to drink or have you been frenced up in your backyard to long.
I need no time out. I am free to state my opinion, and that is all that I have done. The others are pushing it. It’s actually funny to read if you ask me. Keep on… I’m bored and need something funny to read.
Go 48.
Trey wrote:
Well then go spend 50 Cents on a newspaper and read the comic strips.
Fisha695 wrote:
No it’s ¢ ¢ ¢ 50¢