SPARTA, Ky. – Kyle Busch led 185 laps and caught a huge break before surviving a final restart to win Friday night's 300-mile NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kentucky Speedway.
The defending Sprint Cup Series champion needed overtime to win in his No. 18 Toyota, with the race going one circuit past its scheduled 200 laps after a late caution. Busch then outdueled Daniel Suarez and Austin Dillon in a three-wide restart to earn his first series win at Kentucky since 2004.
Busch benefited from a late mistake by Erik Jones. He passed Busch for the lead after a lap 174 restart just before the fourth yellow, but inadvertently shut off his car and fell to third as a penalty for failing to keep up with the pace car.
Dillon was second in a Chevy, with Suarez third in a Toyota and Jones fourth in a Toyota.
One night after his Camping World Truck Series team became that series' winningest outfit, the Xfinity career wins leader earned his fifth victory and ninth top-10 this season. For a while the question was whether anybody would get close to Busch, who led six times.
Busch claimed the pole with a speed of 187.318 mph that edged out Suarez (187.298). He set his own groove and pace on the resurfaced, reconfigured track and had all the grip he needed after a full day of practice on the premier Cup level.
Only on that one restart did Busch show vulnerability as Jones made a gutsy pass on the outside. Jones never got the chance to put room between him and Busch as Ray Black Jr. quickly spun out to draw the yellow flag.
Jones' No. 20 car then appeared to stall during the caution, creating the penalty and a turn of events that handed the lead to Busch for good.
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