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CUP: Busch Brothers Dominate In Texas
Written by: Tom Jensen   
11/08/2009
Fort Worth, TX
 
Kurt Busch won the Dickies 500 at Texas Sunday, his second win of the year. (Photo: LAT Photographic) ยป More Photos

DICKIES 500 RESULTS

The Busch brothers put on quite a show at Texas Motor Speedway Sunday, dominating the Dickies 500. It was big brother Kurt who took the victory, passing Kyle after he ran out of fuel with three laps to go.

All told, the brothers led 322 of 334 laps, Kyle leading 232 and Kurt leading 90, most importantly the final one in his Penske Racing Dodge Charger.

The elder Busch was followed to the checkered flag by Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Matt Kenseth in a Roush Fenway Racing Ford, Mark Martin’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and Kevin Harvick in a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Kyle Busch was credited with a 13th-place finish.

Jeff Gordon, who won the spring Texas race, started from the pole for the Dickies 500, holding the lead on the opening lap.

But on Lap 3, points leader Jimmie Johnson crashed hard on the backstretch after Sam Hornish Jr. drifted up to him in Turn 2 and sent the No. 48 Chevrolet into the outside wall first, and then hard into the backstretch wall. Johnson finished 38th and unofficially leads Martin by 73 points with two races to go.

Gordon was out front when the race restarted on Lap 9, with Kurt Busch second, followed by Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Kurt Busch took the lead for the first time on Lap 12, relegating Gordon to second. Seven laps later, Kyle Busch made it a Busch 1-2 at the front. At the 50-lap mark, Kurt led his younger brother by 3.961 seconds.

Shortly thereafter, green-flag pit stops began. When the stops cycled through, it was Kyle Busch in the lead, 1.498 seconds ahead of his brother, David Reutimann, Earnhardt and Clint Bowyer.

Hornish brought out the second yellow of the day with a crash on the backstretch on Lap 87. During the ensuing stops, Kyle and Kurt led off pit road, followed by Reutimann and Tony Stewart.

The green waved on Lap 92, the Busch brothers continuing to dominate up front.

On Lap 144, the next round of green-flag pit stops began, as the field continued to string out. When they cycled through, Kyle led Kurt by 5.483 seconds on Lap 154. Then it was Marcos Ambrose, Earnhardt, Reutimann, Stewart and Juan Pablo Montoya.

On Lap 168, just as leader Kyle Busch was about to lap Jeff Gordon, caution No. 3 flew for debris. That sent the leaders down pit road again, Kyle again leading Kurt, Earnhardt, Reutimann and Bowyer. The big loser was Ambrose, who fell from third to 18th on an 18-second pit stop.

The race restarted on Lap 173, but two laps later, Juan Pablo Montoya crashed between Turns 1 and 2, taking out Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski with him. Jeff Gordon also spun, though he didn’t hit anything. Gordon had to pit for tires and a repaired front-splitter brace, but otherwise his car was undamaged. He rejoined the race 18th, the last car on the lead lap.

The race restarted on Lap 182, Kurt now in the lead, Kyle behind him and Reutimann
third.

Reed Sorenson blew a right-front tire to bring out caution No. 5 on Lap 205.

Kyle got the lead back on pit road this time, with Kurt second, followed by Reutimann, Stewart, Kenseth, Earnhardt and Mark Martin when the race restarted on Lap 213.

This time, Kyle had a good restart, something he hadn’t been able to do in the two previous green-flag restarts.

“You know why this reminds me of a Legends race?” Kyle asked new crew chief Dave Rogers. “Because I’ve got my brother in my mirror, just stalking me.”

Green-flag stops began on Lap 267, with Kyle pitting from the lead on Lap 269 and Kurt coming in three laps later, but having a disastrous stop that dropped him from second to sixth. When the stops cycled through, Kyle led Reutimann by 2.581 seconds, followed by Kenseth, Martin, Stewart and Kurt.

Kyle got on the radio after the stop, complaining of a loose wheel. But Rogers insisted that wasn’t the case. “They hit ‘em hard,” he told Busch of the efforts by his tire changers.

At the 300-lap mark, Kyle led Reutimann by 1.383 seconds, but the younger Busch didn’t have enough fuel to finish unless he drastically slowed his pace. Big brother Kurt, meanwhile, was fourth behind Kenseth and had enough gas to make it.

Kenseth was the first of the leaders to come in for gas, taking two tires and fuel on Lap 314. Stewart followed three laps later, taking two tires as well.

Martin made his stop on Lap 319, taking right sides as well, with Kurt Busch passing Reutimann for second place one lap later, although he was 4.128 seconds behind his little brother.

Jeff Gordon came in on Lap 324, just taking fuel and no tires.

Earnhardt pitted on Lap 328, but his car stalled on pit road, out of fuel.

Reutimann was the next to pit, as he came in on Lap 330.

Kyle ran out on Lap 332, handing the race to his brother.

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED, and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to



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