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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Kyle Busch Tames Bristol
Kyle Busch won his second straight NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted August 22, 2009   Bristol, TN
Kyle Busch hands the checkered flag to a spectator after winning the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)

Kyle Busch put weeks of frustration behind him, winning Saturday night’s Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway and greatly boosting his chances of making the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Busch, who also won here in the spring, took the lead for the first time on Lap 432 from Michael Waltrip and held on from there to win his fourth Sprint Cup race for the season, but his first since Richmond in May. He now is tied with Mark Martin for the most Cup wins on the season.

The victory was only the second time in the last 11 races that Busch has finished in the top five in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry.

For his part, Martin led a race-high 240 laps and finished second after a tight battle down the stretch with Busch. Behind them, Marcos Ambrose took third, ahead of Greg Biffle and Denny Hamlin.

Martin started his 1,000 NASCAR race from the pole in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS, flanked by former Roush Fenway Racing teammate Biffle in the No. 16 Ford Fusion.

Biffle took the lead at the start, as Martin fell to third behind Scott Speed. Joey Logano brought out the night’s first caution on Lap 12, when he was turned into the wall by Reed Sorenson in Turn 1.

Caution No. 2 flew on Lap 65, when Denny Hamlin cut a left-front tire. That sent the leaders down pit road for the first time, Biffle winning the race off pit road ahead of Martin, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer and Matt Kenseth.

On Lap 70, the green flew again, and eight laps later, Martin took over the lead when Biffle slipped up the hill. When the race reached the 100-lap mark, Martin led Kurt Busch by 1.435 seconds, followed by Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya and Jimmie Johnson.

A brake rotor disintegrated on AJ Allmendinger’s Dodge to bring out the third caution on Lap 136, setting off another round of pit stops. Martin held onto the lead during the service, emerging ahead of Kurt Busch, Biffle, Johnson and Montoya.

The green came out on Lap 145, Martin still on the point.


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