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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Busch Sweeps at Richmond
Kyle Busch became one of only three drivers to sweep at Richmond...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted May 02, 2009   Richmond, VA
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Combos Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane with his crew after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 Combos Toyota, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents the Russ Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway. (Photo: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

Kyle Busch sang Happy Birthday to himself Saturday night, as he celebrated his 24th birthday by winning a sloppy, caution-filled Crown Royal Present the Russ Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway Saturday night.

Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota blew past former teammate Jeff Gordon on a late-race restart, and from there Busch held on to win his third Sprint Cup race of the season and score a sweep of the Cup and NASCAR Nationwide races at the 0.75-mile road.

Tony Stewart passed Jeff Burton on Lap 384 to take second, with his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Ryan Newman fourth followed by the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Mark Martin.

Busch, the Las Vegas native, joined Harry Gant and Kevin Harvick as the only three drivers to sweep a doubleheader weekend at RIR. But getting it done took a long time on this spring Virginia evening.

After a day of intermittent rain at RIR, the race began with Brian Vickers on the pole in his Red Bull Racing Toyota and a green-yellow start for the first six laps. When the track went green on Lap 7, Vickers held the lead, briefly surrendering it to outside pole-sitter Jeff Gordon and retaking it before Dave Blaney spun out in Turn 4 to bring out a caution on Lap 11.

Gordon took the lead back on Lap 23, going underneath Vickers on the frontstretch. Hometown favorite Denny Hamlin took the point for the first time on Lap 73, much to the delight of the Virginia crowd. Two laps later, series points leader Kurt Busch swept past Gordon into second, with Martin in fourth and Kyle Busch in fifth.

On Lap 93, green-flag pit stops began. Hamlin pitted on Lap 96 and Kurt Busch two laps later. When the field cycled through, the order at Lap 102 was Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Martin, Kyle Busch, Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Newman, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Stewart.

The third caution flew on Lap 116 after Jeremy Mayfield bounced off the wall on the frontstretch. This time Bowyer took the lead over Hamlin and Newman, as the first- and third-place cars gambled on track position by taking two ties each, while everyone else took four.

The green flew on Lap 122, with Hamlin reassuming the top spot just two laps later and Newman following into second place shortly thereafter. On Lap 130, Kurt Busch moved to second ahead of Newman but Hamlin already had a lead of 1.285 seconds.

Second-place Busch quickly began eating into Hamlin’s lead, going out front on Lap 145.

Kasey Kahne spun onto the frontstretch grass to bring out caution No. 4 on Lap 151 and send the leaders down pit road. The JGR Toyotas won the race off pit road, Hamlin leading Kyle Busch. Then it was Kurt Busch, Martin and Newman. By this point, there were just 23 cars on the lead lap.

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