Kyle Busch dominates Homestead Trucks Series race. Can he repeat at Dixie Vodka 400?
For the second time this year, Kyle Busch notched a win in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, dominating the field at the Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday night to cap the second of four races at the racetrack this weekend.
But while Busch ran a nearly perfect race down the stretch, especially in the final seven laps following a late caution to edge out Tyler Ankrum for the win, he had to work his way from the back of the pack.
Busch’s No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports team was issued a L1 penalty before the race for violating the rule requiring a maximum of one track bar mount frame support and a maximum of one track bar mount lateral support. The penalty pushed him from the No. 2 position to the back of the field, cost them 10 owner points and forced Busch to serve a pass-thru penalty after the race started.
“Probably a bigger penalty than if anyone else was in the truck other than me,” Busch said. “... Kicked everybody’s ass anyway.”
Busch was never lapped but finished the 30-lap first stage in 33rd place before taking over the race in Stage 2. He took the lead in Lap 39 and never relented after the restart for Stage 3 and a three cautions that came between then and the end of the race.
“It’s just a matter of taking care of it and being in position when the checkered flag flies,” Busch said on his scanner before the start of Stage 3.
The only time he didn’t lead over the final 95 laps was a 14-lap stretch after going to pit road on Lap 96. He made his way back to third when the caution flag came out on Lap 104. He was third at the restart on Lap 110, which followed a nearly 16-minute red flag caution with 27 laps after Sheldon Creed slammed into the sand barriers entering pit road on Lap 107.
“He’s still got some speed on the entire field,” said Ross Chastain, who finished third. “... At least I could see him the entire race.”
Busch quickly worked his way to second and took the lead on Lap 111 after a back-and-forth with Christian Eckes at the beginning of the restart.
It was all Busch after that, which is typical when Busch is running in the Trucks Series.
Saturday was his 58th career win on the circuit and his eighth victory in his last 10 trucks starts.
“We’ve thrown away the last two races,” Busch said. “This is how we’re supposed to perform and run and look.”
Austin Hill, who won the Trucks Series race here last season, was the top driver at the start of the race, leading through the first 28 laps, the final nine of which were held under caution after Chase Elliott spun on Turn 4. Zane Smith, Brett Moffitt and Brennan Poole were involved in the fracas, with Smith and Moffitt leaving the race.
Chastain won the opening stage in a two-lap shootout. Ben Rhodes eeked past Hill for second in the first 30 laps.
Busch also won the Strat 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Feb. 17.
Now, Busch hopes his success transfers over to Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400, Homestead’s NASCAR Cup Series race that will close out action at the race track.
Busch said that there are some elements that can be taken from Saturday’s race and applied to Sunday, “but with the daytime, man, it’s gonna be slick.”
“It’s gonna be way different than what we had here last time,” Busch added. “... There’s definitely less throttle on time, so I would expect tomorrow to get a little bit more racy and be a little bit more out of the gas like we saw it Atlanta.”
Busch, the defending Cup Series champion, has yet to win a Cup Series race this season but has six top-five finishes through 11 races. He’s ninth in the standings.
Busch will start the Dixie Vodka 400 in Position 4, behind only Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.
This story was originally published June 13, 2020 at 9:51 PM.
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