NASCAR Cup: Kyle Busch dominates to claim first Charlotte victory
Joe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch dominated the NASCAR Cup race at Charlotte to pick up his fourth series win of the season
Starting from pole position, Busch led 377 of the race's 400 laps to take his first victory at Charlotte, the only circuit on the calendar he had not previously won a points-scoring race at.
Joey Logano passed Busch at the start, although Busch was able to get back ahead of the Team Penske Ford six laps later and went on to win all the stages during the race.
Busch stayed in front through comfortable pitstops from his JGR crew and fast restarts after cautions, only giving up the lead during green flag pitstops.
Stewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick looked likely to challenge Busch after moving from the back row of the grid to the top five in the opening 65 laps, but he hit the wall on lap 83 after suffering a left front tyre failure.
Martin Truex Jr finished the race in second after starting in 15th. The Furniture Row Racing driver had to make his way through the pack again during the third stage after he was penalised for speeding in the pitlane.
Penske's Brad Keselowski was off the pace during the first half of the race, but made his way into the top five in the final stage of the race and was running in third with 20 laps to go.
But Keselowski was beaten to third by Busch's JGR team-mate Denny Hamlin, who ran consistently inside the top 10 and completed a Toyota 1-2-3.
Jimmie Johnson put in a great performance to finish fifth in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, having spun on lap 120 after making slight contact with Hamlin.
Chip Ganassi Racing's Jamie McMurray rose up the order and into the top 10 during the second half of the race and took sixth place, with his team-mate Kyle Larson finishing in seventh.
Kurt Busch moved up from 16th at the start to eighth by the chequered flag for SHR, with Hendrick's Alex Bowman and Roush Fenway Racing's Ricky Stenhouse Jr rounding out the top 10.
Result - 400 laps
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4h23m22.s |
| 2 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 3.823s |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 13.598s |
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 16.777s |
| 5 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 17.164s |
| 6 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 17.925s |
| 7 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 20.548s |
| 8 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 26.093s |
| 9 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.140s |
| 10 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 Lap |
| 11 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 Lap |
| 12 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 Lap |
| 13 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 Lap |
| 14 | Paul Menard | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1 Lap |
| 15 | Daniel Suarez | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 Lap |
| 16 | Darrell Wallace Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 Lap |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 1 Lap |
| 18 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 1 Lap |
| 19 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 Lap |
| 20 | Kasey Kahne | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 1 Lap |
| 21 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 1 Lap |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 1 Lap |
| 23 | A.J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1 Lap |
| 24 | Ross Chastain | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 2 Laps |
| 25 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 4 Laps |
| 26 | Corey LaJoie | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 Laps |
| 27 | Parker Kligerman | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 6 Laps |
| 28 | Landon Cassill | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 6 Laps |
| 29 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 6 Laps |
| 30 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 11 Laps |
| 31 | Gray Gaulding | BK Racing | Toyota | 12 Laps |
| 32 | Timmy Hill | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 17 Laps |
| 33 | B.J. McLeod | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 27 Laps |
| 34 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 52 Laps |
| 35 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 56 Laps |
| 36 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | Engine |
| 37 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go FAS Racing | Ford | Oil leak |
| 38 | J.J. Yeley | NY Racing Team | Chevrolet | Fuel pump |
| 39 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Accident |
| 40 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Accident |
Ford's plan to ride the Mustang back to NASCAR’s peak
Why NASCAR must act on Charlotte's lessons over 2019 rule-changes
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes