Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Kurt Busch held off Kyle Larson to emerge victorious in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway for his first win of the 2022 season. The victory puts Busch in position for a spot in the Cup Series Playoffs despite a slow start to the year.
It’s Busch’s first career win at Kansas Speedway and his first win while racing for Michael Jordan’s 23XI Racing in the No. 45 Toyota.
FOX: NASCAR @NASCARONFOX
“With <a href=”https://twitter.com/Jumpman23?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Jumpman23</a> on the hood … I felt like I had to race like the GOAT.”- <a href=”https://twitter.com/KurtBusch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@KurtBusch</a> <a href=”https://t.co/BoUS20SNvn”>pic.twitter.com/BoUS20SNvn</a>
It was an unlikely win for Busch, who had struggled throughout most of the 2022 season. He had led just nine laps this year entering Sunday. The victory snaps a 27-race winless streak for Busch.
Busch’s younger brother Kyle Busch, who won the first stage of Sunday’s race, placed third. Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell rounded out the top five.
Kurt Busch won the second stage and secured the overall victory after a late pass that caused Larson to run into the wall.
It was a rough day for multiple drivers as tire issues seemed to be the theme of the afternoon. Daniel Suarez caused an early caution when he spun into a wall to derail his strong start.
William Byron hit a wall after sustaining a flat in his left rear tire. He was two laps behind after being forced to pit.
A tire issue by Martin Truex Jr. on the final lap of Stage 2 opened the door for Kurt Busch to grab the win.
Bob Pockrass @bobpockrass
Kurt Busch wins the second stage at Kansas as Martin Truex Jr. suffers a tire issue.<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASCARonFS1?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#NASCARonFS1</a> | <a href=”https://t.co/wOilURxmwg”>https://t.co/wOilURxmwg</a> <a href=”https://t.co/wKju5GZhW2″>pic.twitter.com/wKju5GZhW2</a>
Early in the third stage, Chase Elliott also fell victim to the left rear tire issue. He was notably unhappy with the race conditions after his crash.
Despite the issues throughout Sunday, Fox’s Bob Pockrass reported that there is confidence that next week’s race won’t face the same problems:
Bob Pockrass @bobpockrass
This left-rear tire set to be used next wk at Texas. Goodyear’s Greg Stucker: “Given what we know about tire engineering, materials we use, the placement of components, its ability to carry load, its ability to perform, provide the grip that it needs, we feel like it’s a match.”
NASCAR will return to action next Sunday afternoon for the All-Star Open at Texas Motor Speedway.
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