Kyle Busch wins third straight race with late charge at Richmond

April 21, 2018 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service RICHMOND, Va. – Take a bow, Kyle Busch. The driver of the No. 18 Toyota got what he needed late in Saturday night’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway—cautions and short runs in the final 40 laps—to win his third straight Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, matching Kevin Harvick’s feat from earlier in the season. Busch streaked away from the rest of the field on a series of late restarts, ultimately beating Chase Elliott to the checkered flag in overtime to record his fifth victory at the .75-mile short track and the…

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Christopher Bell holds off Noah Gragson for Xfinity win at Richmond

April 20, 2018 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service RICHMOND, Va. – In a long green-flag run fraught with spellbinding tension, Christopher Bell held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Noah Gragson to win Friday night’s ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway. Bell spoiled Gragson’s prospects for a victory in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut, passing his teammate for the lead on Lap 172 of 250 and staying in front—if only just barely—the rest of the way. Bell crossed the finish line .423 seconds ahead of Gragson, after the driver of the No. 18 Toyota got to the bumper of Bell’s No. 20 in…

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Ryan Preece NASCAR Xfinity race at Bristol—and $100,000 bonus

April 14, 2018 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. – Ryan Preece is doing everything he can to find a permanent home in a stock car. At the top of his to-do list is winning, which he did for the second time in seven NASCAR Xfinity Series starts on Saturday when he outran Justin Allgaier to win the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. With the victory came a $100,000 bonus, courtesy of the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash program. In Victory Lane, Preece was already spending it. “You know what? I’ll probably do something for my parents; do…

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Kyle Busch holds off Kevin Harvick at Texas for season’s first victory

April 8, 2018 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service FORT WORTH, Texas – In a race that saw two of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ elite drivers play chase to the checkered flag, Kyle Busch held off Kevin Harvick to win Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Harried by Harvick for 23 laps after a restart on Lap 312 of 334, Busch powered his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota across the finish line .300 seconds ahead of the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. The key to Busch’s victory was a mistake-free run over the…

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Ryan Blaney gives Team Penske third straight NASCAR Xfinity victory

April 7, 2018 By Reid Spencer NASCAR Wire Service FORT WORTH, Texas – On a cold, cold day in Texas, Ryan Blaney continued the hot streak of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, winning Saturday’s My Bariatric Solutions 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race in thoroughly convincing fashion. Blaney won the first stage in a runaway, led 132-of-200 laps and beat runner-up Christopher Bell to the finish line by 2.327 seconds. The victory was Blaney’s first of the season, his first at Texas Motor Speedway and the seventh of his career. Furthermore, Blaney was the third different driver to pilot the No. 22…

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Kyle Busch uses bump-and-run to perfection in Bristol win

April 16, 2018 By Reid Spencer NASCVAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. – Everyone knows Kyle Busch as “Rowdy,” but you could also call him “The Postman,” given that neither rain, snow, sleet nor hail could keep him from completing his appointed rounds at Bristol Motor Speedway. Executing a textbook bump-and-run against runner-up Kyle Larson on Lap 495 of 500, Kyle Busch pulled away to win Monday’s weather-delayed Food City 500, claiming his second straight victory of 2018 and his seventh win at Thunder Valley, most among active drivers. In a race delayed by rain after 204 laps on Sunday—then prefaced by sleet…

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