Kyle Busch endured a series of late-race restarts and a green-white-checkered finish to win the Toyota Owners 400 Saturday night under the lights at Richmond Raceway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver earned his third consecutive victory in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
After starting 32nd, Busch stormed through the field early in the race and reached the Top 10 by Lap 40. The driver of the M&M’s Toyota Camry led 32 laps on his way to victory.
The race on the .75-mile racetrack was clean throughout the early parts of the night, with the only two cautions in the first 350 laps caused by the end of the two stages. A wreck between Ryan Blaney, Cole Whitt and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with less than 50 laps to go provoked a string of incidents late in the race. After leading 121 laps, Martin Truex Jr. relinquished the lead after a slow pit stop, enabling Kyle Busch to take control of the race in the final laps.
Busch joined the fans in celebration after his burnout on the front stretch after being greeted by a roar of cheers. This scene was a stark contrast compared to ten years ago, where Kyle Busch needed a police escort after unintentionally spinning Dale Earnhardt Jr. from the lead at Richmond in 2008.
Top Performing Fantasy Picks in the Toyota Owners 400
A Class: Kyle Busch – 50 Points
B Class: Joey Logano – 66 Points
C Class: Aric Almirola – 41 Points
D Class: Matt DiBenedetto – 21 Points
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway for the Geico 500 next Sunday.
