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    •  September 26, 2017

    Kyle Busch Wins at New Hampshire After Squeezing Through Smokescreen

    September 26, 2017
    Lucy Atkinson
    Lucy Atkinson
    Contributor
    Lucy Atkinson
    Lucy Atkinson
    lucyannabear

    The race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ISM Connect 300 on Sunday was a race that fans will likely never forget.

    Temperatures were soaring far above normal for September and after a strong first and second stage, it looked to be another dominant performance from Martin Truex Jr. That was until a wreck unfolded – entrapping Truex within its snare, and allowing second-place Kyle Busch to squeeze through the smokescreen and win stage two.

    Starting on the pole after another mind-blowing qualifying session, Kyle Busch led for half the stage, until this season’s dominant driver – Martin Truex Jr – moved in for the kill and took it away from him. Truex crossed the finish line at the end of Stage one, marking 19 Stage wins this season.

    Stage two looked to be much the same, until a wreck unfolded on lap 149. Austin Dillon made contact with Kevin Harvick, and the two span around – collected other drivers in a plethora of smoke and chaos. Martin Truex Jr had been approaching the group from behind and was in the wrong place at the wrong time, when he too became victim of this wreck.

    Second-place Kyle Busch was a little bit luckier thanks to taking the high line. He slowed right down and managed to just about squeeze through the gap left around the edge of the tangled cars. There were only inches to spare. The Stage ended under caution and Kyle Busch was crowned the winner in his 14th Stage win of 2017.

    Truex managed to get fixed up and back out on the track for the third stage. However, after a few more cautions, he made the mistake of only taking two tyres on pit road. He made up many places on the race off pit road and even led for three laps. However, after a stint of restarts, his two fresh tires were no match for Busch’s four. It was like watching a kid with ragged bits of leather trying to run alongside a kid with brand new shoes. Kyle Busch went on to win the race with an impressive lead. Both he and Truex have now gone through to the next stage of the playoffs.

    It was an eventful and memorable race. Speaking about the wreck on lap 149, Kyle Busch wasted no time in liking it to a certain Tom Cruise story:

    “That was pretty intense. That was some ‘Days of Thunder’ stuff over there. You couldn’t see anything.

    It was just a wall of smoke over there off of Turn 2. I was listening to my spotter and basically was told to stop, and I was like ‘Sounds like a good idea.’” – Kyle Busche

    It definitely paid off for the No. 18 Toyota Camry driver who scored his third win this season.

    Lucy Atkinson
    Lucy Atkinson
    Contributor
    lucyannabear
    Lucy is 25 and from the UK. She has always loved motorsports, having grown up watching Formula 1. Most recently, she has fallen in love with NASCAR. Lucy's dream is to cover live NASCAR races regularly across the USA.
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