NASCAR Cup Kansas: Kurt Busch beats Larson and brother Kyle to win

NASCAR Cup Kansas: Kurt Busch beats Larson and brother Kyle to win

The 2004 Cup champion Busch dominated much of the race, leading a race-high 116 laps, but emerged overdue his younger brother\'s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota after a round of pit stops under caution.

Following the restart, as Kyle Busch led the field, Kurt fell when to fourth surpassing mounting a tuition when to the front. Without Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet suburbanite Larson had passed Kyle Busch for the lead on lap 235 of 267, Kurt demoted Kyle to third two laps later.

From there, the 23XI Toyota patiently made up ground on Larson and dove inside the reigning champion at Turn 3 with eight laps to go to reuse the lead and secure his first win of 2022 by 1.413 seconds.

It was only the second victory for 23XI Racing, which is co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan and Cup suburbanite Denny Hamlin, without Bubba Wallace\'s Talladega transilience last October and 43-year-old Busch\'s first win since Atlanta in July 2021.

Asked how it felt to get his 34th career win for a new team, Busch said: “It’s the most gratifying to work from the ground up with a trademark new car. Everybody at 23XI – this is for us. This is what the nonflexible work is all about.”

Behind Larson, JGR team-mates Kyle Busch, Hamlin fourth and pole-winner Christopher Bell rounded out the top-five.

Completing the top 10 were Martin Truex Jr., Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Alex Bowman and Wallace, who rebounded from a pit road penalty.

At the start, Bell took writ early surpassing Chase Briscoe spun off Turn 4 on lap six to put the race under an early caution. Tyler Reddick quickly passed Bell on the restart to move into the lead, but lost out to Larson on lap 34 - just surpassing B.J. McLeod spun off Turn 4 to bring out flipside caution, from which Bell once then emerged in the lead.

\"Busch\'s

Busch\'s win was only the second for 23XI

Photo by: Jasen Vinlove / NKP / Motorsport Images

Daniel Suarez restarted fourth, but brought out the next circumspection on lap 62 when he spun off Turn 4. During the caution, leader Bell cut a left-rear tyre.

When racing resumed, Kyle Busch powered into the lead for the first time in the race and held off Ross Chastain for the Stage 1 win as Chase Elliott finished third.

Elliott was the first off pit road for the restart, but withal with Hamlin was penalised for equipment interference during their stops. Both had to restart from the rear of the field, as did Wallace for having a hairdo member over the wall too soon, while Kyle Busch lost nine spots by placing his car too tropical to pit wall.

When the race resumed on lap 88, Chastain led from Martin Truex Jr and William Byron, but the Hendrick suburbanite soon passed both Chastain and Truex to lead.

However, Byron\'s race was ruined when he had a left-rear tyre go lanugo and tagged the wall on lap 113. His pitstop under untried meant he lost two laps, as Kurt Busch inherited the lead. 

Tyler Reddick moreover hit the wall in Turn 1 on Lap 117 and was moreover forced to pit under untried for repairs.

A circumspection during the middle of the next round of pitstops, caused by Kevin Harvick spinning off pit road, prompted the remainder of the field to come in together without which Kurt Busch resumed the lead.

Busch held off his brother to win Stage 2, with Ryan Blaney third, while a unappetizing tyre on the final lap of the stage for fourth-placed Truex caused him to hit the wall.

\"Kurt

Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson battled side-by-side for victory surpassing the 23XI suburbanite won out

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

Truex\'s early pit visit meant he\'d have to start Stage 3 from the rear of the field, withal with Kyle Busch, who sped during his stop.

Kurt Busch headed Blaney and Larson at the restart but, as Blaney slipped back, Hamlin soon entered the picture and began challenging Larson for second. 

Elliott\'s spin off Turn 3 brought out the seventh circumspection of the race on lap 197, during which Wallace was demoted from running in the top-five to the rear of the field for an uncontrolled tyre.

Kurt Busch and Larson traded the lead without the lead, but Busch asserted his validity and unfurled to lead until the final circumspection arrived on lap 230 for possible fluid on the track - which cycled Kyle Busch to the front.

Reflecting on a race in which he appeared to have the fastest car, only for several tyre issues and pit road miscues – not to mention the side-by-side battles with Larson – to leave the outcome in doubt until the end, Busch said: “It’s all well-nigh teamwork, I don’t do this alone.

“The way that Toyota’s helped us and (Joe Gibbs Racing) and my little brother has been so important just on the family side. Bubba has been a tremendous team-mate.

“This is our first win for the #45 car and with the Jordan Trademark on the hood I felt like I had to win like the GOAT, race like the GOAT and I had to write-up the Kyles. I write-up both of them – the ‘Kyle and Kyle show.’

“This #45 car is a winner now!”

NASCAR Cup Kansas results - 267 laps

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