Busch Recovers from Pit Road Penalties to Finish Second

Date:         May 18, 2018
Event:         North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (Race 7 of 23)
Series:        NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location:   Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: Three Segments; 30 laps/30 laps/74 laps
Start/Finish: 4^th / 2^nd (running, completed 134 of 134 laps)
Winner:      Johnny Sauter of GMS Racing (Chevrolet)

Kyle Busch hoped to celebrate his son Brexton’s third birthday in Victory Lane, but two pit road penalties and a very tight No. 51 Cessna Tundra dashed his chances. Despite the obstacles, Busch rallied to finish second for the second-consecutive race.

Stage One Recap:

• Busch started fourth based on owner’s points since qualifying was canceled due to rain.
• From the start of the first 30-lap stage, Busch told the team his Cessna Tundra was “plowing tight,” but remained in third place
• A caution on lap 21 for debris brought Busch to pit road for four tires and adjustments so he could stay out when the stage ended at lap 30.
• He ended Stage One in sixth place.

Stage Two Recap:

• Busch was fifth when the next 30-lap stage began on lap 39.
• He worked his way up to second by the caution for the end of Stage Two on lap 60.
• During his pit stop, the team was penalized for crew members going over the wall too soon. The penalty forced him to start at the back of the lead lap trucks for the final stage.

Stage Three Recap:

• Despite restarting mid-pack, Busch worked his way back toward the front of the field.
• Since teams could not run the 74-lap stage on fuel, Busch pitted under caution on lap 83. Once again, the team incurred a penalty for having crew members over the wall too soon.
• Busch was sent to the tail of the lead lap trucks again and restarted 23^rd on lap 86.
• He used the remaining 49 laps to fight his way back up to second where he finished the race.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 51 Cessna Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:

Talk about your race today:

“We passed the most trucks, but if you pass the most trucks, it doesn’t matter if you can’t win the thing where you need to be, restart where you need to be. We had a really pathetic night on pit road. These trucks are terrible in traffic. You can’t pass. The splitter game is horrendous. They want flat splitters and you put flat splitters on these things and they plow.”

North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Recap:

• Johnny Sauter won the race followed by Busch, KBM’s Brandon Jones, Brett Moffit and Ben Rhodes rounded out the top-five finishers.
• The race featured seven cautions for a total of 36 laps. There were 11 lead changes among five drivers. KBM’s Noah Gragson led 13 laps.

How Busch’s KBM Teammates Fared:

• Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished 10^th
• Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 8^th
• Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 46 Toyota, finished 3^rd

NCWTS Owner Championship Standings:

The No. 51 team is currently second in the Truck Series Owner’s Championship Standings, 59 points out of first.

Next Race:

Spencer Davis returns to the No. 51 Tundra when NCWTS action resumes on Friday, June 8 at Texas Motor Speedway. Live coverage of the race begins at 9 p.m. ET on FS1.