Kyle Busch gets first win of 2006

Kyle Busch gets first win of 2006   

 

Associated Press
Sun, Jul 16, 2006  

 

LOUDON, N.H. -- Kyle Busch (+1500) had to go to overtime Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway for his first NASCAR Nextel Cup victory of the year.

 

Busch passed Elliott Sadler (+5000) for the lead 61 laps from the end and appeared to have the third victory of his career all wrapped up before a crash involving Hendrick Motorsports teammate Brian Vickers and rookie Clint Bowyer brought out a caution flag on lap 298, just three laps from the scheduled end of the Lenox Industrial Tools 300.

 

With a number of drivers concerned about running out of the fuel, including Sadler, the race was extended even longer when Robby Gordon (+7500) ran into the back of Michael Waltrip (+10000) on lap 303.

 

The last restart finally came on lap 307. By that time, both rookie Denny Hamlin (+1500) and Carl Edwards had moved past Sadler, but Busch easily pulled away from the challengers.

 

Edwards dove past Hamlin for second place on the final lap and Hamlin then appeared to run out of gas, fading all the way to sixth as Greg Biffle (+800), Mark Martin (+2000) and Kevin Harvick (+1000) all drove past on the final straightaway.

 

Sadler ran out of gas on the final restart and wound up 25th, the last driver on the lead lap.

 

The 21-year-old Busch was positioned for the victory when crew chief Alan Gustafson brought the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in for a gas-only pit stop during a caution period on lap 211.

 

Busch, the younger brother of 2003 Cup champion Kurt Busch (+1500), restarted seventh when the green flag waved on lap 215 and worked his way steadily to the front. Sadler inherited the lead, with Busch right behind him, when they stayed on track while the drivers in front of them pitted during another caution on lap 235.

 

The restart came on lap 238 and it took Busch just three laps to get around Sadler. He led the rest of the way.

 

``I asked Alan on that last pit stop if we were OK on gas if we went extra laps,`` Busch said. ``He said it would be fine, but all off a sudden they`re telling me, `Save gas! Save gas! Save gas!` I wasn`t sure what to think.``

 

On a hot, sticky day filled with crashes, defending Cup and race champion Tony Stewart crashed early in the race and fell out of the top 10 in points with only seven races left before the start of the Chase for the championship.