Kyle Busch Dominates Bristol, Collects Seventeenth Win Overall

At Bristol Motor Speedway, on Wednesday night, Kyle Busch dominated the O'Reilly 200. Busch led for 143 laps, for his third craftsman truck series victory and his seventeenth win this season in the top three NASCAR series.

Busch would lead the final 130 laps of the race. To claim the victory, Busch in the final twenty-one laps had to survive the final four cautions, a red flag stoppage, a vapor-lock issue, a scrappy Todd Bodine and a green/white/checker finish.

From the drop of the green flag, you knew it would be yet another classic short-track battle. That the truck series is known for and fans like me love so much.

On the very first lap, you saw Johnny Benson the outside pole sitter and his teammate Scott Speed the pole sitter touch while battling for the lead. Benson would lead the first lap, also lose the Goodyear name on his left-rear tire and would not cause any problems for him. But if your the point's leader, you have to be worried about it.

Speed would be second, but bobbled a little settled down in fourth. But both Busch and Todd Bodine, would pass him for second and third respectively.

Erik Darnell, on the sixth lap would be the first victim of the tight three-wide racing all over the track. When he had contact, resulting in a flat left-front tire and no caution. Luck was on Darnell's side, while his pit crew struggled to lift the truck for the jack, pull out the fender and change the tires.

Justin Marks, spun on lap 9 resulting in the first caution flag. Darnell ended up being only two laps down and could have been worse for him.

Benson would continue leading for the first thirty-one laps. With Busch right behind him in second battling him for the lead and at times in very close quarters. With Speed in third, the two would battle it out for several laps. When Busch touches Benson truck coming out of the turn; on lap 29. Benson would wiggle, save it continue to lead. Busch would eventually pass Benson on lap 31 for the lead.

Benson told his team over the radio. You go to the 51 team, let them know to tell Kyle. Where running for a Championship and he doesn't have to wreck us (Speed TV).

Busch would lead for thirteen laps, when the second caution flew. For Colin Braun who lost it trying to pass another truck and bounced his Con-Way Ford off the inside wall. The leaders would pit, while both Jimmy Johnson and Ken Schrader stayed out.

Busch would win the battle off of pit road, followed by Dennis Setzer, Speed, Bodine and Benson. Benson would lose three positions on pit road, something that rarely happens to his team.

Johnson would pull away on the restart; both Busch and Setzer would battle it out for five laps for second. Before Busch would hold onto it, pull away from Setzer and try to chase down Johnson. Who had a two second lead on Busch in second.

When on lap 54, the third caution flag came out. When Tayler Malsem blew a tire in turn one and Crafton with no where to go ran into him. Resulting in Crafton third in the points with heavy damage, would finish twenty-first and five laps down.

On lap 64, restart Busch in second started challenge Johnson for the lead. Bodine in third would make it a three way battle for the lead and result in some great racing. On lap 72, Busch finally passes Johnson for the lead and Bodine would also pass for second.

Sean Murphy spun on lap 80, resulting in the fourth caution and also collected John wes Townley. All three Roush-Fenway racing trucks where involved in wrecks before the halfway point.

Both Johnson and Setzer would pit, seems like their strategy may backfire on them. Both came out of the pits in nineteenth and twentieth positions respectively.

Busch would pull away on the restart from Speed and would stretch it out to a half second lead. Bodine was running in third, Benson fourth, and Hornaday fifth. They would stay that way over the halfway point and Busch would stretch it to a one second lead.

When Johnson on lap 102, got loose in turn two, tried to save it repeatedly down the back stretch and would wreck in turn three, collecting Jeff Green for the fifth caution. His truck was clipped in the rear by what looked like Sprague's No. 2 truck and ultimately ended his truck debut.

Johnson looked good, led for twenty-nine laps and Speed's interview of him. Resulted in the best quote of the night, "I ran out of talent in the end".

Busch would continue to lead on the lap 109 restart, pulling away from Bodine and Speed. Hornaday would pass Benson for fourth and set his sights on Speed in third. Sean Murphy would wreck again on lap 118, just as Green had a second flat tire and then forced Terry Cook into the outside wall for a sixth caution.

Under caution Benson would pit with eighty laps to go. He got tires, made adjustments to his truck and time will tell just how good of a call it was. Benson's team won last years race with a similar call.

Busch holds onto the lead on the restart on lap 122, with Bodine second, Speed in third, Hornaday in fourth, Rick Crawford in fifth and Benson restarted in nineteenth.

But the seventh caution came out on lap 123 for a four truck pile up involving the following drivers: Bryan Scott, David Starr, Stacy Compton, Timothy Peters and a fifth truck passed the four truck pile up to close for comfort.

Darnell with no trucks down a lap, he would get the Aaron's Lucky Dog and leave him down only one lap.

While Busch continued leading, at the 132 lap point, he's led for 72 laps and meanwhile Benson has worked his way to eleventh. There also were several laps of great racing with Speed, Hornaday, and Crawford battling it out for third, fourth and fifth. While positions didn't change it was great to watch and Hornaday did get into Speed. But neither really was affected by it .

Bryan Silas lost it spinning and bouncing off the wall, resulting in the eighth caution flag on lap 146. the top five would remain Busch, Bodine, Speed, Hornaday and Crawford. Benson was running in eleventh at the time and looked like the strategy would work pitting with eighty to go.

Busch would pull away on the restart with 50 laps to go from Bodine. Setzer who pitted  under caution moved Benson up to tenth and Darnell's back on the lead lap.

Benson would pass Donny Lia with 48 laps to go for ninth place, sets his sights on teammate Mike Skinner in eighth. Busch with 42 laps to go jumped out to a 1.4 second lead on Bodine.

With 40 laps to go, Benson catches and passes T.J. Bell for seventh. With 35 laps to go, Busch has stretched his lead to 2.5 seconds over Bodine in second.

With 23 laps to go, the ninth caution came out and it was a big one. Jon Wood runs into a slower Silas, causing him to spin hitting Shelby Howard. While Hornaday driving toward the wreck decide to stay high, slows down, his teammate Sprague can't and hits Hornaday knocking him into Howard.

Hornaday would suffer heavy damage, have a small fire under the hood, both oil and water all over the track. The race was red flagged with 21 laps to go, so the track can be cleaned up. Hornaday has not DNF'ed in fifty races and the last coming in the 2006 at Nashville.

Hornaday will take a hit in the points, but would come back out limp around to the finish in twenty-fourth, twenty laps down and according to Speed. Probably limping around without a water heater or oil pump on the truck and that streak is now at 51 races.

The track went green again with 17 laps to go. Busch led the way, with Bodine, Speed, Benson and Crawford following him and he would pull away by three truck length on Bodine. Benson in fourth would try to pass Speed in third. the two touched for the second time tonight, as they both battled for the bottom and both would save it.

With 10 laps to go, the tenth caution waved for debris. On the single file restart with 9 laps laps left, Busch would pull away from Bodine. Speed would feel the heat from Benson who was trying to pass for third. 

It also caused the field to be bunched up, with trucks three wide racing for positions and led to the eleventh caution. With 6 laps to go, Jason White would spin from contact, causes Braun to spin and the second time for him to be in trouble tonight. With 4 laps to go, both Busch and Bodine restart good, Benson can't get passed Speed for third.

The twelfths caution came out on the restart for darnell crashed on the restart and will result into the fifth green/white/checkers of the year in trucks. Busch would pull away on the final restart by three truck lengths; Benson would still try to pass Speed to no avail and Bodine never got close to threaten Busch for the lead.

Busch would take the checkered flag for his third win of the year in trucks, his recorded setting seventeenth win of the year in the top three NASCAR series. Busch joins both Martin and Edwards with having wins at Bristol in all three series.

Busch would stop in front of the flag stand, climb out on his truck lean on the cab. Proceeded to direct the fans in cheering, first the left stands, then the right stands for a couple of times, then get the checkers and do the customary burnout. he was very excited to have won the race, for Billy Ballew Motorsports and thanked all his sponsors in the process also.

Bodine would end up second, move back to fourth in the points 235 back. Speed finished third, getting his third Top Five of the season and also won the pole tonight in only his ninth start.

Speed coming into the year, had zero experience in NASCAR stock car racing. He's running a limited truck schedule already won a race in the series and running full-time in ARCA Re/Max. Where he has four wins, leads the series points and the kids definately the real deal. The plan for him is rumored to be a full year of trucks in '09 with a handful of Sprint Cup races.

Benson while he did lead for thirty-one laps, he ran out of time try to win his fourth race in a row and finished fourth. He collect five bonus points for leading, can't be disappointed. Since he now leads by 119 points over Hornaday in second and 156 points over Crafton in the point standings.

Here's the Top Ten from the race:

1. Kyle Busch

2. Todd Bodine

3. Scott Speed

4. Johnny Benson

5. Rick Crawford

6. T.J. Bell

7. Mike Skinner

8. Dennis Setzer

9. David Stremme

10. Ted Musgrave

The next truck race is at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday, Sept. 6th.