The latest auto news, reviews, prices, product and vehicle releases. Aug
12th
Stay connected Subscribe to our RSS feed
This time Kyle Busch got it right. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was able to hold off Brad Keselowski, who knocked him around last year, to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at the Watkins Glen road course.
Penske Racing's Keselowski finished second, for the third year in-a-row, in a race which saw polesitter, Marcos Ambrose's hope of a third -straight “Glen” victory evaporate. Martin Truex, Jr. (who won the last road race at Sonoma) was third followed by Carl Edwards.
"A big sigh of relief, just a deep breath. Whew!" said Busch, who also was the innocent victim two years ago while leading on a green-white-checkered finish and finished third. "I was just trying to take it all in and figure it all out. The last couple of years here have been tough, and today it could have been tough again."
The two biggest differences, this year, was that Keselowski didn't get a clean run at Busch and Ambrose's good luck, seemingly, ended.
"We had a shot at it," Keselowski said. "I was going to have to wreck him to really get it, and I didn't want to do that. There's racing and there's wrecking. Those are two different things.
The 2012 Sprint Cup champion thought the better of trying an aggressive move.
"Everybody defines them a little differently, and I guess that's the code you live your life by. If I was going to take out Kyle, it would have been wrecking in my mind, and there's a distinct difference."
Ambrose, who led 51-laps of the 90-lap race, lost due to an unlucky time for a pit stop and an adjusted car which lost its' handle.
Busch's crew chief, Dave Rogers, planned to bring his driver in on lap 60, but he noticed oil on the track from another accident and had Kyle pit before the yellow.
The Australian, Ambrose was not that lucky. He pitted after the yellow and came back out on the track in 12th place behind slower cars which weren't giving way on the twisty former, original, site of the USGP.
"That was a game-changer right there," said Busch, who won from the pole in 2008 at The Glen.
Busch held on through a series of cautions over the final 28 laps. But Ambrose, who complained that his car was not drivable after his pit stop crashed, after being hit by Max Papis who was trying to avoid him, and finished 23rd.
"That's just the way it goes," Ambrose said. "We put on a strong showing. It wasn't our day, but we've had plenty of good days here."
In the end Busch forgave, but, he didn't forget the “present” from Keselowski.
"It was a really, really sticky situation last year, and it wasn't all Brad's fault," Busch said. "There was oil on the race track, but Brad's the one that spun us out. It eventually cost us being able to make the Chase. I figured maybe he could do some of the same again, but he kept it clean today."
Penske Racing's Keselowski finished second, for the third year in-a-row, in a race which saw polesitter, Marcos Ambrose's hope of a third -straight “Glen” victory evaporate. Martin Truex, Jr. (who won the last road race at Sonoma) was third followed by Carl Edwards.
"A big sigh of relief, just a deep breath. Whew!" said Busch, who also was the innocent victim two years ago while leading on a green-white-checkered finish and finished third. "I was just trying to take it all in and figure it all out. The last couple of years here have been tough, and today it could have been tough again."
 |
| Photo: KyleBusch.com |
The two biggest differences, this year, was that Keselowski didn't get a clean run at Busch and Ambrose's good luck, seemingly, ended.
"We had a shot at it," Keselowski said. "I was going to have to wreck him to really get it, and I didn't want to do that. There's racing and there's wrecking. Those are two different things.
The 2012 Sprint Cup champion thought the better of trying an aggressive move.
"Everybody defines them a little differently, and I guess that's the code you live your life by. If I was going to take out Kyle, it would have been wrecking in my mind, and there's a distinct difference."
Ambrose, who led 51-laps of the 90-lap race, lost due to an unlucky time for a pit stop and an adjusted car which lost its' handle.
Busch's crew chief, Dave Rogers, planned to bring his driver in on lap 60, but he noticed oil on the track from another accident and had Kyle pit before the yellow.
The Australian, Ambrose was not that lucky. He pitted after the yellow and came back out on the track in 12th place behind slower cars which weren't giving way on the twisty former, original, site of the USGP.
"That was a game-changer right there," said Busch, who won from the pole in 2008 at The Glen.
 |
| Photo: KyleBusch.com |
Busch held on through a series of cautions over the final 28 laps. But Ambrose, who complained that his car was not drivable after his pit stop crashed, after being hit by Max Papis who was trying to avoid him, and finished 23rd.
"That's just the way it goes," Ambrose said. "We put on a strong showing. It wasn't our day, but we've had plenty of good days here."
In the end Busch forgave, but, he didn't forget the “present” from Keselowski.
"It was a really, really sticky situation last year, and it wasn't all Brad's fault," Busch said. "There was oil on the race track, but Brad's the one that spun us out. It eventually cost us being able to make the Chase. I figured maybe he could do some of the same again, but he kept it clean today."