Kyle Busch wins Trucks race to kick off Bristol stop
BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) – Kyle Busch won his third straight NASCAR Trucks race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday night. Busch, who won the pole position for the O’Reilly 200, was relegated to a 35th at the start because of an engine change after qualifying. It took him only 91 laps to power his way from the back of the field to the race lead.
The No. 18 Toyota driver then appeared to be cruising until a seven-truck crash on lap 198, put the race into overtime and a green-white checkered restart.
With his fuel level low, Busch was able to hold off Aric Almirola for his 19th Truck Series victory in 77 career starts.
Behind the two Toyotas was Ron Hornaday Jr. in third in a Chevrolet and Mike Skinner fourth in a Toyota.
Busch sliced his way through the field, passing seven cars on the first lap and moving up to 17th by lap 17. By lap 56, he had moved to second place and 35 laps later, he inherited the lead from Skinner who made a pit stop.
Points leader Todd Bodine, who came into Wednesday’s race looking for a third straight victory, finished fifth.
Sprint Cup Series star Ryan Newman passed seven-time Modified champion Mike Stefanik with 20 laps to go to win a 150-lap race for the NASCAR Modified Series earlier in the evening.
Almirola hired by JR Motorsports
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – JR Motorsports signed Aric Almirola on Wednesday to drive its flagship No. 88 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series starting next season.
The team said Almirola could get some starts in the car before the end of this season.
“If there is a quintessential JR Motorsports driver, we feel it’s Aric Almirola,” said team co-owner Kelley Earnhardt. “The way he drives, the ambition he carries, the way he represents himself on and off the track, it all fits within our company’s dynamics, our core objectives, and the values of our sponsorship partners.”
Almirola has raced sporadically in NASCAR’s top three series the past several seasons.
He had a full-time Nationwide ride with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2007, and is credited with a victory that season at the Milwaukee Mile, when Denny Hamlin arrived late and replaced Almirola in the car midway through the race.
Almirola landed a Sprint Cup deal the next season with Dale Earnhardt Inc, splitting seat time with Mark Martin. He lost the ride when the team folded due to lack of sponsorship in 2008.
JR Motorsports has used several different drivers in the No. 88 this season since firing Kelly Bires in the spring. Danica Patrick drives the team’s second car on a limited basis.