Kurt Busch finally cashes in at Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Luck finally fell Kurt Busch’s way at his home track, where he pulled out an upset Sunday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to sneak his way into the third round of the NASCAR Cup playoffs.

Busch ended an 0-for-21 losing streak at Las Vegas with good timing and then three tremendous restarts. He entered the race 12th in the standings and in danger of elimination from title contention, but the victory earned him an automatic berth into the next round.

The win, the first of the season for the 2004 Cup champion, was celebrated alongside younger brother, Kyle. The reigning NASCAR champion slammed doors with his big brother on the cool-down lap. Busch then took the checkered flag to the finish line and smacked it on each of the letters in Las Vegas.

“This is 20 years of agony and defeat and today triumph,” Busch said. “I don’t know if I have any gas left or if I just filled my tank up to go win every race. This is my hometown and I have so many people to thank and I know they are watching on television so proud of their hometown driver.”

It was the first win of the year for Chip Ganassi Racing and the first in the playoffs for a Chevrolet driver.

Busch happened to be the leader during a a round of green flag pit stops interrupted with 32 laps remaining by just the fifth caution of the race. It cycled him to the lead for the ensuing restart and he had an incredible jump to control the front.

Busch did it two more times, including a final restart in overtime, to deny the challengers any shot at catching him.

“This is what kids grow up when they are racing,” Busch said. “They grow up dreaming of winning on their home track and for two decades it has kicked my butt.”

Matt DiBenedetto, eliminated from the playoffs last weekend, finished second in a Ford for Wood Brothers Racing in his best finish of the season. After the race, he reiterated he wants an extension to continue driving the No. 21 next season.

Denny Hamlin dominated the race until the cautions jumbled the finish but rallied to finish third in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. He first gambled to pit for new tires to give him a shot to work through traffic, then chose the top lane in the overtime shootout in a mad scramble to catch Busch.

Hamlin led 121 of the 268 laps.

Martin Truex Jr., another Gibbs driver, was fourth and followed by Alex Bowman in Chevrolet and Gibbs driver Kyle Busch, who is now 0-for-30 this Cup season as he seeks a second consecutive title.

Kyle Busch appreciated the milestone his older brother achieved in finally winning at Las Vegas. Kyle has one Cup win, in 2009, but both brothers have always struggled at home. Not only had Kurt Busch never won before at Las Vegas, but he had just five top-10 finishes before the win.

Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola and Austin Dillon are all below the cutline with two races remaining in the second round. NASCAR races next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway and then closes this round at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the hybrid “roval” road course-oval.