Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 21 in Brooklyn, Mich. – Photo Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Busch, who clinched his spot for the “chase for the championship,” received his 4^th series win of the 2011 season, his 23^rd series career win and his 1^st series win at Michigan International Speedway.

With his victory, Busch now leads Jimmie Johnson by 10-points in the point standings.

Following Busch, Johnson and Keselowski to the drop of the checkered flag were Mark Martin finishing in fourth, Ryan Newman fifth, Jeff Gordon sixth, Kasey Kahne seventh, Clint Bowyer eighth, Tony Stewart ninth and Matt Kenseth rounding out the top-ten finishing positions.

RACE NOTES:

Average Speed: 150.898 MPH
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 41 Mins, 26 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.568 Seconds
Lead Changes: 20 among 10 drivers
Cautions: 5 for 21 laps
Attendance: 81,000

Unofficial Top-Ten in the Point Standings: 1. Kyle Busch – 799 (Leader) 2. Jimmie Johnson – 789 (-10 Points Behind the Leader) 3. Kevin Harvick – 760 (-39) 4. Carl Edwards – 760 (-39) 5. Matt Kenseth – 759 (-40) 6. Jeff Gordon – 739 (-60) 7. Ryan Newman – 725 (-74) 8. Kurt Busch – 722 (-77) 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 700 (-99) 10. Tony Stewart – 694 (-105).

Next Up: The IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, August 27th, with ABC beginning their (pre-race) coverage beginning at 7:00 PM (EDT).

2011 NSCS Pure Michigan 400 Race Results

(i) Ineligible for Points in this Series
# Denotes Rookie

No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), appeared to have a car very capable of winning Sunday’s AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. However, two cut right-front tires and two subsequent brushes with the outside retaining wall did enough damage to relegate Busch to a disappointing 31st-place finish.

“We cut down a tire twice today and each time ended up in the wall,” said Busch at the conclusion of the 400-lap race. “The second time, we hit hard enough that we had to go to the garage and fix it. We’ve got to figure out why it happened and make sure we correct it. It’s disappointing for Interstate Batteries and all these guys.”

After starting 15th, Busch methodically worked his way into the top-10 in the early part of the race, while his pit crew, as they have throughout several races this season, gained him spots on pit road during his lap-86 pit stop.

Busch and crew chief Steve Addington were tinkering with the handling of the Interstate Batteries Toyota and getting it to Busch’s liking as the race neared the 161st lap. It was on lap 161 when Busch was due to pit for the third time of the day, and upon coming to his pit stall, Addington planned to make an air pressure adjustment to all four tires during the scheduled green-flag stop.

Unfortunately, on lap 160 the right-front tire on Busch’s No. 18 machine sustained a puncture, and the air rapidly deflated from the tire, forcing the car up the racetrack and into the SAFER Barrier on the outside retaining wall between turns three and four.

After that first brush with the wall, Busch came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a check of the damage before rejoining the race 25th, one lap down.

Despite the unfortunate encounter with the wall, all was not lost as Busch worked his way up near the top-20 to become the first car one lap down, meaning that if a caution came out, he would get his lap back via the “Lucky Dog” rule.

However, just past the halfway point, another cut right-front tire caused Busch to again hit the SAFER Barrier on the outside retaining wall in turn three. The second hit was harder than the first, and Busch and the Interstate Batteries team were forced to the garage for lengthy repairs of the right side of the car.

Busch eventually returned to the track to finish 31st, but completed only 342 of the 400 scheduled laps.

His JGR teammates, Denny Hamlin and rookie Joey Logano finished 22nd and 42nd, respectively. Logano was involved in a multi-car accident on lap 30 in which his car flipped several times in turn three. He walked away from the accident and was checked and released without injury from the infield care center.

Jimmie Johnson beat his Hendrick Motorsport teammate Mark Martin by 1.970 seconds to win the AAA 400 and score the 44th victory of his Sprint Cup career, his fourth of the season and his fifth at Dover. The win put Johnson in a tie with Bill Elliott for 14th on the all-time Sprint Cup victory list.

Finishing third was Matt Kenseth, while Juan Pablo Montoya and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-five. Jeff Gordon, A.J. Allmendinger, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were nine caution periods for 38 laps, with 11 drivers failing to finish the race.

With only eight races remaining in the Sprint Cup season, Hamlin leads the JGR trio in the championship point standings, as he is JGR’s lone representative in the 12-driver Chase for the Championship. Hamlin is sixth in the standings, 108 markers behind Chase leader Mark Martin. Busch and Logano each fell one spot to 14th and 20th, respectively, in the standings.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the third race of the 10-race Chase for the Championship – is the Oct. 4 Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 1 p.m.

- True Speed Communication for Joe Gibbs Racing/Interstate Batteries Racing, Press Release

No. 18 Interstate Batteries NASCAR Nationwide Series (Kyle Busch)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), finished a disappointing 23rd in Sunday’s CARFAX 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.

Busch, who started 39th, fought a loose handling condition for much of the first half of the 200-lap race, but he and crew chief Steve Addington eventually found a balance for the car that worked thanks to a series of wedge, tire pressure and track-bar adjustments.

By lap 149, Busch had worked his way into the top-five as teams began thinking about fuel strategy for the remaining 51 laps.

Busch pitted on lap 149 for four tires and fuel and then 10 laps later, under caution, Busch pitted for two tires and enough fuel to ensure he could finish the 400-mile race.

Other teams opted to gamble on fuel, so when the race restarted, Busch was in 15th-place, but with other drivers potentially running out of fuel, it appeared a top-10 finish was possible for the Interstate Batteries team.

However, as the laps wound down, the handling on Busch’s car went away, and he faded outside the top-20.

“It wasn’t a good day,” Addington said. “We battled track position early. I don’t know what happened at the end. We got our track position and then lost a good bunch of that on the restart. We put two tires on it and topped it off with all (the fuel) we could and thought we were in good shape to go to the end. The car just got tight on us. I can’t explain it. I’m trying to find out right now.”

Busch’s JGR teammates, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, finished seventh and 10th, respectively.

Brian Vickers beat Jeff Gordon by 1.409 seconds to win the CARFAX 400 and score the second victory of his Sprint Cup career, his first of the season and his first at Michigan. It was also the first victory for Red Bull Racing, which has competed in Sprint Cup full-time since 2007.

Finishing third was Dale Earnhardt Jr., while Carl Edwards and Sam Hornish Jr., rounded out the top-five. Casey Mears, Logano, Clint Bowyer, David Reutimann and Hamlin comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were seven caution periods for 36 laps, with eight drivers failing to finish the 400-mile race.

With 23 of 36 races in the books, Hamlin leads the JGR trio in the point standings, and his 10th-place finish maintained his fifth position in the championship. He has 2,986 points and is 514 markers behind series leader Tony Stewart. Busch fell two spots to 15th. He has 2,721 points and is 70 markers arrears 12th-place Mark Martin. Logano stayed in the 19th spot with 2,426 points, 1,074 markers back of the lead.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Aug. 22 Sharpie 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at 6:30 p.m.

- True Speed Communication for Joe Gibbs Racing/Interstate Batteries Racing, Press Release

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, gets boosted by Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge, Saturday during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Kyle Busch led only one lap in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, but that independent lap happened to be one lap short of allowing Busch to take home an Independence Day win.

The driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) was involved in some last lap fireworks on July 4 as contact with the No. 14 car of Tony Stewart thwarted a win just a few yards short of the finish line. Instead of celebrating his 16th career Sprint Cup victory and his second point-paying win at Daytona, Busch instead had to settle for a 14th-place finish.

“We went for it right there at the end,” said crew chief Steve Addington. “This is a product of restrictor-plate racing with these racecars. What are you going to say? Everybody on this race team worked their tails off and we had a good racecar. I can’t say anything. I’m not pointing any fingers at Tony. He was trying to win the race, Kyle was trying to block him for the win and we got turned around.”

Starting from the eighth spot, as the 43-car field was set by points when Friday’s qualifying session was rained-out, Busch quickly moved into the top-five by lap 11. Addington made adjustments to the Interstate Batteries Toyota that progressively improved its tight-handling condition, providing Busch the opportunity to patiently click off laps as he rode in second-place for most of the event behind either Stewart or his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin.

The Fourth of July fireworks that undid Busch’s run to the checkers began when a late caution set up a double-file restart with just four laps remaining. Stewart led the field to the green flag with Hamlin on his outside and Busch settling in behind Stewart in third. While the field shuffled a bit on the restart, the fireworks commenced on the race’s final lap.

With drafting help from Hamlin, Busch was able to overtake Stewart on the outside as the duo came off turn four. As they crossed the stripe for the white flag lap, Busch led until the two returned to turn four for the final time.

As Busch hugged the yellow line and blocked Stewart’s first attempt at a pass with the checkered flag just yards away, Busch moved high to block Stewart’s second attempt to pass on the outside. Contact was made, and Busch spun hard into the SAFER Barrier that lines the outside retaining wall. To make matters worse, the No. 9 car of Kasey Kahne plowed into the rear of Busch’s car as the Interstate Batteries machine slid down the banking. The impact pushed Busch across the start/finish line before JGR teammate Joey Logano delivered another powerful hit to what was left of the No. 18 Toyota.

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota, crosses the finish line sideways followed by Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge at the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

“It’s a big disappointment,” said Addington. “We sat there, Kyle was patient all night long and sat there and rode. Jeff (Dickerson, spotter) kept telling him to just click off laps and we didn’t have any power issues. We were just fine. We took care of our tires all night long to be there at the end because we needed to have a good points day and we were in a position to go for the win and he did and we end up wrecked. What are you going to say? I appreciate Interstate Batteries and Toyota and everybody sticking with us and we’ll just go to Chicago and try to win that one.”

With 18 of 36 races in the books, Hamlin continues to lead the JGR trio in the championship point standings, as he maintained his sixth-place position. He currently has 2,302 points and is 417 markers behind series leader Stewart. Busch kept hold of the eighth position. He now has 2,234 points and is 485 points arrears Stewart. Logano gained one spot and currently sits in 20th. He has 1,847 points and is 872 points back of the lead.

Stewart’s margin of victory over runner-up Jimmie Johnson was 0.110 seconds, while Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch rounded out the top-five. Marcos Ambrose, Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Juan Pablo Montoya and Elliott Sadler comprised the remainder of the top-10. Logano finished 19th.

There were eight caution periods for 30 laps, with six drivers failing to finish the 400-mile race.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the July 11 LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The race begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 7:30 p.m.

- True Speed Communication for Joe Gibbs Racing/Interstate Batteries Racing, Press Release

2009 NSCS Kyle Busch - (Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR)

If Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race went the full distance, there’s a good chance that Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry, would have landed his fifth top-five of the 2009 season. Unfortunately, wet weather at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon cut the distance to just 273 of 301 laps, and Busch finished seventh.

Nonetheless, it was a solid effort for the Interstate Batteries driver, even with three cars in the top-seven gambling on fuel strategy due to the rain and bumping the Las Vegas native out of the top-five.

“We’ll take what we got here today with the rain,” Busch said. “We were watching it most of the race. We didn’t know when it was coming, but it was always here or close. It hurt our chances for a good top-five or even maybe a top-four finish. I felt like the 24 (Jeff Gordon) and the 2 (Kurt Busch) were right there, but our car was good all day. We were solid. We weren’t great.”

Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate, rookie Joey Logano, won the race by gambling on fuel as the rain approached, while fourth-place David Reutimann and sixth-place Brad Keselowski also benefitted from the race being called early.

Gordon and Kyle’s older brother Kurt finished second and third, respectively.

Busch survived 11 cautions for 47 laps in the rain-shortened event, including a multi-car accident on a lap 174 restart that began when Dale Earnhardt Jr., spun his tires and Busch, Juan Pablo Montoya and Martin Truex Jr., made contact at the end of the frontstretch.

“I have to apologize to all those guys,” Busch said. “We got bottled up there in turn one – especially Martin and Jeff Burton and those guys. I meant nothing of that. The 88 (Earnhardt) spun his tires on the restart, I went to choose a lane, went to the middle, and the 42 (Montoya) and I got together a little bit. That pinched me with the 1 (Truex, Jr.) and I spun the 1 out and it was just mayhem from there.

“I hate it for all those guys because I know they’ve got ‘Chase’ contentions too. We were just battling for every spot out there today. Restarts are hectic, man. Everybody is fighting for every inch that’s out there because it’s so hard to pass with these cars. If you can get it done right now, then you can kind of single-file out for a while and then you don’t have to worry about much. The sooner you can get everything done – the quicker, the better, the more you’re by yourself.”

Logano’s win in the rain-shortened event was his first career Sprint Cup victory, and at 19 years, one month and four days, he became the youngest winner in Sprint Cup history.

Gordon, Kurt Busch, Reutimann and Tony Stewart rounded out the top-five. Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Sam Hornish Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were 11 caution periods for 47 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish the race.

With 17 of 36 races in the books, Denny Hamlin leads the JGR trio in the championship point standings, as his 15th-place finish bumped him up one spot to sixth in points. He has 2,132 points and is 392 markers behind series leader Stewart. Busch gained one spot to climb to eighth in the standings with 2,108 points, 416 points arrears Stewart. Logano gained three spots and now sits in 21st. He has 1,741 points and is 783 points back of the lead.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the July 4 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The race begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 7:30 p.m.

- True Speed Communication for Joe Gibbs Racing/Interstate Batteries Racing, Press Release