Kyle Busch started on the pole. Earlier in the day, he had bested the track record and become the all time winningest pole winner in the history of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Before the race could even start, Justin Allgaier had some trouble. His engine was not running right and his team decided to bring him down pit road on the pace laps. They decided they would change the carburetor, but this cost him a lot of time and a good finish. It was really bad because I, along with many others, wanted him to win in his tribute car to the late and great Jason Leffler. The race finally got started and a possible contender in the race would have trouble. Kasey Kahne entered turn 2 on lap 1 and his car got loose causing him to enter a slide. Somehow, he was able to keep the car from going in the grass and avoid all the other drivers. He lost a lot of time, but he still had a car to race. After an eventual few pace laps and first lap, Kyle Busch was able to finally cross the start/finish line to lead the first lap.
The race continued on until the first round of green flag pit stops began on lap 28. Kyle Busch took the lead back after the stops and continued his domination of the event. The race continued on until the first caution at the halfway point on lap 50. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 4. Kyle Larson received the lucky dog. This is where strategy began to take shape in the race. Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Brian Scott decided to stay out on the track. Michael Annett decided to only take two tires on his stop. It would be interesting to see whose strategy would work. On the restart, it was obvious Annett's strategy did not work as he fell way back, but the drivers who stayed out during the stops stayed near the front of the field. In fact, Kyle Busch was half a second faster than the drivers who had taken tires. Shortly after the restart, two race and championship contenders would have trouble.
Sam Hornish Jr., who had been running real well all race, pulled down pit road with a lot of water shooting out of the overflow. The car had begun to overheat after grass had become stuck in the grille. His team tried to put water in the car, but it did not help. At the same time, Regan Smith pitted because his car had begun to overheat after grass was stuck in his grille as well. Smith would be able to continue on in the race, but Hornish's problem would affect him soon. A short time later on lap 64, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Brian Scott made their scheduled stops after they had not pitted on the previous caution. At the same time, Joey Logano decided to pit and replace right side tires to see if he could catch a caution and get a little track position. Luckily for him, the second caution of the race waved on lap 66. Sam Hornish Jr., who had just been in for his overheating problem, lost an engine in the entrance to turn 3 and deposited oil on the track. Kevin Swindell received the lucky dog. Even more strategy was used on this caution. Busch, Kenseth, Logano, and Scott decided to stay out since they had just pitted. Most of the top 10 took two tires with Elliott Sadler and Michael Annett taking four tires. It would be interesting once again to see which strategy would result in the win.
The race went back green and continued on until the third caution on lap 84. Debris was spotted in turn 2 of the track. Just as the caution waved, Joe Nemechek lost a right rear tire after running over a piece of the debris. He reported to pit road and the tire was replaced. Travis Pastrana received the lucky dog. A final bit of strategy was used by some of the drivers. The top 7 on track stayed out while the drivers behind them decided to pit. The race went back green once again and there would be trouble fairly quick. In turn 2, Parker Kligerman got loose while Trevor Bayne was running behind him. Bayne slowed a little to allow Kligerman to save it. Kasey Kahne, who had a major run behind them, decided to make a move below Bayne, but Kahne did not have enough room to get by and slammed into the grass. A piece of his splitter crumpled up and his tire blew as grass and debris flew on the track. This resulted in the the fourth and final caution of the race on lap 89. David Starr received the lucky dog. Now, there would be one final mad dash to the finish and Kyle Busch would have to hold off the field one more time.
The race restarted and Joey Logano stayed right next to Busch as they went into turn 1. This caused Busch to lose a lot of grip and go up the track on Logano. Both drivers avoided each other and the wall, but Brian Scott sneaked by for the lead. Scott did everything he could to hold Busch off while he charged at him for the win, but it was not enough as Busch passed Scott with three laps to go for the lead. Busch held onto the lead and cruised to the victory. Brian Scott was so close to his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series victory, but he will have to try again next week. Brian Vickers was able to win the final Dash 4 Cash of the season over Sam Hornish Jr., Austin Dillon, and Elliott Sadler for a 100,000 dollar bonus. It was a dominating performance for Kyle Busch, but he almost had it taken away in the final stages.
It is hard at times to watch the NASCAR Nationwide Series when Kyle Busch is dominating, but you have to admit that the man can drive the absolute wheels off any vehicle he jumps in. Whether it be a Sprint Cup car, a Nationwide car, a Camping World truck, or even a late model, he gets the job done. It has definitely been a memorable week for Austin Dillon. He went to Eldora on Wednesday and was able to win the inaugural Mudsummer Classic. Even though he could only muster a twelfth place finish in the Nationwide event at Indianapolis, Dillon still gained the points lead from Sam Hornish Jr. His week could get even better if he has a good run in the Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 tomorrow at Indianapolis. The NASCAR Nationwide Series championship race could get really interesting with the top 8 drivers within a race of the points lead. This could really be a factor as the Nationwide Series heads to the always action packed Iowa Speedway. With mostly Nationwide regulars in the event, it could be a really good chance to gain some points. Will Trevor Bayne capture both wins at Iowa in 2013, will Austin Dillon grab a win after dominating the previous race, or will Elliott Sadler win his second race at Iowa? We will have to wait until next Saturday night to find out.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 50- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 4.
2nd Caution: Lap 66- Sam Hornish Jr. lost an engine in the entrance to turn 3 and dropped oil on the track.
3rd Caution: Lap 84- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 2.
4th Caution: Lap 89- Debris and grass was on track after Kasey Kahne drove through the grassy part of turn 2.
Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Kyle Larson
2nd Caution: Kevin Swindell
3rd Caution: Travis Pastrana
4th Caution: David Starr
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kyle Busch
2nd: Brian Scott
3rd: Joey Logano
4th: Brian Vickers
5th: Kevin Harvick
Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Matt Kenseth
10th: Travis Pastrana
12th: Austin Dillon
13th: Elliott Sadler
19th: Regan Smith
26th: Kasey Kahne
34th: Sam Hornish Jr.
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Indiana_250/B
-Image:
http://www.trbimg.com/img-51f457f7/turbine/la-sp-kyle-busch-20130727/600
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