Kyle Larson Holds Off Fellow Cup Regulars to Take the NASCAR Nationwide Series Win at Charlotte

         After a final restart and a shorter green flag run to end the race, Kyle Larson was standing on top in victory lane in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Charlotte after holding off Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. Larson was one of the better drivers throughout the weekend, but he seemed to be a little bit behind most of the drivers in the early part of the race. His team, finally, made some nice adjustments and he took the lead for the first time in the race on lap 118. Larson surrendered the lead just one more time during green flag pit stops en route to taking the win in style. It was Larson's second win in the Nationwide Series for his career and both wins have come this year. Along with that, both of Larson's wins have come while holding off great drivers like Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and others. Larson has looked great this year in the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series and he has looked to be a driver that will be around for a long while. Brad Keselowski battled hard for the entire race and led a lot of laps, but he was forced to settle with a second place finish. Kyle Busch started on the pole and ran well in the early part of the race, but mistimed adjustments and a lack of track position led to a third place finish for Busch. Kevin Harvick seemed to be a contender for the entire race, but he settled with a fourth place finish. Brian Scott had one of the fastest cars all afternoon and took a fifth place finish. Regan Smith, Trevor Bayne, Elliott Sadler, and other Nationwide championship contenders finished behind them, but one contender finished badly: Chase Elliott. Elliott, who came in as the points leader, was running well early in the event, but a suspension problem just after the first round of green flag pit stops put him behind the wall and a thirty seventh place finish was the result. The annual spring race at Charlotte for the Nationwide Series was an event without a lot of cautions, but lap traffic, battles for the lead, hard fought positions battles, and competitive drivers made this race one worth watching.

        Kyle Busch started on the pole. It was his second NASCAR Nationwide Series pole of 2014 and he was looking to take his third Nationwide Series win of the year. The race went green and Busch took  a huge jump on the field to lead the first lap. Busch began to cruise away as Brad Keselowski fell into second place and Matt Kenseth fell into third. Keselowski began to pull in on Busch as the leader began to lap cars. The laps began to click away as Busch still was on point. On lap 20, though, Busch's early lead almost came to a halt. He reached a huge knot of traffic and Keselowski and Kenseth began to fly up to him. Keselowski managed to run right behind his fellow competitor for a few turns, but Busch pulled away once again. Just a few short laps after this battle, the first caution of the race waved on lap 24. Ryan Sieg clipped the apron in turn 2. He began to break loose and he went for a slide down the backstretch. He managed to corral his car before hitting the inside wall. He continued on without damage, but he would need some fresh tires. Tanner Berryhill received the lucky dog. The caution brought the first pit stops of the race and they were without strategy. All the lead lap drivers took four tires with Kyle Busch once again coming out as the leader. After a short opening green flag run, the field would have to wait and see how long the next green flag run would go. 

        The race went back green and Matt Kenseth was able to blister past Kyle Busch after Busch decided to use the outside line. Busch began to fall back rapidly as Brad Keselowski moved into the second place spot. Kenseth remained pretty far out front as Keselowski looked to chase him down. The laps began to click by through the green flag run and Kenseth looked to be the guy to beat. He was fast around the track and he was negotiating traffic well. The fifty lap marked passed and Kenseth was still the guy to beat. A few positions were swapping in the top ten, but everything was very calm for most of the leaders. Green flag pit stops began to approach and these stops looked to be very important considering the long green flag run. The first round of green flag pit stops of the race began on lap 80. Drivers began to hit pit road quickly and Matt Kenseth finally came down. He returned to the track and remained the leader after pit stops cycled through. Just a couple of laps after the stops cycled through, the second caution waved on lap 87. Chase Elliott, who had just pitted a few laps before, had a suspension problem entering turn 3. He went up the track and slammed the outside wall hard. He ran slowly down the frontstretch with rather heavy damage to the side of his car. He made it to pit road, but his team sent him to the garage to fix the suspension part and he would lose a good many laps. Mike Bliss received the lucky dog. Due to the recent green flag stops, only a few drivers decided to come down pit road. Kyle Busch, Elliott Sadler, Ty Dillon, and others came down while the leaders stayed on track. After the Nationwide points leader had trouble, a good many championship contenders looked to make their way to the front of the field to gain some points.

        The race went back green and Matt Kenseth was once again able to hold onto the lead. He looked to run away again, but Brad Keselowski fell into second and remained close. Keselowski was able to make his way around Kenseth on lap 97 to take the lead. Keselowski had been a front runner all day, but now he was out front and looking to run away. Kenseth began to fall back and Kyle Larson made his first move to second place in the race. He kept a stable margin behind Keselowski as the race went a few laps past halfway. Larson looked to be stable in second, but the leader was running into lap traffic. Lap traffic had cost some drivers the lead early and it would happen again on lap 118. Keselowski approached a group of lapped cars in turn 3 and Larson was right there. Larson hit the outside line above the first car while Keselowski settled for the low line. They cleared the first lapped car easily and moved to the second one. The two held the same lines and Larson took the edge slightly around the second car. They made it to the frontstretch and they took the same lines around another driver. Larson was able to take the advantage and he began to run away from Keselowski. Shortly after Larson took the lead, green flag pit stops began to approach. On lap 134, Kevin Harvick hit the pit road a little early and took four tires before the stops began. Harvick's stop led the second round of green flag pit stops of the race to begin on lap 139. The pit stops began to cycle through and Kyle Larson returned to the lead after his stop. Now, most of the leaders could most likely make it the rest of the race, but strategy and cautions could still affect the race.

       Larson continued to hold the advantage out front as the field battled behind him. As the race passed the lap 150 mark, it looked like the drivers would have to survive the race without pitting again. The green looked to be set in and Larson would just have to hold off the field. As the race approached thirty five laps to go, the action started to increase a little bit. Drivers were looking to advance their position in hopes of moving up to the lead. The idea of the race going green for the rest of the way was quickly thrown out the window as the third and final caution waved on lap 170. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 3 and NASCAR was forced to throw the caution. Ty Dillon received the lucky dog. The caution brought the final and most important pit stops of the race. All the lead lap drivers came down pit road and Kyle Larson returned to the lead, but the running order was shaken up behind him. Kevin Harvick moved into second place ahead of Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch was able to move into fourth for the restart. The race would restart one final time and the battle would begin again.

        Kyle Larson lined up to the inside with Kevin Harvick above him and Brad Keselowski following Larson with Kyle Busch above him. The race went green and Larson took the advantage as the field battled behind him. Keselowski moved into second and Busch moved into third with Harvick falling back on the restart. After things sorted out, only twenty five laps remained. Larson began to pull away from the drivers behind him and he looked to be in cruise mode. Twenty laps to go flashed on the board and Larson has once again lengthened his advantage slightly. Keselowski and Busch raced behind the young driver in hopes of making the most of a mistake. Ten laps to go flashed on the board and no mistake looked to be in Larson's mind set as he passed through lap traffic quickly. His two fellow Sprint Cup competitors weren't making any ground and only a caution could help them take the win. Larson continued to fly out front as the five lap to go mark came and went. Larson was in complete control and a second Nationwide win looked to be sure. He hit his marks well in the final laps to take the white flag. He ran through the first two turns cleanly and made his way down the backstretch. He made it through turn 3 and then out of turn 4 with no trouble in sight and the two drivers still far behind him. He crossed the finish line with a second win in his hands. Larson has been a good racer this season and his future looks great.

        Kyle Larson ran his rookie campaign in the Nationwide Series a year ago. Even though he looked pretty good in most races, he still seemed a little immature out on track. He made some rookie mistakes and all those mistakes made it very surprising when Chip Ganassi tabbed him as Juan Pablo Montoya's Cup replacement. Questions were raised about his abilities at the next level, but Larson took them all in stride. Already this year in both of NASCAR's higher series, he has proved why he was given that opportunity. He has taken two wins in the Nationwide Series and he followed up an Auto Club win two months ago in the series with a hard fought second place finish in the Cup race at the same track. It seems like Larson is a cut above of the future drivers in the sport and he will be a force to reckon with for years to come. Brad Keselowski fought extremely hard all afternoon and he walked away with a respectable second place finish. After struggles all weekend at Charlotte and then a pole, Kyle Busch could only muster a third place finish. Kevin Harvick was in position on the final restart, but he did not take advantage and he was forced to settle with a fourth place finish. Brian Scott was a major factor for the entire weekend and he walked away with a top five finish for his efforts. A few other Nationwide contenders, like Regan Smith, followed behind these drivers, but Chase Elliott finished deep in the order with a thirty seventh place finish. It was Elliott's worst career finish in the series and he lost his points lead to teammate, Regan Smith, in the process. Elliott and the rest of the Nationwide Series contenders will have another chance in just a week at Dover. Dover is known as a one mile track with some short track tendencies. Wrecks will surely happen and drivers will have to fight all afternoon to take a win at “The  Monster Mile.” Will Joey Logano take his fifth straight Nationwide win at Dover, will Kyle Busch redeem himself after a bad strategy call last year, or will another driver head to victory lane after a two hundred mile event? We will have to wait one week to find out these answers and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)





Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 24- Ryan Sieg went for a slide down the backstretch after clipping the apron in turn 2.

2nd Caution: Lap 87- Chase Elliott slammed the outside wall in turn 3 after a suspension part failed.

3rd Caution: Lap 170- Debris was spotted on the track in turn 3.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: Tanner Berryhill
2nd Caution: Mike Bliss 
3rd Caution: Ty Dillon

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kyle Larson
2nd: Brad Keselowski
3rd: Kyle Busch
4th: Kevin Harvick
5th: Brian Scott

Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Matt Kenseth
7th: Regan Smith
8th: Trevor Bayne
10th: Ty Dillon
12th: Elliott Sadler
17th: Brendan Gaughan
37th: Chase Elliott




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/standings.live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014_History_300/B
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/491925e7cbaa379c099dcd4538242228b69704e0/c=517-158-3352-2293&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/05/24//1400967078000-5-24-14-larson-nationwide-win.jpg

Kyle Busch Continues His Recent Dominance in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Charlotte With a Pole

          With a time of 29.493 seconds (183.094 mph), Kyle Busch took his second straight NASCAR Nationwide Series pole at Charlotte and his second NASCAR Nationwide Series pole of 2014. Busch has been completely dominate at Charlotte recently, but his weekend did not start off good in the Nationwide Series. On Thursday, he spun in practice and slammed the inside wall with enough force to damage the car. He went to the garage and his team decided to take the car back to their shop in Huntersville, North Carolina to fix it. They were able to fix it and his team brought it back on Saturday for qualifying. The car was still running great for Busch and he was the fastest driver in all three rounds of qualifying en route to the pole position for this afternoon's event. Brad Keselowski was the second fastest driver throughout qualifying and he remained there to grab a front row starting spot for today's event. Kyle Larson battled throughout the qualifying session and took a third place starting spot. Dylan Kwasniewski was extremely fast all session and he was able to take the fourth place starting spot behind his teammate. Kevin Harvick led the trio of JR Motorsports drivers with a fifth place starting spot. His teammates, Regan Smith and Chase Elliott, will roll off eighth and ninth, respectively. The rest of the Nationwide field is filled with some brand new drivers to the series, championship contenders, and Sprint Cup guys looking to take a Nationwide win. The qualifying session was without a lot of craziness and incidents, but this morning’s qualifying session will definitely decide who wins today's three hundred mile race for the Nationwide Series.

        John Wes Townley was the first driver on track to start the twenty five minute first round. He ran a decent lap and he would have to battle to make the second round of qualifying. Early on, Matt Kenseth was able to jump to the top of the board to start the first round. Three minutes into the round, Kyle Busch jumped to the top of the board with ease. Busch was extremely fast in his fixed up car, but he would have two more rounds to contend for the pole with. The minutes began to click by in the session and the few drivers on the track were drivers looking to move on to the second round. With about five minutes left in the round, the battle for the twenty fourth and final transfer spot began to heat up. Ryan Reed, David Starr, John Wes Townley, Josh Wise, and others were all in the battle for the spot. A few drivers on the outside looking in headed on track in the final minute, but Ryan Reed remained in the final transfer spot and he was able to move on. Kyle Busch remained the fastest out front and moved on. Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Elliott Sadler, Regan Smith, Kevin Harvick, and others also moved on while John Wes Townley, Dakoda Armstrong, and others missed the second round. After a rather calm first round, the next two rounds would definitely heat up.

         Ty Dillon was the first driver on track to start the ten minute second round. He ran a pretty good lap and only time would tell if he would make it to the final round. Early on, Brad Keselowski jumped to the top of the board. Three minutes in to the round, Kyle Busch once again jumped to the top of the board with ease. Busch looked to remain out front as the round began to wind down. Drivers were still running laps, but it looked like Busch was safe at the top. With about two minutes left, the battle for the twelfth and final transfer spot was heating up. Trevor Bayne, Landon Cassill, James Buescher, Chris Buescher, and others were in contention for the final spot. A few of them went out in the final minute, but they all fell short. Elliott Sadler was the only driver left with a chance to unseat Chris Buescher for the final transfer spot in the final seconds and he was flying. Sadler nipped the line and jumped into the top twelve as the red and black flag waved. Chris Buescher fell out of the top twelve and Dylan Kwasniewski fell into the final transfer spot. Kyle Busch was once again the fastest on track and he moved on to the final round. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Matt Kenseth, Brian Scott, Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon, Regan Smith, and Jeb Burton also moved on while Chris Buescher, Trevor Bayne, and others missed the final round. Now, a five minute final round would decide the pole winner at Charlotte.

        Ty Dillon was the first driver on track for the start of the five minute final round. He ran a decent lap to start the round, but it looked like the pole battle would be between other drivers. The twelve drivers began to head on track and Brad Keselowski took the provisional pole. Just seconds later, Kyle Busch jumped to the top of the board with ease. Busch was out front and looking to be the next pole winner as the rest of the drivers ran runs to beat his time. Kyle Larson and Dylan Kwasniewski came close in the final minutes of the session, but they settled for third and fourth, respectively. With a minute and a half left, Elliott Sadler was the only driver who hadn't run a lap. He went out and ran a good lap, but he could only take the tenth spot as Busch was still at the top. The twelve drivers stayed on pit road and as the red and black flag waved, Busch was on the provisional pole and he would grab the pole. Busch has been a great driver at Charlotte recently and today does not look like it will be any different.

        The words Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and Kyle Busch go better together than anything else in NASCAR. At Charlotte in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Busch has eight wins and two poles. Not many other drivers can have those good statistics at a single track like Busch. Not only has Busch finished well at Charlotte, by he has completely dominated the races. Last year, Busch led two hundred and twenty two laps of four hundred laps in his two wins at Charlotte in the Nationwide Series. Another thing to look at is that the last time he sat on the pole at Charlotte and won was just last October. All signs seem to be pointing in the direction of a win for Busch today, but don't count out the drivers behind him. Brad Keselowski will roll off second today and he looks to be a good contender to fight for the win with Busch. Kyle Larson seems to have Charlotte figured out and a third place starting spot could lead him to the win. Dylan Kwasniewski has struggled a little bit throughout the start of the season, but a fourth place starting spot will most likely lead him to a good finish on the mile and a half track. Kevin Harvick has been great for JR Motorsports this season in the Nationwide Series and he will look to take the win from his fifth place starting spot. Other drivers like Chase Elliott, Regan Smith, Elliott Sadler, and Matt Kenseth look to use their great starting spots to take the win at Charlotte. Today's race will definitely be one to watch as forty drivers look to take a win at one of NASCAR's fastest tracks. It will be a three hundred mile shootout and a lone driver will be on top when all is said and done. Will Kyle Busch take his third straight win at Charlotte in the Nationwide Series, will Kyle Larson take his second win in the Nationwide Series, or will another driver take the win at Charlotte? We only have to wait a few hundred miles to found out these answers and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)





Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Kyle Busch      29.493 (183.094 mph) 
2nd: Brad Keselowski     29.564 (182.655 mph)
3rd: Kyle Larson     29.638 (182.199 mph)
4th: Dylan Kwasniewski     29.705 (181.788 mph)
5th: Kevin Harvick     29.745 (181.543 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
7th: Matt Kenseth      29.942 (180.349 mph)
8th: Regan Smith      30.015 (179.910 mph)
9th: Chase Elliott      30.018 (179.892 mph)
10th: Elliott Sadler      30.050 (179.700 mph)
11th: Ty Dillon     30.165 (179.015 mph)
16th: Trevor Bayne     30.222 (178.678 mph)
20th: Brendan Gaughan      30.323 (178.083 mph)
23rd: Ryan Reed      30.693 (175.936 mph)

DNQs: None





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nationwide-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/2014-11/B
-Image:
https://twitter.com/NASCAR_NNS/status/470237912165265408/photo/1