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Kyle Busch started on the pole. It was his third NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pole in only his fifth start of the season in the series. The race went green and Busch jumped out to the lead after a quick battle with Darrell Wallace Jr. Wallace wouldn't back down, though, as he took the lead on lap 2 of the event. Just as he jumped out to the lead for the first time in the event, the first caution of the event waved on lap 2. Debris from Matt Crafton's truck was spotted on the track in turn 2. Crafton wouldn't need any repair because the debris was just a side skirt and he would only be affected by down force. John Wes Townley also made slight contact with the wall in turn 2 after breaking loose, but he continued on with slight damage. None of the drivers received the lucky dog. The debris was quickly cleaned up and the field was lined back up. The race went green again and Darrell Wallace Jr. managed to hold onto the lead. The race looked to move into a green flag run, but the second caution of the event quickly waved on lap 8. Bryan Silas broke loose exiting turn 4 underneath Mason Mingus. Silas's truck immediately began to slide and he slid into the frontstretch grass. He spun back towards the asphalt and came to a slight stop on the apron. Silas continued on without damage, but he would need fresh tires. Adam Edwards received the lucky dog. The caution brought a little bit of strategy for some of the field. Brad Keselowski and Austin Dillon, who started in the back, decided to come down pit road and get tires to gain on the leaders. It would be interesting to see how this move worked for these two drivers throughout the rest of the race.
The race went back green and Darrell Wallace Jr. once again held onto the lead ahead of his boss, Kyle Busch. Wallace began to run away as the race entered the beginning of a long green flag run. It looked like he would be the leader throughout the run, but Kyle Busch's truck began to pick up speed. Busch began to charge up to Wallace a few laps into the run and he took the lead with ease on lap 36. Busch began to set a torrid pace as the first pit stops of the event began to close in. Busch had run away as the first green flag pit stops of the event began on lap 49. All the lead lap drivers quickly began to file down pit road with the exception of Brad Keselowski and Austin Dillon. Keselowski and Dillon stayed on track a few more laps because they had pitted during the second caution. They finally came down pit road around lap 56 and Kyle Busch inherited the lead. Busch held the lead until the third caution waved on lap 60. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 3. Austin Dillon, who had just pitted, received the lucky dog. Brad Keselowski had remained on the lead lap after his pit stop and both drivers were on the lead lap with similar strategy as the rest of the field. All the lead lap drivers remained on track and the field was lined back up after the debris was picked up. The race went green and Kyle Busch once again held onto the lead ahead of the field. Busch looked to run away as the field raced behind him. He was putting fast laps down every single lap and it looked like the race was in the middle of another long green flag run, but the fourth caution quickly waved on lap 76.
John Wes Townley broke loose in turn 4. His truck began to slide up the track and he tried to save it. He couldn't and backed into the outside wall hard. Townley drove away, but his back end was heavily damaged and he would need repairs. None of the drivers received the lucky dog because Townley was the first driver a lap down. Once again, strategy calls would be made during the pit stops under the caution. Brad Keselowski and Max Gresham decided to stay on track. Timothy Peters, Ryan Blaney, and others took two tires while Kyle Busch, Darrell Wallace Jr., and others took four tires. This left Keselowski out front for the first time in the event and Busch ended up in the back part of the top ten for the first time. It would be interesting to see how each driver handled a different situation. The race went green and Keselowski was able to hold onto the lead even with older tires. The drivers who took two and four tires looked to pass him, but Keselowski looked faster than all of them. He was putting down blistering laps out front, but Kyle Busch began to close. Busch was slicing through the pack and he was in second in about ten or fifteen laps after the restart. Busch began to move towards passing his foe at the front and within a few laps of taking second, he was on Keselowski's back bumper. Busch made quick work of the 2012 Cup champion and he took the lead on lap 96. Just as Busch began to move into a rhythm out front, the fifth caution of the event waved on lap 98.
Jeb Burton broke loose in turn 3. His truck began to slide and he almost saved it, but he broke loose. His truck pointed towards the outside wall and he pounded it hard. Burton drove away, but he had heavy damage to his truck. Joe Nemechek received the lucky dog. The caution brought what could be the final stops for the leaders if another caution didn't wave and the pit stops brought a little strategy. Kyle Busch and a few of the other lead lap drivers took fuel only while Brad Keselowski and others took two tires under their stops. For Brad Keselowski, his race would take a turn. As his team changed two tires, one of the crew members added an adjustment to his truck on the decklid. The wrench became stuck as Keselowski went to leave and the crew member couldn't pull it out. Keselowski left pit road with the wrench still in his truck and he received a penalty for removing equipment from the box. This put him at the back of the lead lap with only fifty laps left to go. Keselowski would have to battle back while Kyle Busch would have to hold onto the lead. The race went back green and Busch immediately jumped ahead of the drivers behind him. He began to pull away as the field looked for a way to chase him down. Busch was setting a torrid pace and the laps began to click away in the race. Brad Keselowski was coming, but he would need a caution to even have a chance at Busch. With about fifteen laps to go, it looked like Busch was gone and the field could do nothing to prevent him from winning his fifth race of the season. All that changed, though, as the sixth caution waved on lap 139.
Caleb Holman began to slow on the backstretch. He looked to coast onto pit road using the turn 3 access road, but he was going way too slow. NASCAR was forced to wave a caution to help move Holman's truck. Bryan Silas received the lucky dog. The caution brought all the lead lap drivers back to Kyle Busch, but they would still have to battle him for the win. Along with that, there would be a final set of strategy stops for some drivers and a final run to battle for the win. Brad Keselowski and a few other drivers decided to come down pit road for two tires while Kyle Busch, Darrell Wallace Jr., Ryan Blaney, and others stayed on track. It would be interesting to see if Keselowski was able to run down the leaders and win the race. After a little bit of strategy, the truck drivers lined up for a final restart in the race. The race went green for the final time and Darrell Wallace Jr. began to battle Kyle Busch hard on the bottom of the track. The two battled side-by-side for a couple of corners before Busch finally took the lead away. Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski shot through the field in the final few laps. He reached the top five and his progress stalled as Busch passed the line with two laps to go. Busch was hitting every corner perfectly and he took the white flag with ease. Busch passed through the first two turns and headed to the final two turns of the event. He crossed the finish line first and took his fifth win in the Truck Series in 2014 in only his fifth start. It was a dominating victory for Busch to add to his already great statistics in NASCAR.
Kyle Busch has been, arguably, one of the best drivers in the two lower divisions of NASCAR for the past few years. He has won many races in the Truck Series and Nationwide Series. In fact, he has become the most winningest driver in Nationwide Series history at only twenty nine years of age. He has also taken his dominance in the lower series to a good many wins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series along the way. He hasn't won a title in the series yet, but he has been on the verge for a good many years. It is only a matter of time before we call Busch one of the better drivers in NASCAR altogether. The time seems to be coming and it will only be a couple more years. Busch's driver, Darrell Wallace Jr., has been on a recent good streak as well and he took a second at Kentucky to follow up his Gateway win two weeks before. Ryan Blaney battled hard for the entire night at Kentucky and he was able to battle to a third place finish. Timothy Peters stayed consistent and played the right strategy to take a fourth place finish at Kentucky. Brad Keselowski battled back from numerous problems while looking to win his first Truck race and he took a fifth place finish even with penalties and tough strategy calls. Johnny Sauter came home ninth and was able to hold onto his points lead, but he lost a few points to his teammate, Matt Crafton. It will be interesting to see how the points change throughout the course of the season and who ends up champion after twenty two races. The Truck Series takes a week off before heading to Iowa Speedway for a stand alone event for the series. Will Timothy Peters be able to repeat at Iowa, will Darrell Wallace Jr. continue his recent string of good finishes, or will another driver stand tall in victory lane after a short track battle? We will have to wait a week to find this out and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 2- Debris from Matt Crafton's truck was spotted on track in turn 2.
2nd Caution: Lap 8- Bryan Silas broke loose underneath Mason Mingus in turn 4 and went for a spin down the frontstretch.
3rd Caution: Lap 60- Debris was spotted on track in turn 3.
4th Caution: Lap 76- John Wes Townley broke loose in turn 4 and backed into the outside wall hard.
5th Caution: Lap 98- Jeb Burton broke loose in turn 3 and almost saved his truck, but he slammed the outside wall hard.
6th Caution: Lap 139- Caleb Holman slowed on the backstretch of the track.
Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: Adam Edwards
3rd Caution: Austin Dillon
4th Caution: None
5th Caution: Joe Nemechek
6th Caution: Bryan Silas
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Kyle Busch
2nd: Darrell Wallace Jr.
3rd: Ryan Blaney
4th: Timothy Peters
5th: Brad Keselowski
Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Matt Crafton
7th: Austin Dillon
8th: Ron Hornaday Jr.
9th: Johnny Sauter
14th: Joe Nemechek
15th: German Quiroga
27th: Jeb Burton
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/camping-world-truck-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/camping-world-truck-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014_UNOH_225/C
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/311b93b848bb2bd6b99b4a750f21abc76b3ab512/c=312-194-2708-1995&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/06/26/1403837119000-2014-06-26-Kyle-Busch2.jpg
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