DESERT DUSTUP
Truex wins, but post-race clash gets buzz
LAS VEGAS — Martin Truex Jr. finished speaking to reporters after winning the NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday and retreated into a corner of the media center where a tablet awaited with a video cued up.
Truex had to see the Kyle Busch-Joey Logano brawl, too.
“I’m sure NASCAR is going to love that one,” Truex said.
Truex passed Brad Keselowski with two laps to go and avoided a last-lap wreck — as well as the ensuing fight that left Busch’s forehead bloodied in a wild finish. An aggressive Joey Logano got into Busch as they raced for third, sending Busch spinning down pit road at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“It was nothing intentional,” Logano said. “But obviously he thinks that.”
As Truex headed toward victory lane, Busch walked down pit road, turned right and threw a right hook at Logano’s face. Logano’s crew members brought Busch to the ground as NASCAR officials yelled for them to stop. When they were separated and Busch got to his feet, he had a bloody gash above his right eye.
“There wasn’t much talking, just a lot of swinging,” said Logano, who added he was unhurt. “I was racing hard there at the end.”
Busch, who had recovered from a speeding penalty that left him a lap down to get into contention, was escorted to the infield care center and quickly released as the track buzzed.
“I got dumped. He flat-out just drove straight in the corner and wrecked me,” Busch said. “That’s how Joey races, so he’s going to get it.”
The fight overshadowed a dominating day for Truex and a toughluck finish for Keselowski, who appeared to be pulling away after a restart and on his way to his second straight win before he ran into mechanical problems.
“I just know it was something
major,” he said. “It wouldn’t turn and I lost brakes.”
Truex passed him and held on to become the first driver to win all three segments in NASCAR’s new stage-racing format.
Kyle Larson was second, followed by Chase Elliott, Logano and Keselowski.
Truex won the first two race stages and regained the lead with 39 laps to go after a lengthy cycle of pit stops under a green flag. After a hard-charging Keselowski went in front, the engine in Danica Patrick’s car blew, bringing out a caution.
Keselowski, who started from the pole, just beat Truex out of pit road road after their four-tire stops. He chose the outside lane on the restart and shot ahead until his car slowed at the end of the 267-lap race.
That gave Toyota a win after Ford victories in the season’s first two races.
“I’ve been on the other side of those things plenty of times, so it definitely feels good to take advantage of somebody else’s issue for once,” Truex said.
Denny Hamlin was sixth, followed by Ryan Blaney, Jamie McMurray,
Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer.
Jimmie Johnson was 11th, marking the first time since he became a full-time driver in 2002 that he has failed to have a top-10 finish in the first three races of a season, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 16th.
Kevin Harvick’s hope of bouncing back from a disappointing finish after an otherwise dominating race at Atlanta Motor Speedway the week before lasted only 68 laps. He crashed hard into the wall when his right front tire exploded.
“It started vibrating four or five laps before it blew out,” Harvick said. “I was trying to ride it to the end of the stage.”
Harvick was credited with a 38th-place finish a week after leading 292 laps only to be caught seeding on pit road. He surrendered the points lead to Keselowski.
The 1.5-mile track was slick with the temperature in the 80s in the desert. And it was a rough homecoming for Daytona 500 champion Kurt Busch, Kyle’s brother.
Shortly after venting his frustration over the radio, he had to come in for a new battery with 66 laps to go and finished 30th.