Busch dominates O’Reilly 300
XFINITY SERIES
FORT WORTH, Texas — Erik Jones’ car looked like it was fast enough. Ironically, his pit crew was a little too quick.
Not long after Jones passed Kyle Busch to take the lead one-third of the way into Friday night’s Xfinity Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300, Jones was penalized because his crew members went over the wall too soon on a pit stop.
The penalty sent Jones deep into the pack, and Busch ran away from the field, winning for the fourth time in the last five Xfinity races.
Jones drove back through the field into second place and was just a few seconds behind Busch in the closing laps.
This was the second time Jones has finished runner-up to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, and he was third in Busch’s other two wins.
“We had a really good car overall,” Jones said. “We were able to run second, which isn’t where we want to be. We want to be able to beat (Busch) here one of these days.
“I wouldn’t say it’s frustrating. I respect what Kyle does, and I appreciate his ability. I think it makes us want it more, and it’s really gonna be gratifying the day we can do it.”
Full-time Sprint Cup drivers have won all six Xfinity races this season, meaning no automatic bids to the Chase have been earned yet.
Despite his struggles, Daniel Suarez — also driving for Gibbs — remained atop the series standings, one point ahead of Elliott Sadler, who finished seventh. Suarez spun out on the 79th lap and rebounded to finish 16th.
The win was Busch’s 80th in Xfinity, eight of which have come at TMS.
“We had a really good race car, and especially fast on the long runs,” said Busch, who has finished in the top 10 in 16 of the 20 Xfinity races at Texas. “There were some times when Erik Jones got to us, and Kyle Larson got to us as well, and were able to year’s rookies, like Chase or Ryan, to win a race that would be very meaningful and have a huge impact on the sport,” Harvick said.
Jones, who is driving for Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity Series team, has generated a lot of excitement the last few years, which has included three Cup races. Yet he says he constantly reminds himself to be patient with his career.
“I really do, and there are people around me who I’ve had to tell that to as well,” he said. “I’m still pretty young and there have been times where I didn’t feel like I had the experience that I felt comfortable doing some of lead some laps. But I knew we would prevail in the long haul.”
Busch won the Camping World Trucks and Sprint Cup races at Martinsville Speedway last weekend, so Friday’s win gave him wins in all three series in consecutive races within a seven-day span. He has 160 career wins across the three NASCAR series.
“It’s certainly rewarding, being able to accomplish the things we’ve accomplished over the last seven days has been really good,” Busch said. “That’s what we live for and that’s what we’re here for. Every event we enter, we want to win. Hopefully we can again tomorrow in the Cup race.” the things I was being asked to do.
“I take it as it comes, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what the next few years bring.”
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY NOTEBOOK
EDWARDS WINS POLE FOR SPRINT CUP RACE
FORT WORTH, Texas — A three-time Sprint Cup winner at Texas Motor Speedway, will be out front to start the Duck Commander 500 when it begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Edwards won the pole with an average speed of 194.609 and will be joined by on the front row.
Two rookies will start in the top seven, with fourth and seventh. the last three races at TMS, will start 11th.
The pole is the first of the season for Edwards.
DRIVERS RAVE ABOUT TIRES
in who has won
The softer tires produced by Goodyear to go with the low downforce aerodynamic package had drivers excited about what could be ahead in Saturday’s race.
The soft tires create more control for the drivers, even though the tires wear down faster, costing them some speed on extended runs.
“After about 10 laps, the tires fall off harder than ever before,” Logano said. “It’s a handful, to say the least. It’s gonna be a tough 500 miles, but it’s gonna be a lot of fun as well.”
The combination of the tire and low downforce are expected to make for more passing and side-by-side racing.
“To me, it feels like this tire and downforce package lets me go in the corner and move the car around and feel the tire underneath me,” Edwards said. “Even in qualifying, there were times I got a little sideways, or slid a little bit, and I could recover. That’s really fun as a race car driver.”
FAMOUS GOAT LIL’ DALE GETS HOME AT TMS
A goat that became famous in 2002 when she was born with a white “3” in the side of her brown coat will have a permanent home at Texas Motor Speedway. The goat, named Lil’ Dale as a tribute to legendary racer Dale
died last December at age 13. Texas Motor Speedway president reached out to the goat’s owner, and reached a deal to preserve the goat and have her brought to TMS. She will have a permanent display in the Speedway Club.
Lil’ Dale was born in Interlachen, Fla., in 2002, one year after Earnhardt died in an accident at the Daytona 500.
Lil’ Dale was written about in Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Orlando Sentinel. She became an attraction for race fans who came to Pierson’s farm to see the unique goat.
“Most people, when they came to see or photograph her, were very, very skeptical,” Pierson said. “They thought that we had painted or branded her some way or another. But once they saw her, their eyes lit up. It was sort of like the first time you go to Disney World. They smiled, pointed and left here in happier moods than when they arrived.”
BY SCOTT WRIGHT,