Kurt wins Busch family battle at Atlanta
NASCAR CUP ATLANTA (USA) 11 JULY ROUND 21/36
Kyle Busch has the more impressive career statistics but older brother Kurt got the better of him last Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Kyle, who had won for the 102nd time in the Xfinity Series on Saturday, looked in prime position for a weekend sweep in Sunday’s 400-mile Cup race at Atlanta.
It soon became apparent Kurt Busch was going to be a player for the win as well. Together, the brothers ended up leading 235 of the 260 laps.
Kyle emerged as the leader on lap 213 following a final round of green-flag pitstops. But Kurt did not go away and methodically began chasing Kyle back down. With the help of Kurt’s Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Ross Chastain slowing Kyle up, Kurt passed Kyle with 25 laps to go. Kyle mounted several more challenges but Kurt was finally able to put some distance between the two after Kyle brushed the wall. The Chevrolet driver claimed the win by 1.237 seconds.
“What a battle. What a genuine, awesome, old-school race track, and I just asked the track today, ‘Last time here on your old asphalt, can I have an old guy win?’, and she answered,” Kurt said. “Thank you, Atlanta Motor Speedway.”
The win was Kurt’s first of 2021 and locks him into the 16-driver playoffs with five remaining in the regular season.
“This has been one of those years where I knew we were going to have our back up against the wall,” Kurt said.
“We had to race hard and smart.”