Kyle Busch Completes Historic Indy Sweep

Kyle Busch scored his fourth victory of the season

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About the only thing Kyle Busch didn't win this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was the infield hot dog eating contest.

Busch scored an historic victory after dominating Sunday's Crown Royal presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400 at the famed Brickyard for his second straight Indianapolis victory and a clean sweep of the weekend after winning Saturday's Xfinity Series race as well as the pole position for both events.

Busch led the final 108 laps including five late-race restarts to beat out his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth for his fourth victory of the season.

Jimmie Johnson rallied for a pit road speeding penalty to finish third, followed by Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson.

By taking the pole position for both races, Busch earned himself a spot in the NASCAR record books as the first driver to sweep both races from the pole in the same weekend.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"] "It's so cool because it hasn't been done before," said Busch his record-setting weekend. "I've tried and been successful at being able to do a lot of things that others haven't been able to do before. I guess I give myself more chances than others because I run more of those races. It helps you and when it helps you win on Sunday, that's what makes everything so worthwhile on those Saturday races.

"This Toyota was awesome today, it was just so fast and able to get out front and stay out front. Not even some of my teammates could challenge. This was hooked up and on rails. It's pretty cool to come out here and have another Brickyard 400 victory – two in a row and to celebrate with all this team and of course a beautiful family, too."

Busch led a race-record 149 of 170 laps in Sunday's event, as well as all but a single lap in Saturday's Xfinity race and the opening Dash 4 Cash heat race. All told, Busch led 231 of 253 laps he competed in over the course of the weekend.

Sunday's race began as a celebration of two legendary Indiana-native drivers making perhaps their final starts on the yard of bricks, as Tony Stewart finishes out his final Sprint Cup season and Jeff Gordon comes out of retirement to drive the no. 88 Chevrolet for the ailing Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Most of the opening 150 laps passed without much drama on the trac and not much passing for the lead, as only Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano were able to mount any kind og challenge on Busch, with Keselowski briefly snatching the lead away early in the race.

Kyle Busch led 149 of 170 laps in Sunday's race

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Busch was out front and cruising just 10 laps from the checkered flag when the first of four straight caution flags flew for debris in turn one. The yellow flag brought all but the front four to pit road, putting Busch, Truex, Jr., Kenseth and Edwards out front for the restart.

Coming back under green, Truex, Jr. got a poor start, bunching up the field behind him and dropping him to fourth ahead of Edwards. As the field came through turn one, Edwards and Ryan Newman made contact, sending Edwards hard into the outside and touching off a six-car crash that also collected Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney.

Following a short red flag, the field lined up again for a restart with Busch out in front of Kenseth, Logano and Truex, Jr., but before the field could complete a lap, Trevor Bayne and Clint Bowyer crashed on the backstretch to set up an overtime restart.

The first attempt at a green-white-checkered was over as soon as it began as Jaime McMurray got crossed up off the bumper of Stewart, triggering another four-car pileup.

Busch finally managed to break out from the field on the third attempt, pulling away from Joey Logano right at the start. Logano soon fell under attack from Kenseth who managed to duck under Logano to take second, but by then Busch was already gone. Logano soon fell victim to the cars with fresher tires and began to fall through the field as Johnson and Hamlin both got by.

Kevin Harvick finished sixth, followed by Logano, Truex, Jr., Austin Dillon and Paul Menard.

Tony Stewart (14) and Jeff Gordon (88) take a final lap around Indy

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Stewart came home 11^th in his final Indianapolis start, while Gordon ended the day 13^th. The two drivers took a special side-by-side final lap around the 2.5-mile oval to salute the fans.

"It was cool," Stewart said of the post-race experience. "I knew when we got the checkered we just didn't want to come in just yet. I wanted to run one more lap and Jeff was around us and before that last green run I told my spotter to go get his spotter and said after this thing is over, we need to go a lap around here together because most likely is the last time we'll both get a chance to do that. I couldn't think of a better guy to share that moment with than Jeff."

"I can say that just ranks in the top three coolest moments of my 18 years in this series. To share that moment with Jeff here at Indianapolis I don't know. I don't even have the words for it. That is a moment that I will remember for the rest of my life."

In the Chase standings, Kyle Busch now ties Keselowski for the top seed with four wins apiece, while at the back of the pack Dillon moves up to 12^th behind Chase Elliott while Newman slips to 13^th. Kyle Larson moved up four spots to 15^th in points while Kasey Kahne now holds the final Chase spot in 16^th.

Results

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