What occurs when a 39-year-old Cup champion and a 41-year-old Truck Sequence veteran get collectively on a Saturday afternoon at Atlanta? A photograph end for the file books.
Kyle Busch was a dominant drive throughout Saturday’s race, attempting to defend his victory from one 12 months in the past and gather a record-extending 67th profession win. All those that moved forward of him have been swiftly handed again, however the final to problem his management of the race was no up-and-comer — it was one of many extra skilled drivers within the subject.
Stewart Friesen snatched the lead away on the white flag and Busch struggled to get clear as he tried to rapidly retake the lead, operating side-by-side all through the ultimate lap. Exiting Flip 4, Friesen had the benefit, however the energy of the aspect draft was an excessive amount of and Busch surged forward within the remaining seconds of the race.
It was a sensational and refreshingly clear end with Busch profitable by simply 0.017s on the line. The end now stands because the twelfth closest in NASCAR Truck Sequence historical past and the closest Truck end at Atlanta since Ron Hornaday Jr. beat Bobby Labonte by 0.006s virtually 20 years in the past in 2005.
“Simply attempting to ensure I stayed as far ahead as I presumably might,” mentioned Busch, who now has eight Truck wins at Atlanta. “These guys would type of cycle to me and I might get to the subsequent one in entrance of me, subsequent one in entrance of me, subsequent one in entrance of me — and I saved attempting to guarantee that I battled again and I obtained again to that entrance so I might attempt to management it one of the best that I might. However that inside [line] was good. They have been rolling ahead so it made for heck of a race. Proud that we had a heck of a race there on the end and it wasn’t single-file so there was some mixing it up for these followers out right here to see a cool present.”
For Friesen, he was attempting to finish a winless streak that goes again practically three years, however he might nonetheless maintain his head excessive after the hassle: “Simply pleased with my race workforce,” Friesen mentioned. “We had a shot. That is my favourite truck and we’ll hold digging with it … I assume I obtained too far off my assist there coming down the again on the final lap. I assumed I might pack some extra air on him [Busch] stepping into [Turn] 3 and we surged forward, however had the surge on the unsuitable time … after which [he] type of got here again.”
“Second to one of the best man within the enterprise is not a nasty day, I assume… .”
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Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Truck
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