NASCAR at Richmond results, standings, highlights: Kyle Busch wins third straight
Martin Truex Jr. looked like he might get his first short-track win, but he wasn't able to pull it off
Martin Truex Jr. looked like he might finally win on a short track for the first time in his career, but it wasn't meant to be. Kyle Busch took the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond after a Truex Jr. pit stop took four seconds too long and he was bumped, forcing him into pit row for a tune-up once again. It was a debilitating loss for Truex Jr., as his frustrations on short tracks continue.
CHECKERED FLAG: @KyleBusch wins at @RichmondRaceway to make it three race wins in a row! 🏁 pic.twitter.com/ElcBcDtEia
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 22, 2018
For Busch, there is no such frustration. He won his third race in as many weekends, continuing his dominant streak. He led only 32 laps throughout the race, while Joey Logano came in fourth after winning his first two stages of the season and leading 92 laps. Truex Jr. finished 14th with 121 laps led, the most in the race. Kurt Busch led 98.
Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin came in second and third in a race that went to overtime after over 350 laps of clean racing. The final 40 laps were absolute chaos, raising four cautions in a race that featured only two at stage changes beforehand. There were 16 lead changes and seven leaders in an incredibly competitive race, but ultimately it just wasn't enough to derail Busch's reign of terror atop the racing world.
Toyota Owners 400 results
- Kyle Busch
- Chase Elliott
- Denny Hamlin
- Joey Logano
- Kevin Harvick
- Jimmie Johnson
- Kyle Larson
- Brad Keselowski
- Clint Bowyer
- Daniel Suarez
- Kurt Busch
- William Byron
- Erik Jones
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Austin Dillon
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Aric Almirola
- Alex Bowman
- Jamie McMurray
- Ty Dillon
- Trevor Bayne
- Ryan Blaney
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Paul Menard
- Darrell Wallace Jr.
- Chris Buescher
- A.J. Allmendinger
- Ross Chastain
- Kasey Kahne
- Cole Whitt
- Michael McDowell
- Daniel Hemric
- David Ragan
- Landon Cassill
- Gray Gaulding
- Harrison Rhodes
- Ryan Newman
- Reed Sorenson
Unofficial Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings
| POSITION | DRIVER | CAR # | POINTS | BEHIND | WINS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | Kyle Busch | 18 | 415 | LEADER | 3 |
2. | Joey Logano | 22 | 359 | -56 | 0 |
3. | Clint Bowyer | 14 | 329 | -86 | 1 |
4. | Kevin Harvick | 4 | 324 | -91 | 3 |
5. | Brad Keselowski | 2 | 303 | -112 | 0 |
6. | Denny Hamlin | 11 | 286 | -129 | 0 |
7. | Martin Truex Jr. | 78 | 284 | -131 | 1 |
8. | Ryan Blaney | 12 | 282 | -133 | 0 |
9. | Kurt Busch | 41 | 282 | -133 | 0 |
10. | Kyle Larson | 42 | 279 | -136 | 0 |
11. | Aric Almirola | 10 | 248 | -167 | 0 |
12. | Erik Jones | 20 | 233 | -182 | 0 |
13. | Alex Bowman | 88 | 209 | -206 | 0 |
14. | Austin Dillon | 3 | 208 | -207 | 1 |
15. | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | 200 | -215 | 0 |
16. | William Byron | 24 | 192 | -223 | 0 |
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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Blaney get involved in first accident late in race
In what had been a seamless race through over 350 laps, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Blaney finally connected at the Toyota Owner's 400 to give the first contact induced caution flag of the race. Coming around Turn 4, Stenhouse Jr. connected with Blaney, nearly clipping Brad Kesolowski -- who escaped with some nifty maneuvering -- as well. It was a small crash that could have been a lot worse, and neither driver was able to fully recover (although Stenhouse Jr. did finish the race 19th).
#NASCARReplay: An incident involving @Blaney and @StenhouseJr unfolds in Turn 4. Nearly collects @keselowski. pic.twitter.com/jJ7l5WWMI7
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 22, 2018
#NASCARReplay: An incident involving @Blaney and @StenhouseJr unfolds in Turn 4. Nearly collects @keselowski. pic.twitter.com/jJ7l5WWMI7
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 22, 2018
It's was an interesting time for the yellow flag to hit, as Martin Truex Jr. was trying to stave off Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick along with the rest of the field down the stretch before falling apart. It set up a crazy ending on the short track in what had been a quiet race to that point.
Logano wins uneventful Stage 1
It's was an uneventful Stage 1 at Richmond, with Joey Logano leading after 100 laps. It was a rotating door in second and third place, and although the pace was extremely slow on the short track, it took over 100 laps to get a caution flag. Car trouble has been minimal to this point, and Aric Almirola was hot on Logano's tail with Kurt Busch in third.
.@joeylogano continues to fight through lapped traffic, which has allowed @KurtBusch to close in on him.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 21, 2018
15 laps to settle Stage 1! pic.twitter.com/ZPiJDk5c0a
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was running a wild race through the first stage, ending up in ninth place afterwards. Logano led the pack off of pit row after a slow pit stop for the first caution flag of the race.
Logano fights to take Stage 2 from Clint Bowyer
Kurt Busch reached a career milestone during a slightly more exciting second stage, leading his 9,000th career lap. However, Clint Bowyer made a push to take the lead for a significant amount of the second stage, breaking up a party between Busch and his brother Kyle. Busch and Logano fought for second place for most of the stage, before Logano finally overtook Bowyer at the end of the stage for his second stage win not only of the race, but also of the season.
Stage 1 ✅
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 22, 2018
Stage 2 ✅
Can @joeylogano seal the deal at @RichmondRaceway? pic.twitter.com/N3gZgQHc1p
It was another clean stage, as we had green flags all the way through, but there was an ominous aura over the race after these stages that things would get wild. They certainly did in the final stage, in what turned out to be an extremely exciting race at Richmond.
