JOLIET, Ill. – A ticked-off Kyle Busch is the most dangerous kind of Kyle Busch.
Busch was visibly dejected after dominating and then losing to Kevin Harvick in Saturday afternoon’s Jimmy John’s Freaky Fast 300 Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
What better way for Busch to get rid of that dejection than to dominate and win the second half of a rare doubleheader, capturing the Lucas Oil 225 Camping World Truck Series race.
“I just told him you have to let it go,” said Eric Phillips, Busch’s NCWTS crew chief. “We’re both so competitive. I wanted to talk to him, wanted to make sure he cleared his mind and we had a job to do.”
It was Busch’s sixth win in eight starts on the Truck circuit this season and the 41st Truck win of his career. It’s also the ninth win this season for Kyle Busch Motorsports and his fourth career Truck triumph at Chicagoland Speedway.
“It was fun for us and this 51 Tundra was awesome for us,” Busch said. “This doesn’t make our (NNS) loss any sweeter, no, because we could have had two and gotten three tomorrow.
“But maybe we can still win two of three tomorrow (in Sunday’s opening race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup).”
Busch will start the MyAFibStory.com 400 from the pole position, earning that spot after Friday’s Sprint Cup Series qualifying session was rained out.
What made Busch’s accomplishment all the more remarkable is he started the race from the back of the field. He passed 59 lead-lap trucks en route to the win, leading 66 of the event’s 150 laps.
“This is a true testament to where this team has come from this year,” Busch said. “It’s a good win for us.”
Matt Crafton led 14 laps but finished second to Busch for the sixth time this season.
“I’m tired of finishing second to him (Busch),” Crafton said with a laugh. “That 51 truck was great. But our truck, we just needed a little bit more.”
Even with the runner-up finish, Crafton regained the Camping World Truck Series standings lead by five points over former points leader Johnny Sauter with seven races left.
Austin Dillon led the second-most number of laps (28) and finished third. Rookie Tyler Reddick was fourth, followed by Jeb Burton in fifth.
Busch’s teammate, Darrell Wallace Jr., finished sixth, followed by rookie Ben Kennedy, Joey Coulter, Joe Nemechek and Bryan Silas.
Tyler Young was 11th, followed by Ryan Blaney, Brennan Newberry, Johnny Sauter, John Wes Townley, Mason Mingus, Timothy Peters, Ray Black Jr., German Quiroga and Todd Peck.
Jennifer Jo Cobb was 21st, followed by Justin Jennings, Tayler Malsam, Michael Affarano, Todd Shafer, TJ Bell, Norm Benning, Caleb Roark, Scott Stenzel, Adam Edwards, Ted Minor and Mike Harmon.
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