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Keeping Pace

Busch holds off Hornaday for NASCAR truck series victory in Nashville

Kyle Busch celebrates after winning both Nashville Superspeedway NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in which he has started. Busch raises a Gibson guitar Friday in Nashville Superspeedway's Victory Lane. (Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR) (Jason Smith / Getty Images North America)
Kyle Busch celebrates after winning both Nashville Superspeedway NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in which he has started. Busch raises a Gibson guitar Friday in Nashville Superspeedway's Victory Lane. (Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR) (Jason Smith / Getty Images North America)

Victory moves Las Vegas native to fourth place in career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories in only his 88th start.

By Lee Montgomery
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
 
(April 17, 2011)
 
LEBANON, Tenn.—Kyle Busch had to work a little harder than he expected, but he still scored a dominant victory in the Bully Hill Vineyards 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck race Friday night at Nashville Superspeedway.
 
Ron Hornaday Jr. made things interesting, passing Busch shortly after a restart with eight laps remaining. After another caution, though, Busch returned the favor, slipping under Hornaday in Turn 3 with two laps to go to complete a pole/victory sweep for the second year in a row at Nashville.
 
“I felt like we had a dominant truck,” Busch said. “There with about 10 to go, the race really got started and got really interesting.”
 
Busch led to the green on a restart with nine laps to go, but Hornaday made a bold, sneaky move to get the top spot.
 
“Hornaday got a good restart and put enough drag on my spoiler that he kind of slowed me down on the frontstretch and stayed alongside me,” Busch said. “I cleared him through (Turns) 1 and 2 and pulled up in front of him, but he had a little bit of momentum on me and pulled back to my inside down the backstretch and made a bold move driving it so far into the corner.”
 
Hornaday’s truck slid a little through Turn 3, and he and Busch moved up the track, with Hornaday grabbing the lead.
 
The yellow waved again, giving Busch a chance to turn the tables.
 
“There on the last restart, I did the same thing,” Busch said. “Luckily we had that opportunity and got back to him and was able to win the thing. It would’ve really been a shame if we weren’t able to win this thing.”
 
In the process, Busch led his 20,000th lap across the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and truck series. In two truck races at Nashville, Busch has two wins, two poles and 271 of 300 laps led. The victory was Busch’s second of the season and 26th in the truck series.
 
“Kyle had the dominant truck all day, and he had clean air,” Hornaday said. “I had to wear my stuff out trying to stay with him. That restart, that’s the only opportunity I had to run with him. I just gave a show for the fans. That’s all I could do.”
 
With shot tires, Hornaday was also passed for position by rookie Nelson Piquet Jr. and Timothy Peters, who finished second and third, respectively.
 
“I drove it too hard and wore the tires off,” Hornaday said.
 
Hornaday was fourth, followed by James Buescher, Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, David Starr, Craig Goess and Parker Kligerman.
 
Busch goes for the Nashville sweep in Saturday’s Nashville 300 Nationwide Series race.
 
Notes: Piquet’s first top five came in his 10th start. He moved up eight spots in the standings to 17th. … Sauter maintained the points lead, with Peters moving to second, three back. Crafton is third, Hornaday fourth and rookie Cole Whitt fifth. … Busch’s 26th win came in his 88th start. He is fourth on the all-time list, two wins behind Mike Skinner and Jack Sprague, who are tied for second. Hornaday is first with 47 wins.


Keeping Pace

Motorsports correspondent Doug Pace keeps up with motorsports news and notes from around the region.