Busch Dominates New Hampshire XFINITY

Kyle Busch takes the green flag on his way to leading 190 lap at NHMS

(LOUDON, NH – JULY 16, 2016 – RIS) Kyle Busch added another NASCAR XFINITY Series race to his record of 82 series wins, leading all but ten laps in the 200-lap Auto Lotto 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Rookie Erik Jones followed the five-time track winner across the line, with Brad Keselowski third, Daniel Suarez fourth and Austin Dillon fifth in a race slowed seven times by cautions.

After 49 laps, NASCAR threw the first caution for debris on the front straight with only 18 cars on the lead lap. Kyle Busch, followed by No. 2 starter Erik Jones, after Jones dropped back early, had led the entire race to that point, then took only right-side tires on his pit stop, staying in the lead, with Jones still second at the restart. For the restart, Busch lined up on the outside row.

Under the green flag, Busch jumped out to the lead over Elliott Sadler, while Jones again fell back to fifth in the pack, behind Austin Dillon and Brad Keselowski.

A spin by Corey LaJoie on lap 66's second turn brought out the second yellow almost immediately, erasing a lead of nearly one second over Keselowski.

Concact between Alex Bowman and Ty Dillon sent Dillon into the outside wall. Bowman reported that the car was tight and then turned left and into Dillon's rear corner, turning the No. 3 into the wall. For this restart, Busch picked the inside line and once again moved out to a multiple-length lead over Jones and Keselowski. Bowman is slated to substitute for Dale Earnhardt Jr in the No. 88 Sprint Cup car Sunday, as Earnhardt reported to his physicians and NASCAR that he seems to be suffering from concussion-like problems.

Jones' earlier four-tire stop finally gave the rookie the edge as he passed Busch for the lead just before a caution for debris flew on the 92nd lap, setting up a strategic call by Jones' crew and Busch's crew.

Blake Koch tailed Alex Bowman at the restart, but Busch took second immediately and set off chasing Bowman, who was on older tires. Jones got no challenge from Bowman as he resumed his race in second place, passing Bowman easily.

Lap 167 had another debris caution, setting up a scramble on pit road as crew chiefs and drivers planned strategies for the final 33 laps of the race. Two tires or four was the main question, as everyone could add enough fuel for the finish. Just before the caution, Blake Koch pulled into the garage with a broken shifter – the shift lever wound up underneath his dashboard, according to the driver.

Kyle Busch selected the outside row, after taking two tires. To his inside, Keselowski had also taken on two tires, but Erik Jones had four fresh tires. Cautions breed cautions and on the second turn of the restart, Darrell Wallace Jr got pinched in a three-wide incident, spinning and bringing out another yellow as several more cars got involved, notably Ryan Preece, who ran out of space outside and hit Wallace's spinning car.

Ryan Preece had the right front of his car go flat on the restart, after the crew didn't get the damage from hitting Wallace pulled out, cut the tire at the flag and brought out another caution immediately. Erik Jones managed to hold with Busch on the restart, but the yellow negated his challenge, forcing another attempt.

Kyle Busch moved into the lead on the restart as Daniel Suarez and Brad Keselowski battled for third, with Keselowski taking the spot. At the checkered flag, Busch led Jones by a second and a half, with Keselowsski third, Suarez and Austin Dillon filling the top five.

Unofficial Race Results: 27th Annual AutoLotto 200, New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Lap, Pts, TLd, LLd, BPts, Status
1) 1, Kyle Busch(i), No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota, 200, 0, 2, 190, , Running
2) 2, Erik Jones #, No. 20 GameStop/NASCAR Heat Evolution Toyota, 200, 40, 1, 3, 1, Running
3) 3, Brad Keselowski(i), No. 22 Fitzgerald Ford, 200, 0, , , , Running
4) 4, Daniel Suarez, No. 19 Juniper Networks Toyota, 200, 37, , , , Running
5) 7, Austin Dillon(i), No. 2 Rheem/WATTS Chevrolet, 200, 0, , , , Running
6) 9, Brennan Poole #, No. 48 DC Solar Chevrolet, 200, 35, , , , Running
7) 8, Justin Allgaier, No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet, 200, 34, , , , Running
8) 5, Alex Bowman, No. 88 Genesis Brake Light Services Chevrolet, 200, 34, 1, 7, 1, Running
9) 17, Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 South Point Chevrolet, 200, 32, , , , Running
10) 6, Elliott Sadler, No. 1 OneMain Chevrolet, 200, 31, , , , Running
11) 13, Brandon Jones #, No. 33 Cometic Gasket Chevrolet, 200, 30, , , , Running
12) 15, Darrell Wallace Jr, No. 6 AutoLotto Ford, 200, 29, , , , Running
13) 18, Jeremy Clements, No. 51 RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet, 200, 28, , , , Running
14) 22, Ryan Reed, No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/American Diabetes Association Ford, 199, 27, , , , Running
15) 16, Ryan Sieg, No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet, 199, 26, , , , Running
16) 26, JJ Yeley, No. 44 Zachry Toyota, 199, 25, , , , Running
17) 19, Dakoda Armstrong, No. 28 WinField Toyota, 199, 24, , , , Running
18) 14, Justin Marks, No. 42 Katerra Chevrolet, 199, 23, , , , Running
19) 12, Ryan Preece #, No. 01 Mizzy Construction Inc Chevrolet, 198, 22, , , , Running
20) 27, BJ McLeod #, No. 78 Safecraft Safety Equipment Ford, 197, 21, , , , Running
21) 30, Ray Black Jr #, No. 07 Scuba Life Chevrolet, 197, 20, , , , Running
22) 34, Timmy Hill(i), No. 13 Taiga Coolers/TLC Vacation Club Dodge, 197, 0, , , , Running
23) 29, Garrett Smithley #, No. 0 Flex Seal Chevrolet, 196, 18, , , , Running
24) 33, Mario Gosselin, No. 90 BuckedUp Apparel Chevrolet, 196, 17, , , , Running
25) 36, Joey Gase, No. 52 The Lisa Colagrossi Foundation Chevrolet, 195, 16, , , , Running
26) 35, Scott Heckert, No. 15 Carport Empire/Lilly Trucking Ford, 195, 15, , , , Running
27) 31, TJ Bell, No. 77 VroomBrands Chevrolet, 194, 14, , , , Running
28) 39, Matt Waltz, No. 97 VroomBrands Chevrolet, 191, 13, , , , Running
29) 40, Chris Cockrum, No. 25 Advanced Communications Group Chevrolet, 191, 12, , , , Running
30) 38, Mike Harmon, No. 74 Dodge, 188, 11, , , , Running
31) 21, Ross Chastain, No. 4 Dream Water Chevrolet, 170, 10, , , , Accident
32) 11, Blake Koch, No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 159, 9, , , , Transmission
33) 10, Ty Dillon, No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet, 144, 8, , , , Running
34) 24, Jeff Green, No. 14 Toyota, 109, 7, , , , Brakes
35) 32, Derrike Cope, No. 70 E-hydrate/Ice-Frost.com Chevrolet, 99, 6, , , , Suspension
36) 25, David Starr, No. 93 Massimo Motors Chevrolet, 82, 5, , , , Overheating
37) 20, Corey LaJoie, No. 24 Youtheory Toyota, 64, 4, , , , Accident
38) 28, Carl Long, No. 40 OCR Gaz Bar/CrashClaimsR.Us Toyota, 38, 3, , , , Brakes
39) 37, Morgan Shepherd, No. 89 Chevrolet, 25, 2, , , , Handling
40) 23, Matt DiBenedetto(i), No. 10 Toyota, 3, 0, , , , Vibration
# = Rookie, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led.
Average Speed: 98.789 MPH
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 08 Mins, 31 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.499 Seconds
Lead Changes: 3 among 3 drivers
Seven cautions for 37 laps

Kyle Busch(i) won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 27th Annual AutoLotto 200 with a lap of 29.121 seconds, 130.792 mph.

This is his 53rd pole in 321 NASCAR XFINITY Series races.

This is his fifth pole and 10th top-10 start in 2016.

This is his third pole in 11 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Erik Jones  (second) posted his 17th top-10 start of 2016 and his first in one race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Brad Keselowski(i) (third) posted his eighth top-10 start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It is his seventh in eight races this season.

Erik Jones (second) was the fastest qualifying rookie.

Starting Line Up: 27th Annual AutoLotto 200, New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Pos, Driver, Car, Speed, Time
1) Kyle Busch(i), No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota, 130.792, 29.121
2) Erik Jones #, No. 20 GameStop/NASCAR Heat Evolution Toyota, 130.738, 29.133
3) Brad Keselowski(i), No. 22 Fitzgerald Ford, 129.834, 29.336
4) Daniel Suarez, No. 19 Juniper Networks Toyota, 129.349, 29.446
5) Alex Bowman, No. 88 Genesis Brake Light Services Chevrolet, 129.309, 29.455
6) Elliott Sadler, No. 1 OneMain Chevrolet, 129.309, 29.455
7) Austin Dillon(i), No. 2 Rheem/WATTS Chevrolet, 129.003, 29.525
8) Justin Allgaier, No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet, 128.933, 29.541
9) Brennan Poole #, No. 48 DC Solar Chevrolet, 128.710, 29.592
10) Ty Dillon, No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet, 128.299, 29.687
11) Blake Koch, No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 127.270, 29.927
12) Ryan Preece #, No. 01 Mizzy Construction Inc Chevrolet, 127.028, 29.984
13) Brandon Jones #, No. 33 Cometic Gasket Chevrolet, 128.001, 29.756
14) Justin Marks, No. 42 Katerra Chevrolet, 127.795, 29.804
15) Darrell Wallace Jr, No. 6 AutoLotto Ford, 127.675, 29.832
16) Ryan Sieg, No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet, 127.658, 29.836
17) Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 South Point Chevrolet, 127.542, 29.863
18) Jeremy Clements, No. 51 RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet, 127.487, 29.876
19) Dakoda Armstrong, No. 28 WinField Toyota, 127.385, 29.900
20) Corey LaJoie, No. 24 Youtheory Toyota, 127.270, 29.927
21) Ross Chastain, No. 4 Dream Water Chevrolet, 127.151, 29.955
22) Ryan Reed, No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/AmrcnDbtsAssn Ford, 126.973, 29.997
23) Matt DiBenedetto(i), No. 10 Toyota, 127.066, 29.975
24) Jeff Green, No. 14 Toyota, 126.542, 30.099
25) David Starr, No. 93 Massimo Motors Chevrolet, 126.450, 30.121
26) JJ Yeley, No. 44 Zachry Toyota, 125.936, 30.244
27) BJ McLeod #, No. 78 Safecraft Safety Equipment Ford, 125.265, 30.406
28) Carl Long, No. 40 OCR Gaz Bar/CrashClaimsR.Us Toyota, 124.467, 30.601
29) Garrett Smithley #, No. 0 Flex Seal Chevrolet, 124.406, 30.616
30) Ray Black Jr #, No. 07 Scuba Life Chevrolet, 124.385, 30.621
31) TJ Bell, No. 77 VroomBrands Chevrolet, 124.320, 30.637
32) Derrike Cope, No. 70 E-hydrate/Ice-Frost.com Chevrolet, 124.231, 30.659
33) Mario Gosselin, No. 90 BuckedUp Apparel Chevrolet, 124.182, 30.671
34) Timmy Hill(i), No. 13 Taiga Coolers/TLC Vacation Club Dodge, Owner Points
35) Scott Heckert, No. 15 Carport Empire/Lilly Trucking Ford, Owner Points
36) Joey Gase, No. 52 The Lisa Colagrossi Foundation Chevrolet, Owner Points
37) Morgan Shepherd, No. 89 Chevrolet, Owner Points
38) Mike Harmon, No. 74 Dodge, Owner Points
39) Matt Waltz, No. 97 VroomBrands Chevrolet, Owner Points
40) Chris Cockrum, No. 25 Advanced Communications Group Chevrolet, Owner Points
# = Rookie; (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

Did Not Qualify: No. 92 Josh Williams. 

 

Time Trial Results: 27th Annual AutoLotto 200, New Hampshire Motor Speedway

Qualifying Round 3
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Kyle Busch(i), No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota, 29.121 sec, 130.792 mph, 1, 1, 0.000, 0.000
2) Erik Jones #, No. 20 GameStop/NASCARHtEvltn Toyota, 29.133, 130.738, 1, 2, 0.012, 0.012
3) Brad Keselowski(i), No. 22 Fitzgerald Ford, 29.336, 129.834, 1, 3, 0.215, 0.203
4) Daniel Suarez, No. 19 Juniper Networks Toyota, 29.446, 129.349, 2, 2, 0.325, 0.110
5) Alex Bowman, No. 88 Genesis Brake Light Services Chevrolet, 29.455, 129.309, 1, 2, 0.334, 0.009
6) Elliott Sadler, No. 1 OneMain Chevrolet, 29.455, 129.309, 1, 2, 0.334, 0.000
7) Austin Dillon(i), No. 2 Rheem/WATTS Chevrolet, 29.525, 129.003, 1, 3, 0.404, 0.070
8) Justin Allgaier, No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet, 29.541, 128.933, 1, 3, 0.420, 0.016
9) Brennan Poole #, No. 48 DC Solar Chevrolet, 29.592, 128.710, 1, 2, 0.471, 0.051
10) Ty Dillon, No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet, 29.687, 128.299, 1, 1, 0.566, 0.095
11) Blake Koch, No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 29.927, 127.270, 2, 2, 0.806, 0.240
12) Ryan Preece #, No. 01 Mizzy Construction Inc Chevrolet, 29.984, 127.028, 1, 2, 0.863, 0.057

Qualifying Round 2
Pos, Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Kyle Busch(i), No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota, 29.208 sec, 130.403 mph, 1, 1, 0.000, 0.000
2) Erik Jones #, No. 20 GameStop/NASCARHtEvltn Toyota, 29.225, 130.327, 1, 1, 0.017, 0.017
3) Austin Dillon(i), No. 2 Rheem/WATTS Chevrolet, 29.333, 129.847, 1, 1, 0.125, 0.108
4) Brad Keselowski(i), No. 22 Fitzgerald Ford, 29.360, 129.728, 1, 1, 0.152, 0.027
5) Alex Bowman, No. 88 Genesis Brake Light Services Chevrolet, 29.453, 129.318, 1, 1, 0.245, 0.093
6) Justin Allgaier, No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet, 29.466, 129.261, 1, 1, 0.258, 0.013
7) Daniel Suarez, No. 19 Juniper Networks Toyota, 29.502, 129.103, 1, 1, 0.294, 0.036
8) Elliott Sadler, No. 1 OneMain Chevrolet, 29.532, 128.972, 1, 1, 0.324, 0.030
9) Ty Dillon, No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet, 29.579, 128.767, 4, 4, 0.371, 0.047
10) Brennan Poole #, No. 48 DC Solar Chevrolet, 29.584, 128.745, 2, 2, 0.376, 0.005
11) Blake Koch, No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 29.749, 128.031, 2, 2, 0.541, 0.165
12) Ryan Preece #, No. 01 Mizzy Construction Inc Chevrolet, 29.749, 128.031, 2, 2, 0.541, 0.000
13) Brandon Jones #, No. 33 Cometic Gasket Chevrolet, 29.756, 128.001, 2, 2, 0.548, 0.007
14) Justin Marks, No. 42 Katerra Chevrolet, 29.804, 127.795, 5, 6, 0.596, 0.048
15) Darrell Wallace Jr, No. 6 AutoLotto Ford, 29.832, 127.675, 5, 5, 0.624, 0.028
16) Ryan Sieg, No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet, 29.836, 127.658, 1, 4, 0.628, 0.004
17) Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 South Point Chevrolet, 29.863, 127.542, 4, 4, 0.655, 0.027
18) Jeremy Clements, No. 51 RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet, 29.876, 127.487, 1, 4, 0.668, 0.013
19) Dakoda Armstrong, No. 28 WinField Toyota, 29.900, 127.385, 1, 4, 0.692, 0.024
20) Corey LaJoie, No. 24 Youtheory Toyota, 29.927, 127.270, 1, 1, 0.719, 0.027
21) Ross Chastain, No. 4 Dream Water Chevrolet, 29.955, 127.151, 2, 4, 0.747, 0.028
22) Ryan Reed, No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/AmrcnDbtsAssctn Ford, 29.997, 126.973, 2, 5, 0.789, 0.042
23) Matt DiBenedetto(i), No. 10 Toyota, 0.000, 0.000, 0, 0, -----, -----
24) Jeff Green, No. 14 Toyota, 0.000, 0.000, 0, 0, -----, -----

Qualifying Round 1
Pos, , Driver, Car, Time, Speed, Lap #, # Laps, -Fastest, -Next
1) Erik Jones #, No. 20 GameStop/NASCAR Heat Evolution , 29.227 sec, 130.318 mph, 1, 1, 0.000, 0.000
2) Brad Keselowski(i), No. 22 Fitzgerald Ford, 29.327, 129.873, 1, 1, 0.100, 0.100
3) Kyle Busch(i), No. 18 NOS Energy Drink Toyota, 29.482, 129.191, 1, 1, 0.255, 0.155
4) Blake Koch, No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet, 29.640, 128.502, 2, 2, 0.413, 0.158
5) Daniel Suarez, No. 19 Juniper Networks Toyota, 29.665, 128.394, 2, 2, 0.438, 0.025
6) Austin Dillon(i), No. 2 Rheem/WATTS Chevrolet, 29.706, 128.217, 1, 1, 0.479, 0.041
7) Brennan Poole #, No. 48 DC Solar Chevrolet, 29.717, 128.169, 2, 2, 0.490, 0.011
8) Alex Bowman, No. 88 Genesis Brake Light Services Chevrolet, 29.724, 128.139, 1, 1, 0.497, 0.007
9) Ty Dillon, No. 3 WESCO Chevrolet, 29.750, 128.027, 2, 2, 0.523, 0.026
10) Justin Marks, No. 42 Katerra Chevrolet, 29.755, 128.005, 2, 2, 0.528, 0.005
11) Justin Allgaier, No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet, 29.760, 127.984, 1, 1, 0.533, 0.005
12) Brandon Jones #, No. 33 Cometic Gasket Chevrolet, 29.822, 127.718, 2, 2, 0.595, 0.062
13) Dakoda Armstrong, No. 28 WinField Toyota, 29.826, 127.701, 2, 2, 0.599, 0.004
14) Elliott Sadler, No. 1 OneMain Chevrolet, 29.828, 127.692, 1, 1, 0.601, 0.002
15) Ryan Preece #, No. 01 Mizzy Construction Inc Chevrolet, 29.900, 127.385, 2, 2, 0.673, 0.072
16) Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 South Point Chevrolet, 29.913, 127.329, 2, 2, 0.686, 0.013
17) Darrell Wallace Jr, No. 6 AutoLotto Ford, 29.930, 127.257, 1, 2, 0.703, 0.017
18) Ryan Sieg, No. 39 RSS Racing Chevrolet, 29.954, 127.155, 2, 2, 0.727, 0.024
19) Matt DiBenedetto(i), No. 10 Toyota, 29.975, 127.066, 2, 2, 0.748, 0.021
20) Ryan Reed, No. 16 Lilly Diabetes/AmrcnDbtsAssctn Ford, 29.987, 127.015, 2, 2, 0.760, 0.012
21) Corey LaJoie, No. 24 Youtheory Toyota, 30.031, 126.829, 2, 2, 0.804, 0.044
22) Ross Chastain, No. 4 Dream Water Chevrolet, 30.061, 126.702, 2, 2, 0.834, 0.030
23) Jeremy Clements, No. 51 RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet, 30.065, 126.686, 2, 2, 0.838, 0.004
24) Jeff Green, No. 14 Toyota, 30.099, 126.542, 4, 5, 0.872, 0.034
25) David Starr, No. 93 Massimo Motors Chevrolet, 30.121, 126.450, 2, 5, 0.894, 0.022
26) JJ Yeley, No. 44 Zachry Toyota, 30.244, 125.936, 7, 7, 1.017, 0.123
27) BJ McLeod #, No. 78 Safecraft Safety Equipment Ford, 30.406, 125.265, 2, 4, 1.179, 0.162
28) Carl Long, No. 40 OCR Gaz Bar/CrashClaimsR.Us Toyota, 30.601, 124.467, 3, 3, 1.374, 0.195
29) Garrett Smithley #, No. 0 Flex Seal Chevrolet, 30.616, 124.406, 4, 5, 1.389, 0.015
30) Ray Black Jr #, No. 07 Scuba Life Chevrolet, 30.621, 124.385, 2, 10, 1.394, 0.005
31) TJ Bell, No. 77 VroomBrands Chevrolet, 30.637, 124.320, 4, 5, 1.410, 0.016
32) Derrike Cope, No. 70 E-hydrate/Ice-Frost.com Chevrolet, 30.659, 124.231, 4, 8, 1.432, 0.022
33) Mario Gosselin, No. 90 BuckedUp Apparel Chevrolet, 30.671, 124.182, 2, 3, 1.444, 0.012
34) OP, Timmy Hill(i), No. 13 Taiga Coolers/TLC Vacation Club Dodge, 30.699, 124.069, 3, 3, 1.472, 0.028
35) OP, Scott Heckert, No. 15 Carport Empire/Lilly Trucking Ford, 30.744, 123.888, 6, 8, 1.517, 0.045
36) OP, Joey Gase, No. 52 The Lisa Colagrossi Foundation Chevrolet, 30.772, 123.775, 2, 5, 1.545, 0.028
37) OP, Morgan Shepherd, No. 89 Chevrolet, 30.880, 123.342, 4, 5, 1.653, 0.108
38) OP, Mike Harmon, No. 74 Dodge, 31.380, 121.377, 2, 5, 2.153, 0.500
39) OP, Matt Waltz, No. 97 VroomBrands Chevrolet, 31.543, 120.749, 2, 2, 2.316, 0.163
40) OP, Chris Cockrum, No. 25 Advanced Communications Group , 31.671, 120.261, 3, 4, 2.444, 0.128
41) Josh Williams, No. 92 BuckedUp Apparel Chevrolet, 30.681, 124.142, 2, 6, 1.454, -0.990

John Davison

Long-time RIS staffer, beginning in the mid-80s. Charlotte, NC area local contact.

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Volume 2016, Issue 6, Posted 7:07 PM, 07.16.2016