March 12, 2010
NASCAR- Kurt Busch prevails in Atlanta at the Sprint Cup
By Stephen Lars
Kurt Busch won the Kobalt Tools 500, an intense event marked by an excess of yellow flags. The race is the fourth of the NASCAR Sprint Cup and was held last Sunday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway circuit.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned the pole in the race, but due to a tire problem he was forced to retire to the pits, losing him his advantageous position. At the same time, Busch, who left the grid in eleventh place, was able to continue a steady advance in positions.
The competition developed at incredibly high speeds, leading to constant interruptions with yellow flags. After each restart, a strong fight for the lead would resume. In fact, first place changed hands 31 times during the event.
Lap after lap, the challenge grew more intense and rivalries between pilots became more evident. The race was filled with excitement, with watching crowds attentive to developments on the track.
In fact, the first major accident of the afternoon occurred as a result of passionate dueling between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski. In his attempt to get ahead, Edwards hit Keselowski’s car, which caused the vehicle to fly out directly into the stands. Fortunately, neither Keselowski nor anyone else was hurt. However, the accident left a great deal of waste on the track, and the yellow flag appeared again.
As a result, the competition was extended to 16 laps more than the 325 scheduled. Edwards was taken off of the track under a black flag and finally expelled in the 326th lap.
During the caution period, as the track was being cleaned, the older Busch brother took the lead, surpassing Clint Bowyer.
Almost immediately after the event was restarted, another accident – involving seven cars – detained the race again.
In the second restart, Kurt Busch stayed in the lead during the last 129 of the 341 scheduled laps. He was able to maintain his advantage over the rest of the pilots to the end, crossing the finish line in first place with the checkered flag awaiting him.
The podium was completed with Matt Kenseth, who reached the finish line 0.482 seconds behind Busch; in third place was Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, who had been able to maintain the position throughout the race.
With this victory, Busch rises from 19th to 10th place of the drivers’ standings, with 502 points.
This is Busch’s 22nd victory as a professional driver in the top flight of the NASCAR series; it is also his first triumph with new crew chief Steven Addington, who had helped Busch take twelve wins in 2008 and 2009 with the Joe Gibbs Racing Team.
Meanwhile, defending champion Jimmie Johnson gave a poor performance in Atlanta; he left at 26th place and ended in 12th.
About the Author
Stephen Lars has been a prominent writer on daily NASCAR races; sports news and the sportsbook industry for many exceptional sport web sites. You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.