The Clash! – Kyle Busch Wins The Budweiser Shootout

Brian | February 19, 2012

On the 200 mile per hour, 31-degree banks of the storied Daytona International Speedway, Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman Kyle Busch deftly avoided several wrecks and made a thrilling a pass of Tony Stewart just before the finish line to capture The Bud Shootout tonight at Daytona International Speedway.

The win was the first Shootout victory for Toyota as well as for Busch. Teammate Denny Hamlin managed to overcome an early accident to finish fifth, while Joey Logano was involved in an accident with 20 laps to go and finished 18th.

The Budweiser Shootout is a non-points event that has become a pre-season tradition in NASCAR since 1979. The 75-lap event is run in two segments this year. First a 25-lap run that is followed by a 10-minute trip to pit road for teams to make adjustments to the cars. Once restarted it is a 50-lap run to the finish that has become famous for exciting racing and tonight was no exception.

Although Kyle Busch selected the second starting position in last night’s draw for the Shootout, NASCAR ruled he would have to start the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota from the back of the field after the team was forced to go to a backup car following an accident in Friday afternoon’s practice session. Busch didn’t stay in the back long, however, as he quickly moved into the top ten and raced near the front of the field through much of the first 25-lap segment. Busch remained near the front of the field through the early portion of the second segment until he was nearly turned by the No. 48 car on lap 47. Remarkably Busch managed to save his M&Ms Camry from sure disaster. He would remain on the track and when a caution came out on lap 55 it allowed the 18 pit crew the opportunity to work on the car. As the race neared its conclusion Busch would once again display his incredible driving skills saving his Camry once more from major damage. Once again the 18 team went to work and was able to make the needed repairs to allow Busch the opportunity to restart at the back of the pack for a green-white-checkered finish. Busch would quickly work his way forward on the restart and found himself pushing Tony Stewart to the lead on the final lap. As the two came off of turn four for the final time, Busch would make his move to the outside to make the pass and claim victory.