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Kyle Busch captures crash-filled Casino Arizona 150

Nov 10, 2007 - 6:07 AM By Bruce Martin PA SportsTicker Contributing Editor

AVONDALE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Kyle Busch won his second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race this season, winning a crash-filled Casino Arizona 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Busch won his sixth career NCTS race Friday night, finishing ahead of Ron Hornaday's Chevrolet, Mike Bliss's Dodge and Kevin Harvick's Chevrolet.

Mike Skinner finished eighth in a Toyota Tundra and has a 29-point lead over Hornaday with one race to go next Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Skinner's lead would have been more, but Bill Davis Racing teammate Johnny Benson Jr. passed Skinner for the position in the closing laps.

"I'm not the boss," Skinner said. "I guess we're not a team. I don't know. I thought he was taking care of me. I don't know. I don't know how to comment on that. We're one team; just the 5 team. I don't know how many teams I have to race against, now.

"We'll have to go to Homestead and hammer down."

There were 13 caution periods for 46 laps, both race records. The race was also red-flagged twice, including once for 16 minutes, 30 seconds after Andy Lally was involved in a hard crash into the infield retaining wall, knocking a jagged hole into the concrete barrier with 13 laps to go.

The crash was triggered when Jacques Villeneuve hit Stacey Compton, turning Lally - a Rolex Grand American Sports Car driver - into the wall.

After the wall was repaired, the race resumed with 10 laps to go.

Busch was in the lead with Hornaday battling Bliss for second place before the yellow flag waved for the 13th time. This was for debris on the frontstretch.

The green flag waved again with Busch in front and the Hornaday, Bliss side-by-side battle continuing. Hornaday got the position in the third turn with Jason Leffler putting pressure on Bliss' truck.

"I just wanted a chance to run into the 51 (Busch)," Bliss said. "Who would have booed you?"

Meantime, that allowed Busch to win the race.

"I knew we had a really good truck, they did an awesome job in the pits tonight and overall we had a great night," Busch said. "I hit it right and hit it all the way."

Hornaday's second-place finish allowed him to cut a 57-point deficit entering the race down to 29, the fourth-closest margin ever heading into the final race of the season.

"I raced Bliss hard on the last couple of laps and I got loose on the re-start and got into Mike," Hornaday said. "Mike understands racing and he worked with me all day. Some of the guys took tires on that last stop and some didn't.

"We learned a little bit and we're good. It's another race at Homestead."

Bliss led twice for 54 laps, the most in the race. Busch led the final 42 laps to win the race at an average speed of 83.218 miles per hour.

"They can worry about their points race, I just take their wins away," Busch said.