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Kyle Busch wins Aaron's 499
Apr 27, 2008 - 10:19 PM TALLADEGA, Alabama (Ticker) -- Kyle Busch put his Talladega demons to rest - in a big way.Busch took the lead with three laps to go then held off a number of challenges to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Aaron's 499 on the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway.
Prior to Sunday, Talladega had been a track that befuddled the talented young driver. In his six previous starts here, Busch had never cracked the top 10, and only once had he finished inside the top 30 - during the fall race of 2006.
"It's been so long coming," said Busch, who captured his second Sprint Cup win of the season and sixth career. "I don't think I've ever finished a race here - or at least, I don't think I've ever finished without a car all torn up."
Making Busch's win all the more impressive was that he fell a lap down after a miscue on pit lane 66 laps in. He didn't get back on the lead lap until a caution flew on lap 177, when he earned the lucky dog.
Busch moved his Toyota up through the field - then on lap 184, he battled for the lead. Jimmie Johnson moved around leader Michael Waltrip, but Busch went below the reigning two-time series champion and took the top spot for good.
Busch blocked a number of attempts to pass him, and he had the lead when the white flag flew. Moments later, a multi-car wreck brought the caution out, giving Busch the win.
"First thing, Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya did a pretty awesome job pushing us," Busch said. "We just kept blocking everybody like we needed to at the end."
Montoya was second in a Dodge, followed by Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin and Brian Vickers' Camry.
"If the fans didn't like that, then they don't like racing," Hamlin said. "The whole race was crazy. We were having a lot of fun out there, trying to give the fans a good show."
Travis Kvapil was sixth in a Ford, with the Chevrolet of Casey Mears seventh. Ryan Newman's Dodge and the Impalas of Clint Bowyer and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top-10.
Busch's win moved him within 13 points of series leader Jeff Burton, who was 15th in a Chevrolet.
