Skip to content

Kurt Busch outpaces brother Kyle at Kentucky for 1st win of season

Matt Sullivan / Getty Images Sport / Getty

SPARTA, Ky. (AP) Kurt Busch earned his first win of the season by outracing his younger brother in overtime in a door-to-door to the Kentucky Speedway finish line.

The victory comes a week after Busch lost at Daytona because he pitted from the lead moments before weather stopped the race. That pit call has haunted Busch and his Chip Ganassi Racing team all week, but it was a call for four tires late in the race that gave Busch a shot at racing for the win.

Joey Logano had the victory in hand until a spin by Bubba Wallace with six laps remaining sent the race into overtime.

Logano and Kyle Busch lined up side-by-side on the restart for what was expected to be a race for the victory, but both Erik Jones and Kurt Busch shoved their cars into the mix for an intense final two laps. Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch touched as they raced for the lead, both cars wiggled, and it appeared Kurt Busch was headed into the wall. But he recovered to squeeze past his brother right before the checkered flag.

The Busch Brothers finished 1-2, but it was the first win of the year for Kurt Busch and his new Ganassi team.

The victory is the third straight of the season for Chevrolet and first in nine races at Kentucky. It ended a two-race winning streak for Martin Truex Jr. and Toyota.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox