Kyle Busch took the best of the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers to school Saturday night and came out first in his class as he edged defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart by .013 seconds at the finish line to give Toyota its first win in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.
What made the win even more impressive was the fact that Busch was sideways two times and managed to save his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota with brilliant driving and a little luck.
“The first time might have been luck; I’m going to say the second time was all skill,” Busch said jokingly in the Media Center after the victory. “It was interesting from my seat. I was steering, stabbing, braking, gassing, everything in between, trying to keep the thing straight, get it back under control.”
The 75-lap race, which was open to the top-25 drivers from 2011 and Daytona Speedway winners who still actively drive, signaled the return of pack racing and big crashes to the Florida speedway. The field of 25 drivers delighted both the fans in the stands and those watching on TV at home.
“It was certainly cool because I was trying to push (Ryan) Newman and hook up with him,” Busch said of his last laps leading up to the win. “Then he was hooked up with whoever was in front of him. I’m like, ‘All right, fine.’ The hole opened up behind Stewart. I ducked in behind there knowing he had a fast car and pushed him. We got up through there. He made the way to the outside and everything. Coming to the line, I’ve been in that situation reverse before with Tony, and it hasn’t ended up so well. This time it turned out all right. We made it past him and beat him to the line, so it was cool.”
Marcos Ambrose finished third, followed by Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Newman, Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya. There were five cautions for 22 laps, with 12 drivers failing to finish the 82-lap race, which was extended seven laps after a multi-car accident on Lap 74 created a green-white-checkered finish.
Forty-nine NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers will take to the track Sunday, Feb. 19 as qualifying gets underway for the front row starting spots in the Daytona 500. The Gatorade Duel – twin 150-mile races which will set the rest of the Daytona 500 field – take place Thursday, Feb. 23.
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