Busch edges by Johnson for seventh win

Here's a race report form Reid Spencer at the Sporting News. 

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

JOLIET, Ill. (July 12, 2008) -- Kyle Busch needs to take a lesson from Yogi Berra.

 

As Busch's crew chief Steve Addington and spotter Jeff Dickerson told their driver on the radio at the end of Saturday night's Lifelock.com 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, a race, like a baseball game, truly isn't over till it's over -- even if the driver thinks it is.

 

On a restart with two laps remaining in the 267-lap event at the 1.5 mile speedway, Busch roared to the outside of leader Jimmie Johnson and cleared the No. 48 Chevrolet through Turns 3 and 4. On the final lap, Johnson made a run up to the bumper of Busch's No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota but could get no closer, as Busch held off the Lowe's Chevy by .159 seconds at the finish.

 

For Busch, who had radioed, "Race over," after Johnson passed him for the lead under green on Lap 251, the victory was the seventh of the season and the 11th of Busch's Cup career. It also marked the first time since Tim and Fonty Flock strung together four wins in 1955 that brothers have accounted for four straight victories.

 

Kyle won at Infineon Raceway on June 22 to start the streak, with brother Kurt Busch's triumph at New Hampshire preceding Kyle's victories at Daytona and Chicagoland.

 

Kevin Harvick finished third Saturday night, followed by Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart. Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, David Ragan, Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman completed the top 10.

 

"I gave up on it," said Kyle Busch, who doubled up on his Nationwide Series victory from the night before. "I didn't think I could do it. I don't know how I did that. This is just an amazing season. I can't believe it.

 

"I pushed Jimmie Johnson to go (on the restart). I had to go to the outside, because he was going to block the bottom in (Turns) 1 and 2 -- and it stuck up there."

 

Johnson was shocked that Busch was able to overtake him on the restart.

 

"There's no way I thought I couldn't get away from him through (Turns) 1 and 2," Johnson said. "But as soon as he broke the plane of my bumper, I knew I was in trouble, and sure enough, I was. I really wasn't thinking defense. But on a two-lap shootout, the outside always wins."

 

After a restart on Lap 231, Busch, who stretched his Cup points lead to 262 over 16th-place finisher Dale Earnhardt Jr., pulled away to a two-second lead when Newman's Dodge and the lapped car of Travis Kvapil impeded the progress of Johnson and Harvick.

 

Four laps into the run, however, Paul Menard's Chevrolet knocked the bumper cover off Jason Leffler's Chevy to cause the seventh caution of the race, and Johnson stayed with Busch on the restart on Lap 241. Before Johnson could overtake his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate, however, Bobby Labonte's spin off Turn 2 forced NASCAR to throw the yellow flag.

 

Less than three laps into the subsequent restart, Johnson cleared Busch's No. 18 Toyota through Turn 2 and began to pull away.

 

"Race over," Busch radioed to his crew. A few laps later he added, "Anyone ever seen Jimmie Johnson give one up? No."

 

But when David Gilliland's Ford blew its engine on the frontstretch on Lap 262, the field was bunched for a restart on Lap 266, with two laps remaining.

 

Dickerson told Busch before the restart, "You don't have a hair on your ass if you don't go to the outside and pass this guy."

 

And as Busch proved with victory, the race wasn't over after all.