Kurt Busch Wins Sprint All-Star Race

Kurt Busch's all star shines brightest

By Jim Utter - jutter@charlotteobserver.com

Saturday, May. 22, 2010




Kurt Busch races down the frontstretch during the NASCAR all-star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Saturday, May 22, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

CONCORD, N.C. – It was a $1 million pass.

Kurt Busch cleared Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch to take the lead four laps into the final 10-lap segment and held on through a barrage of wrecks to win Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

It’s Busch’s first win in the event in nine attempts.
Martin Truex Jr., who won the Sprint Showdown earlier in the evening, finished second. Joey Logano was third, Hamlin fourth and Tony Stewart fifth.

With qualifying rained out on Friday, Kurt Busch started the first 50-lap segment from pole as the lineup was set by the random qualifying draw.

On the first lap Jeff Gordon slapped the wall and did some damage to his No. 24 Chevrolet but stayed on the track.
Jimmie Johnson plowed through the field quickly, moving from seventh and into the lead on Lap 10 with a pass to the inside of Busch.

On Lap 26, all the cars came down pit road for their mandatory green-flag stop.

Kyle Busch got off pit road first and took over the lead, followed by Kurt Busch, Johnson, Joey Logano and Jamie McMurray.

Kurt ran down his brother for the lead on Lap 49 and took the win in the first 50-lap segment. Kyle was second, Johnson third, Logano fourth and McMurray fifth.

All the teams pitted during the segment break and Johnson came off pit road first to retake the lead to start the second 20-lap act.

McMurray was second, David Reutimann third, Dale Earnhardt Jr. fourth and Martin Truex Jr. fifth. Kurt Busch was the first driver to take four tires and restarted eighth.

With 10 laps left in the second segment, Johnson continued to lead and was followed by McMurray, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin and Denny Hamlin.

Johnson held on to win the second segment, followed by McMurray, Kurt Busch, Martin and Hamlin.

During the break, six of the top-seven drivers did not pit, which left Johnson in the lead to start the third segment, which was also 20 laps.

Behind Johnson were McMurray, Martin, Hamlin, Reutimann and Kyle Busch.

Ten laps into the third segment, Johnson was still leading and was followed by Hamlin, Martin, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch.
Johnson cruised to victory in the third segment, followed by Hamlin, Martin, Keselowski and Kyle Busch.

The teams got a 10-minute break to work on their cars before beginning the fourth and final segment of 10 laps.

Before that segment all cars were required to make a four-tire pit stop and Hamlin came off pit road to take the lead in the final stanza, followed by Kyle Busch, Johnson, Martin and Logano.

A lap wasn’t completed when a multicar wreck erupted on the frontstretch, collecting Gordon, Martin, Reutimann, McMurray, Earnhardt, Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart. Since only green-flag laps count, the race was restarted with 10 laps remaining and Hamlin in the lead again.

As Hamlin and Kyle Busch raced for the lead, Busch hit the wall and Kurt Busch blew past both to take the lead on Lap 94 of 100.

With five laps to go, Kurt Busch led, followed by Johnson, Logano, Hamlin and Truex.

On Lap 99, Kyle Busch slammed into the wall and knocked into Kasey Kahne to bring out another caution. The race restarted on Lap 97 with Kurt Busch in the lead.

Just as Kurt Busch was about to take the white flag, Johnson spun down the frontstretch to bring out yet another caution. The race restarted on Lap 98 with Kurt Busch still in the lead.