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Kyle Busch wins NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Sonoma

 
Kyle Busch celebrates after the Toyota-Save Mart 350 at Sonoma, his first Sprint Cup victory in 35 races. Older brother Kurt takes second, the first 1-2 finish for the brothers in Sprint Cup.
Kyle Busch celebrates after the Toyota-Save Mart 350 at Sonoma, his first Sprint Cup victory in 35 races. Older brother Kurt takes second, the first 1-2 finish for the brothers in Sprint Cup.
Published June 29, 2015

SONOMA, Calif. — After two practice sessions, Kyle Busch spent an evening icing his surgically repaired left foot.

He repeated the routine the night before Sunday's race at Sonoma Raceway, all in an effort to minimize pain and give himself the best chance to pick up a much-needed victory.

Just five races after returning from a broken right leg and shattered left foot, Busch made his way to Victory Lane to continue what already has been an impressive comeback. He chased down Jimmie Johnson to win the Toyota-Save Mart 350 for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory in 35 races.

The next goal for Busch? Cracking the top 30 in points to earn a berth in the Chase for the Championship.

"Now I don't have to bust my butt and overdrive the car every week in order to get wins," Busch said. "Now I can just concentrate on running top three, top five, top eight — just getting those finishes and points."

Busch was injured when he crashed into a wall during the Feb. 21 Xfinity series race the day before the Daytona 500. He missed 11 races but recovered faster than most expected and returned to racing last month.

NASCAR granted him a waiver upon his return that made him Chase eligible should he qualify, and Sunday's win is the first step.

He still must rank inside the top 30 to make the Chase. He started Sunday ranked 39th; the win moved him to 37th. He has 10 races left to crack the top 30 — he's 136 points out of 30th — and heads this week back to Daytona.

To crack the top 30, he has to average roughly a 14th-place finish in each of the next 10 races. "Certainly it's feasible, this team is good enough," Busch, 30, said.

Kurt Busch finished second as the brothers notched their first 1-2 finish in Sprint Cup.

"I was trying to think if we've ever finished 1-2, and we did it today. That's a pretty special moment," Kurt Busch, 36, said.

He also praised his little brother's comeback from his injuries and in winning on a course in which he needed to rely heavily on both legs.

"To have your leg broken, your foot shattered, to never be injured and out of the car … rehab is very difficult, and it is a mental challenge, and I'm very proud of Kyle for what he's done to get back in the car as soon as he did," Kurt said.

Busch's win was aided by a terrific restart with seven laps left. On fresh tires, he picked his way past five cars and set his sights on leader Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson, who did not pit during the final caution, was a sitting duck for drivers on new tires.

Johnson was immediately concerned about not pitting under the final caution when he saw Clint Bowyer lead a pack of cars in for service, but crew chief Chad Knaus remained upbeat on the radio and insisted they were still going to win the race.

But Busch moved through traffic too quickly for Johnson to hang on for what would have been his fifth win of the season. He led a race-high 45 laps.

"I was just surprised how fast they got through traffic and got to my bumper," Johnson said.

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Bowyer finished third, his first top five of the season for Michael Waltrip Racing. Kevin Harvick was fourth, followed by Joey Logano and finally Johnson.

Jeff Gordon of nearby Vallejo finished 16th in his final race at his home track. He has a track-record five wins at Sonoma. "Nothing's going to take away from this weekend for me," he said.