NASCAR: Kyle Busch wins, 12 advance to next round of Cup Playoffs
By Alex Herbst
In one of the latest passes for the win in the history of Dover International Speedway, Kyle Busch won NASCAR’s final Round of 16 race on Sunday.
The Round of 16 has come to a close for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, with four drivers now eliminated from the hunt for the championship. It was a day of high drama and high stakes on the high banks of the Monster Mile. The excitement was found at both ends of the field, both with playoff implications. At the end of the day, Kyle Busch passed Chase Elliott to earn yet another win and a few more bonus points heading into the Round of 12.
Busch, who earned his fourth win of the season on Sunday in the Apache Warrior 400 Presented by Lucas Oil, passed Chase Elliott for the win with just two laps to go. Busch battled a mishandling car throughout the race, but found what he needed to get the victory just in time. The #18 team will add onto his bonus point total heading into the Round of 12 in Charlotte.
Chase Elliott, still looking for his first career Cup Series win, came perhaps his closest ever to earning the victory. Lapped traffic got the best of the 21-year-old driver, costing him a win in the #24 Chevy. He will move into the #9 Chevy next year when William Byron comes to the Cup Series. Elliott had led from the beginning of the final stage to two laps to go before Busch got the better of him.
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Following Busch and Elliott home were Jimmie Johnson in third, Martin Truex Jr. in fourth, and Kyle Larson in fifth. Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Daniel Suarez, Jamie McMurray, and Brad Keselowski finished out the top ten.
In the battle for the final spots in the Round of 12, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would capitalize early with a handful of stage points, which would be just enough to advance. He would move on in the playoffs, ahead of Ryan Newman by just two points. Joining Newman in not advancing further are Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch, and Kasey Kahne.
Here are the full race results from the Apache Warrior 400 Presented by Lucas Oil (playoff drivers in italics):
- Kyle Busch, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Clint Bowyer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Brad Keselowski, Ford, Team Penske
- Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Erik Jones, Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Joey Logano, Ford, Team Penske
- Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Kevin Harvick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Danica Patrick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Kurt Busch, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- David Ragan, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Germain Racing
- Ryan Blaney, Ford, Wood Brothers Racing
- Trevor Bayne, Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing
- Aric Almirola, Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports
- Paul Menard, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Leavine Family Racing
- A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Landon Cassill, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Go Fas Racing
- Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, TriStar Motorsports
- Brett Moffitt, Toyota, BK Racing
- Corey LaJoie, Toyota, BK Racing
- Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- B.J. McLeod, Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
- Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, TMG-Circle Sport Racing
- Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports
- Reed Sorenson, Toyota, Premium Motorsports
- Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, MBM Racing
Next: Danica Patrick Will Only Race in Cup in 2018
The next race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will be the first of the Round of 12 in the playoffs. It comes from Charlotte Motor Speedway, a race that will be converted into a road course event in the coming year. Catch the Bank of America 500 from Charlotte on Sunday, October 8 at 1:00 pm eastern, live on NBC.