ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – So far during the NASCAR Xfinity Series season, Kyle Busch is perfect.
How he maintained that perfection Saturday was less than perfect.
Busch picked up his 101st Xfinity Series victory by winning the Henry 180 at Road America Saturday afternoon. He is now a perfect four-for-four in Xfinity Series competition this season.
RESULTS: NASCAR Xfinity Series Henry 180
He beat Daniel Hemric by 3.522 seconds for the victory. Michael Annett was third, followed by A.J. Allmendinger in fourth and Harrison Burton in fifth.
“Tires,” Busch said when asked how he pulled out the victory. “That was the saving grace for us. We had tires left over; (Allmendinger) didn’t. When we got the tires I didn’t think we’d get by that many cars.”
While Busch is perfect in his four Xfinity Series races this year, the hours leading up to Saturday’s result in the Xfinity Series race were less than perfect.
Shortly after setting the fastest lap in NASCAR Cup Series practice earlier in the day, which was ultimately bettered by his older brother Kurt, the younger Busch went off the course in turn 11, also known as The Kink. He spun across the track and tagged the inside wall, ultimately ending his session. Busch will switch to a backup car for Sunday’s Cup Series race.
Then, during the Xfinity race, Busch again went off in turn 11 and also spun off course coming out of turn three after a restart.
Despite the adversity, Busch remained calm and patient. He chipped away and found himself in contention late in the race.
On a restart with six laps to go, Busch was in seventh place. Within two laps, Busch was second.
Busch passed Allmendinger for the lead with five laps to go and pulled away for the victory.
“I’d like to think that I finally figured out how to do The Kink after 45 tries,” Busch said. “But we’ll wait until after tomorrow to answer that question.”
Allmendinger, the 2013 race winner at Road America in the Xfinity Series, led a race-high 12 laps on his way to the fourth-place finish.
Knowing Busch had fresher tires then he did, Allmendinger did what he could to keep Busch behind him. It was to no avail.
“At that point you’re a wounded duck, you’re just trying to hang on,” Allmendinger said. “I was trying to crowd him, do everything I could to make him make a mistake, get off the race track, give myself a chance.”
Hemric’s runner-up finish was his ninth second-place finish as he continues to chase his first Xfinity Series victory.
“We’re giving ourselves chances,” Hemric said. “We’ve just got to minimize the mistakes and we’ll win one of these things.”
Saturday’s race was the 12th annual race for the series and in those 12 races there hasn’t been a repeat winner.
“I didn’t really come up here expecting to win,” Busch said. “I just wanted to learn the track. But when you’re in position there at the end of the race your mindset definitely changes and you get in the groove of what you’ve got to do.”
In NASCAR history at Road America, there have been 13 races and 13 different winners. In addition to the now 12 different winners to make up the Nationwide/Xfinity Series, Tim Flock won the lone NASCAR Cup race, then known as the Grand National Series, back in 1956.
Busch, on Sunday, will try to be NASCAR’s first two-time winner at Road America.
“I thought our Cup car was really fast right off the truck,” Busch said. “I thought we had good pace. I hate it that I screwed it up and threw it away.
“My guys have had to work extra hard this weekend, it’s 90 degrees outside instead of the nice 75 degrees in Wisconsin. I definitely got to work hard tomorrow and try to reward them for that.”
Busch plans to make his final Xfinity Series start of the season, and maybe of his career, next week at Atlanta. NASCAR permits Cup Series drivers to compete in five Xfinity races a season.
“Since we’re this close, we might as well go five for five,” Busch said. “That would certainly be nice. That would be special.”