Kurt Busch wins his first race of the season at Atlanta, defeating his brother

Kurt Busch, who may have been racing for his job or perhaps his career, won the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, and it was exactly what he needed.

The victory, his first since Race 30 of 2020 and only his third in the past three seasons, earns him a spot in the 16-driver, 10-race playoffs, which begin at Darlington Raceway five races from today.

Busch, the 2004 Cup champion, led 144 laps, the most in the race.

It was his fourth career victory at the 1.5-mile Atlanta track, and he won by 1.2 seconds over his brother Kyle Busch, who finished second.

Kyle Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. finished third.

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Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports finished fourth, while Ryan Blaney of Team Penske, who won at Atlanta in March, finished fifth.

Kurt Busch had to follow down his younger brother, who had taken the lead from him with roughly 50 laps to go during green flag pit cycle. Kyle was caught in lapped traffic with 24 minutes to go, so Kurt made the pass for the lead and held on for the win.

On Sunday, the younger Busch led 91 laps.

Chip Ganassi, Kurt Busch’s current team owner, recently announced that the Chip Ganassi Racing NASCAR company will be purchased following the season. Daniel Suarez will drive one of the new owners’ two cars next year, according to the new owners. Both Busches and Ross Chastain’s jobs are on the line as a result.

Chase Elliott, the defending series champion and winner at the Road America road course a week ago, started on the pole and led the first 13 laps. However, issues in the pits, including one incident in which his car collided with a pit crew member for Cole Custer, sent him to the back of the pack.

Elliott climbed back and would finish seventh.

After failing pre-race inspection twice, Truex was sent to the back of the pack for the start of the race. However, on Lap 50 of 260, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver broke into the top ten. However, his dreams were shattered again when he and Kevin Harvick collided in the pits between stages 1 and 2. By the end of the second stage, both Truex (a three-time winner this year) and Harvick (zero victories in 2021) had re-entered the top ten.

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Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports, who was a heavy favorite to win at AMS, had his prospects of winning a sixth 2021 race hindered when he was penalized for speeding in the last stage. He was 18th overall.

Officials threw the red flag while the cars were circling under yellow before the third stage began. The problem was pot holes on the front stretch — the track’s 24-year-old asphalt was coming up. After a 19-minute pause, the potholes were fixed, and the race resumed.

The track will be repaired and reconfigured in the offseason, according to AMS owners. That news angered drivers who enjoy racing on the old surface and configuration.

The Series heads north to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon next weekend.

The uniforms of NASCAR racing drivers are currently available at the following websites for a reasonable price:

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