The 2019 edition of the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway was off to a great start for the number 41 Mustang of Daniel Suarez, as he started on the pole for just the second time in his career and went on to lead the first 49 laps. The field would have tons of passing due to the new aerodynamic package that NASCAR brought to Kentucky, not allowing for one car to stay out front and dominate the entire pace of the race.
Stage winners for the Quaker State 400 were Kurt Busch in stage one, and Kyle Busch in stage two.
WIth green flag pit stops cycling through during the final stage for fuel, Joey Logano would assume the lead as his Crew Chief, Todd Gordon, made the correct adjustments on the pit box to get Logano the car he needed to be out front, after he chased down the leader at the time, Kyle Busch.
Unfortunately for Logano, a caution flag would drop on lap 262 which would send the race into overtime. With Matt McCall electing to send Kurt Busch down pit road on the previous caution, the number one Monster Energy Camaro would be at a distinct advantage over the 22 and 18 cars directly ahead of him as he restarted in the third position. With Kurt Busch going to the outside of the 22 machines and Kyle Busch going to his inside, the fans would get an outstanding three-car battle for the lead. With the one and 18 prevailing over the 22, they would run side by side on the final lap. With the 18 on his inside, Kurt Busch would hold the throttle wide open in hopes that his younger brother Kyle would not run him into the outside wall. The two would make slight contact, leading up to a drag race to a photo-finish with older brother Kurt collecting his first win of the season for Chip Ganassi Racing.
There have been three first-second place finishes with the Busch brothers in the top two positions, however, this would be the first with Kurt claiming the top spot. This would also mark the first win for Kurt Busch with Chip Ganassi Racing, which is now the fourth cup team that he has claimed a victory.
The victory would be reassurance for McCall, as last week at Daytona the number one machine was leading at Daytona when McCall elected to bring the car down pit road for fuel, but the race was called due to inclement weather shortly thereafter. McCall made what could have been the deciding call of the race by giving his driver four fresh tires to battle it out in the closing laps.
With Kurt and Kyle Busch finishing first and second, Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five. Some other notable finishers were Chase Elliott in 15th, Martin Truex Jr. in 19th, Brad Keselowski in 20th, Jimmie Johnson in 30th, and Austin Dillon in 35th.
Next week, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to New Hampshire for the running of the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on NBCSN at 3 P.M. Eastern on Sunday. Tune in to see the action-packed race, as the playoffs are beginning in just seven more races.
