Kurt Busch jumped from ninth to fourth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup points standing, beating out five-time champ Jimmie Johnson at the Dover International Speedway.
Busch’s No. 22 Dodge seemed to get stronger during the 400-mile race and he overtook long time rival Johnson on the final restart, a second checkered flag win for Busch during the current racing season. The final restart came with 43 laps remaining and Busch easily pulled ahead for the victory.
With his win only 15 points separates the top eight drivers with seven races left in Chase competition .
The win also marks the 24th career victory for Busch and his first at Dover International.
For his part Johnson was considered to be floundering in the Chase after finishing 10th and 18th in the first two Chase races of the season, only to return with five straight top 10 finishes to put him 13 points behind the lead of the pack.
Speaking about beating Johnson his rival said:
“To beat your arch-nemesis, that’s just icing on the cake. That’s pretty sweet.”
His comment came after Johnson led the race for 157 laps but fell behind Busch for a second place win followed by Carl Edwards in third. Edwards had led the race for 116 laps before falling into third place.
With such a close race who are you cheering for as the Chase for the Sprint Cup continues towards it’s eventual end?
