DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kyle Busch dominated the caution-filled Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway on Friday night for his second victory in two starts this year.
The Sprint Cup driver was in control for much of the 250-mile race, when it wasn’t slowed by repeated cautions. There were nine cautions on the 1.5-mile track, including one on the first lap that set the tone for a sluggish night.
Busch won from the pole in the No. 51 Toyota. He has 37 series victories in 117 starts.
“Kansas! I’m a winner at Kansas!” Busch said. “We put a great Tundra out front and took it to Victory Lane.”
The caution total was just shy of the track-record 12 set in 2008.
Matt Crafton was second, followed by Joey Logano, Austin Dillon and Tayler Malsam.
Busch won the first Truck race under the lights at Kansas. He led 104 of the 167 laps and was never seriously challenged in a race where just 12 trucks finished on the lead lap. Busch won the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, picking up where he left off last season, when he won five of 11 Truck starts.
Busch crew chief Eric Phillips also set the record with his 29th victory in the Truck Series.
“There were a couple of tense moments there,” Busch said. “I had to use lapped traffic to my advantage a few times to get by some guys. I knew if it went green, we would be pretty good.”
Crafton, the points leader, said his No. 88 Toyota “felt off” all race and Logano was a non-factor late even with 41 total laps led.
“In traffic, I was fast,” Logano said. “I could never pull away from anybody.”
But at least they missed the wrecks.
Ron Hornaday Jr. started the yellow flag parade when he triggered a wreck on the first lap, the first of three cautions over the first 15 laps. That wreck-stuffed race cause just 13 of 31 trucks to run on the lead lap with 65 laps left.
Ryan Blaney raced side-by-side with Logano when he lost control, saved the truck, then was plowed into by Johnny Sauter on Lap 85.
The wreck brought out the whopping eighth caution, as the race continued to creep along.
“I don’t know how they got bottomed up there behind me and destroyed our truck,” Blaney said. “He was just too far on my door. I had it saved, then they started wrecking behind us.”
Blaney will make his Sprint Cup debut Saturday night.
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