Kyle Busch notches first at Talladega

4/28/2008

TALLADEGA, Ala. - This time, the crash happened behind Kyle Busch. Instead of leaving Talladega Superspeedway with a smashed-up car, he drove into Victory Lane.

The kid who couldn't conquer Talladega finally won at the harrowing track yesterday, and in this breakout season for Busch, it was only fitting that he coasted to the victory.

Busch came back from a lap down for his first win at Talladega, which was won under caution when a 13-car accident brought out the yellow flag on the final lap. It froze the field and allowed Busch to slowly make his way across the finish line - a rare completion considering his past history at this track.

In six previous Cup races, Busch failed to finish four times and wrecked out of both events last season. His accident in last spring's Cup race was so hard, he cracked his head-and-neck restraint while finishing 37th. And his wreck in the fall officially ended his championship hopes.

"I don't think I've finished one here without wrecking, or at least without a torn up car," Busch said. "Today means a whole lot."

His victory was his second Sprint Cup win of the year, and seventh spanning all three of NASCAR's top series.

"It's great for Kyle. He's red hot," car owner Joe Gibbs said.

Juan Pablo Montoya finished second to match his career best on an oval since moving to NASCAR midway through 2006.

Denny Hamlin, Busch's teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, finished third.