By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Busch left the Monster Energy All-Star Race with the second best car; however, aero problems left Busch with a third place finish.
Busch started in the race in the second position. When the green flag unfurled, commotion occurred on the restart, but Busch settled in the second position a couple of laps later. Once settled the veteran driver had his eyes set on race leader Kevin Harvick.
Once Busch caught Harvick, the game was on to convene the race lead. By Lap 19, Busch assumed the race lead. After making a pit stop on Lap 26, he gathered the lead quickly from Brad Keselowski to win the first stage.
In the second stage, Busch battled handling problems throughout and lost the race lead to finish sixth.
In the third stage, Busch made contact with Austin Dillon and received damage on the right-side nose of the car. In an effort to save tires, Adam Stevens and Busch decided to lay low in the back of the field to prepare for the final stage.
When the green flag unfurled for the final stage, Busch attempted to catch Larson and Harvick for the race win, but he made contact with the outside wall coming off Turn 4.
“We had a really fast Camry,” Busch said about the race. “We were probably the only guys to be able to pass for the lead after a given set of laps. On restarts, we couldn’t go anywhere. We just weren’t fast enough, but we did have long run speed.”
Busch finished the race in the third position.