SPARTA, Ky. — The Toyota Gong Show continued during the second stage of Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, with Martin Truex Jr. picking up his 13th stage win of the season over Kyle Busch.
Truex passed Busch on lap 134 and ran off over the final 27 laps leading into the stage break, reaching the green-checkered flag first by 2.016 seconds in his No. 78 Furniture Row Toyota.
Busch came home second again, followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and rookie Erik Jones.
Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and Chase Elliott completed the points-scoring drivers in the top 10 at the second stage break.
After a speeding penalty knocked him from third to the tail of the field following the first stage, Kyle Larson drove back to 11th by the time the caution flew for the second stage break.
A rash of incidents plagued the early laps of Stage 2, beginning on lap 88, when Brad Keselowski got loose in Turn 3 and collected Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson as he spun through the center of the corner.
Both Keselowski and Johnson were eliminated from the race, as was Kasey Kahne, who got tangled up with Trevor Bayne on the next restart at lap 94 and crashed in Turn 1.
Bayne later exited after a spin at lap 112, while Joey Gase blew a tire on lap 137 to draw the final caution of the second stage and set up a 19-lap dash to the green-checkered flag that Truex dominated all the way.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 23-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
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