Kyle Busch out-duels older brother Kurt for Bristol win

Kyle Busch prevailed in a late duel with his older brother Kurt to take his eighth win at the Bristol Motor Speedway and his third Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win of the season.

The 34-year-old from Las Vegas, Nevada started today’s 500-lap event in 17th and had a stroke of bad luck early when he was collected in a multi-car crash on Lap 2 which also collected Aric Almirola, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and William Byron.

Busch suffered only minor damage on his No. 18 Skittles Toyota and stayed on the lead lap following some repairs.

The 250-lap final stage began as the Team Penske show with Ryan Blaney leading stage 2 winner Joey Logano to the green flag.

Blaney had the dominant car early in Stage 3 as Logano kept him in his sights. As the race neared its final fifth, Blaney still held a slight advantage over his teammate with the Stewart Haas Racing driver Clint Bowyer waiting in the weeds.

Logano briefly took the lead on Lap 378 only to lose it to Bowyer a lap later as his Stewart Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick brushed the wall which slowed Logano’s pace and brought out the yellow.

That brought the leaders down pit road and Bowyer vaulted back to the lead followed by Kyle Busch, Logano, Blaney and Kyle Busch.

Kyle Busch leapfrogged Bowyer on the restart and kept him at bay for the next 25 laps until Bowyer retook the lead on Lap 410.

Contact between William Byron and Kyle Larson brought out the yellow again and forced the leaders to make their final scheduled stop under the yellow flag. Busch’s teammate Denny Hamlin came out ahead by taking just two tires but was penalized for speeding on pit road.

That moved Busch back to the lead when the green flew again on Lap 423. Busch held the lead as Brad Keselowski muscled his way to second place.

The action was again as Clint Bowyer cut a tyre following contact with Logano and Chase Elliott smacked the wall on the other side of the track.

Keselowski dispatched Busch shortly after the Lap 440 restart with Logano following his tire tracks into second.

Logano retook the lead on Lap 470 and led until Lap 479 when Kyle Larson tagged the wall again and brought out the final yellow flag. The yellow brought Logano and Keselowski down pit road as Kyle stayed out along with older brother Kurt Busch.

That set up a 14-lap dash to the chequered flag as Busch executed a perfect restart and left his brother in the dust as Keselowski was penalized further back for restarting out of order.

Kurt reeled in his brother and got within striking distance, but contact with the wall prevented him from mounting a charge as Kyle took the win .722 of a second ahead.

“We just do what we do to try to win,” said Busch. “It’s pretty awesome to snooker those guys to get the win today at Bristol.

It was fun to battle out the brother at the end. I know we didn’t get side-by-side racing out, I saw him working the top, and I got up there and was able to make some ground.

Kurt’s second-place finish gives the Chip Ganassi Racing driver his sixth top ten to start the season. Logano came home third with his Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney flanking him in fourth place and Texas winner Denny Hamlin rounding out the top five.

Paul Menard scored his first top ten of the year by finishing in sixth while Bowyer ended up seventh.

Roush Fenway Racing driver Ryan Newman also claimed his first top ten of the year by finishing ninth with 7-time series champion Jimmie Johnson completing the top ten.

Pole sitter Chase Elliott had an up and down day that included getting spun by the lapped car of Corey Lajoie in Stage 1 and ultimately finished in 11th.

Kevin Harvick recovered from failing pre-race inspected and falling four laps down early to finish 13th.

Ty Dillon claimed his first ever stage win by pipping Bowyer at the line after staying out under a preceding yellow flag. He was never a factor after that and finished 15th.