Kyle Busch Out-Runs Ambrose and Pruett For Third Straight Win

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By Ron Felix

CIA Stock Photo Three Straight Victories For Busch

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Kyle Busch is hot at the moment. He's won three straight races out of nine in the Nationwide Series and easily could be looking at six victories had it it not been for some bad luck and self destruction. Busch became the fourth different winner in four races at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez track in Mexico City, Mexico on Saturday. Scott Pruett had led a total of 36 laps of 80 in the Corona Mexico 200 before he ran out of tires.

Busch passed road course specialist Pruett and his No. 40 Dodge for the lead with nine laps remaining in the 80-lap event around the 2.518-mile, eight-turn circuit. From there, he held off a small handful of pursuers, including Pruett and Marcos Ambrose, for his first career road course victory in any NASCAR series and his 14th career Nationwide Series win in 117 career starts. Busch also drove the No. 18 JGR Toyota to victory in the previous two Nationwide Series events at Texas and Phoenix.

“It’s a pretty phenomenal day for these Joe Gibbs Racing guys. They did an awesome job once again,” said Busch, who led 22 laps in all, including the final nine on his way to the checkered flag. “We ran up front a good bit of the race. Pruett had a little mishap in (turn) four and that enabled me to get by him cleanly. It looked like his car was fading a little bit, anyway, but our car stayed pretty decent during that whole time. If I ran a clean lap, I ran a good enough lap where the rest of those guys couldn’t get me. Luckily, I built up a pretty good lead. Ambrose was tough there at the end, and I started choking a little bit.

"Everybody wants to come down to Mexico for this trip and win it -- only one guy gets to go home with the trophy."

Marcos Ambrose finished second but had nothing for Busch. 26 laps from the finish, Ambrose got into the back of Boris Said and wrecked him.

"We just had a tough old day, we went to the back and then we got a penalty and came back," said Ambrose. "I've got to say sorry to Boris (Said), I didn't mean to get into him like that. I can't do anything but say sorry -- I'd take it back if I could. I value Boris’ friendship and he is a fantastic racer. I don’t know what happened, to be honest with you. I had pretty square contact and all of a sudden, he’s up speed and off to the left. I caught his rear bumper bar in mine.

"Look at the deal last year with Robby Gordon. Bad stuff happens out there and it’s unfortunate. I’ll apologize to him to his face. I’ll apologize to him today in front of the media. I can’t take it back. I wish I didn’t do it. I don’t know how it happened and that’s all I can really say. If he wants to come talk to me about it, I’d like to sit down and just find some common ground. It’s just unfortunate that that stuff happens but that’s what racing is all about. That’s what fans turn out for.”

Boris Said was hot. He shook his fist at Ambrose on the caution lap and threatned to throw his helmet, but he didn't.

"Ambrose just cheap shotted me and took me out," Said explained. "He hooked my left rear in turn one. He had me sideways for a while and then just turned me around. I’m disappointed for everybody at No Fear and Advanced Auto Parts and Rensi Racing. I’m not going to cry about it, but I’m going to go apologize to his crew chief because it’s going to cost him a car.”

Pruett eventually finished in the third spot, holding off Carl Edwards for the position.

"We were struggling with the setup," said Pruett. "We gambled coming in early and the tires were used up at the end. We got what we could and we came out of it with the whole car intact, not one fender ripped off, so it was a good day."

Edwards was happy to finish in the fourth spot. Edwards congratulated his crew chief on the radio during the cool-down lap.

"I told him it was the most fun I've had in my clothes in a long time," Edwards said. "It's too bacd we got caught up in that caution. My hat's off to Kyle Busch and everybody on that twenty team, they did a great job. That's three weeks in a row."

Patrick Carpentier brought his Dodge home in fifth followed by Clint Bowyer, Scott Wimmer, Brad Keselowski, Mike Bliss and Steve Wallace to round out the top ten.

There were seven caution periods for 18 laps, with 10 drivers failing to finish the 80-lap race.

The next event on the Nationwide Series schedule is the April 26 Aaron’s 312 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 2:30 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128.


For full final race results...     (Corona Mexico 200 Results)
For Nationwide drivers points...     (Points After Corona Mexico 200)

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