Kyle Busch sweeps Bristol again
By JENNA FRYER, Associated Press
Mar 20, 2011 3:52 PM CDT
Kyle Busch holds the winner's trophy as he celebrates victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn., Sunday, March 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)   (Associated Press)

Kyle Busch can't be beat at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Busch beat Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson off pit road after the final stops Sunday, then held them off over the closing 60 laps to win the Sprint Cup Series race at the Tennessee bullring. It gave Busch a sweep of the weekend _ he also won the second-tier Nationwide Series race on Saturday _ and his fifth consecutive victory at Bristol dating back to a three-race sweep last August.

He's now won five Cup races at Bristol, which ties him with older-brother Kurt in NASCAR's top series, and has 11 victories spanning the three national series.

Busch, who drives a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, dedicated the win to the manufacturer and its employees in Japan still trying to recover from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Edwards settled for second and lamented not pushing Busch harder after the final restart with 37 laps remaining. Busch, Edwards and Johnson pulled away from the field, and Edwards had several opportunities to move Busch's No. 18 Toyota out of the way.

But Edwards, in a Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, figured he'd have plenty of chances closer to the finish, so he tried for a clean pass as he and Busch raced side-by-side for several laps. Busch eventually pulled away, and Edwards never had another shot.

"I thought we'd be better matched with him, but he took off, and I just couldn't get back to him to race," Edwards said. "My gut told me there was going to be another caution. If I had known that was the only shot I had, I might have raced a little harder."

Johnson, the defending race winner, finished third in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Kenseth, Edwards' teammate, was fourth and was followed by Paul Menard and Kevin Harvick for Richard Childress Racing. Kurt Busch was seventh and the highest finishing Dodge, and Greg Biffle finished eighth to give RFR three drivers in the top eight.

Kasey Kahne was ninth for Red Bull Racing and Ryan Newman was 10th for Stewart-Haas Racing.

There were no tire issues despite heavy concern when Goodyear's product struggled through Friday's full day of on-track action. The supplier called for almost 1,300 new right-side tires to be shipped into Bristol from North Carolina overnight, and they were distributed to teams before Saturday's final two practice sessions.

But teams were only given one set of the new tires to use on Saturday, and everyone was scrambling to adapt to the effect the new tires had on their car.

NASCAR called a competition caution at lap 50 on Sunday to check the new tires. With no noticeable issues, the race continued with little discussion of the entire flap.

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