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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
A Chip Ganassi Racing operation that is set to transform next season showed he still had some teamwork left in the tank on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, much to Kyle Busch’s dismay.
RELATED: Official Results | Track photos
Kurt Busch outlasted Kyle in a battle of brothers in Sunday’s Quaker State 400, helped by a late-race traffic jam that kept him on 236th of 260 laps. Ganassi’s teammate Ross Chastain, whose No. 42 Chevrolet slowed the progress of Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and allowed Kurt Busch to match the No. 1 Chevrolet was at the heart of this delay in circulation. Kurt Busch claimed his first Cup Series victory of the season, and his brother ended up in second place, close to securing his 60th Cup Series victory.
“It would have been much better if it hadn’t been for the nerve. But that’s what it is, ”Kyle Busch told PRN Radio. “It was up to us to lose and we lost him.”
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The victory sealed a provisional playoff berth in Chip Ganassi’s final season as the owner of the two-car effort. Trackhouse Racing announced on June 30 that it had purchased the organization and assets from Ganassi, setting the course for a two-car team with Daniel Suarez and another driver to be named later.
The future of Kurt Busch and Chastain may be uncertain at the moment, but their late-race cooperation amounts to a farewell gift for Ganassi’s latest campaign.
“Shake and cook! Yeah, and on 42 he did his job as a teammate, ”Kurt Busch told NBC Sports after the race. “Ross is going to be criticized a bit for that, but that’s what it takes to be a good teammate at the right time, so I couldn’t be prouder of Ross Chastain. I’ll pay it back eventually, but right now it’s our # 1 car in Victory Lane.
Chastain’s 21st place finish in his 100th Cup Series start was more eventful than the stats sheet would suggest. He was struggling to stay in the lead lap when the two brothers – who had dominated all day – moved closer to his No.42 entry in their final run for the lead.
Chastain failed to clear the way for Kyle Busch as he led in the straight, and this move saw Kurt Busch grab the inside lane. All three drivers finally worked on Turns 1 and 2 over three widths before Kurt Busch took an advantage he wouldn’t give up in the home stretch.
Chastain swerved when asked about Kyle Busch’s fate in their late-race scrum, but admitted to lending his teammate a helping hand.
“Kurt asked for the bottom so I gave him that route,” said Chastain, who has joined Chip Ganassi Racing full time this season. “I was running to stay in the lead. I am very aware of what is happening on the track around me. Kurt asked me for the background and I gave it to him. …
“Seeing a Chip Ganassi car on Victory Lane with everything that’s been going on in the last few weeks and all this year, I don’t want anything more. One team, one goal and it’s winning.
RELATED: Kurt Busch Holds Kyle Back in Final Rounds
There was little consolation for the No.18 group, which established itself as the only reliable contender to Elder Busch’s efforts with the No.1 car. The Busch brothers shared stage wins and Kyle Busch led 91 laps – just behind Kurt Busch’s 144. No other driver has led more than 15 laps.
“Good car all day,” Observer No.18 Tony Hirschman said on the recovery lap. “I just teamed up there, messed up.” Kyle Busch supported this assessment in his post-race remarks with NBC Sports, saying his tires were burnt late in that race, but adding, “It shows you what kind of a driver he is.”
Kyle Busch went to the No.1 Team celebration to obligatorily congratulate his brother’s victory, a fraternal 1-2 result that Kurt said he hoped he didn’t linger with feelings painful.
“He stopped at Victory Lane and made Kyle Busch cranky. This is what I expected, ”said Kurt Busch. Yeah, again, what happened on the track was the perfect scenario for a teammate to do the job he needed to do. If I’m third, Ross is not part of the equation. This is exactly what a teammate should do, and Ross has done it in a way that has given me a sense of pride in the education and mentorship that I have helped Ross with this year. It was a perfect comeback.
“Can we do that in the playoffs? No. Can you do that in a regular season where a guy wins and a guy tries to run strong? Today was a perfect scenario for this to unfold, and Kyle will recover from it pretty quickly. … Yeah, I don’t think a line was crossed, and it was that good finesse to make it happen.
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