Any place, any time, any way necessary. Kyle Busch went from a lap down to a winner at a track that has haunted him.
And when things are going your way, as they are for Busch, you also catch a break when you need it.
Busch was leading the Aaron’s 499 on the last lap, the potential sucker hole at Talladega, but a 12-car crash behind him brought out the caution and ended the race.
The green-white-checkered rule doesn’t apply if the caution comes out after the white flag.
Denny Hamlin hopes he’s finally put his frustration behind him, not only at Martinsville Speedway, but throughout the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Hamlin had twice finished in the top three on the smallest, tightest track in the series, and said he felt like bad luck had let several other wins slip away, too.
At Atlanta three weeks ago, he had just moved into second place when his power steering failed. Then in the last race at Bristol, a fuel pickup problem on the restart of a two-lap sprint to the finish cost him a chance to win, and he finished sixth.
For 389 laps, the race looked like it would be another victory for Hendrick Motorsports at the track it has dominated by winning eight of the last 10 races.
Hendrick drivers led 371 of those laps, but Hamlin and fellow Virginia native Burton made decisions under the next-to-last caution that allowed them to move up front.
Hamlin then ruined Burton’s decision to stay out while the rest of the leaders pitted, passing him on the 427th lap and holding on for his fourth career victory.
