Edwards wins as Busch DNFs: The O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Review

Texas was shaping up to be another Busch/Edwards snooze-fest, instead we got another chance to see Kyle Busch’s continued maturity.

As we were nearing halfway in the race Busch was able to find the speed he was lacking at the start of the race. He then ducked down low to pass Carl Edwards for the lead when Tim Schendel, a part time driver for Jimmy Means Racing, cut a tire. Schendel flew up the track right into the path of Kyle Busch. Busch rear ended the #52 Chevy, and both went up into the wall.

Busch said just one negative thing on the radio about the incident before he cooled down and gave an “aww shucks” bad luck interview. Old Kyle Busch would have blown up and not even given an interview. It’s another sign that Kyle Busch is experiencing growth as a driver and as a person just like we saw from his brother Kurt a few years ago.

After Busch was done, Edwards had no one else to challenge him. He easily won, beating out three other Cup drivers in Brad Keselowski, Paul Menard, who had a very good run, and Joey Logano, who took over the Owner Points. Elliott Sadler pulled out his 3rd straight top 5 finish, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hung on to the Points Lead.
Results and more after the JUMP!

It made me a bit sad to see that the preview article didn’t have a single comment on it. I understand people’s frustration with the Nationwide Series. We were led to believe that the new rules would cause Cup drivers to not run the full season, and only tracks like Daytona, Dega, and Bristol would have Cup drivers attending.

Instead we have six straight races without a Nationwide Winner. What’s worse is that every event has had more then one Cup guy in the top 5. Guys like Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski are still going to race the entire season. Keselowski should be focusing on establishing his Cup career, and Edwards should be focusing on winning his first Sprint Cup Championship.

It doesn’t seem to matter how good Ricky Stenhouse and Reed Sorenson can drive, their equipment just doesn’t seem to match up to what Edwards and Busch have. I’m still holding out hope that one of our Nationwide drivers can break the seal and win. Thanks to the new rule, we still have Ricky Stenhouse leading the points. Reed Sorenson made up a few points, and Elliott Sadler’s bad start to the year is a distant memory. Here’s the top ten in Nationwide Points:

Joey Logano and the #20 Toyota team have taken over for Kyle Busch’s #18 Toyota team in the Owner’s Points. Turner Motorsports has really broken out this year and has become the prime contender for Owner’s Championship. Here’s the top ten in Owner’s Points:

Scott Wimmer fell outside the top 30 and Robert Richardson had jumped up to take his place. Here’s how they shake down for next week:

Strap yourselves in, because next week we head to Talladega. This Nationwide race could be the best racing all weekend, or heck, all month. Dega offers everyone a chance to win. It’s a roll of the dice. If Daytona is any indication, this will be a great race.

Check back later in the week for a Preview of the Aaron’s 312 from Talladega. Enjoy!