MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race
Charlotte Motor Speedway – Concord, North Carolina
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Race Winner: Kyle Busch
Age: 32
Team: No. 18 – M&M’s Caramel Toyota
Owner: Joe Gibbs Racing
Crew Chief: Adam Stevens
IN THE WORDS OF THE WINNER – “It’s special because it’s the All-Star race for one and for two, we’ve never won at Charlotte in a Cup car so we finally achieved that goal tonight and won the All-Star race and won a million bucks, so there’s reason to celebrate and to celebrate big. I can’t say enough about this team, everybody on this M&M’s Camry, this M&M’s Caramel Camry this week. First race, first win for those guys. Can’t say enough about Adam Stevens (crew chief). You have Adam Stevens and these guys in the pit box and you can rely on them all day long. I had to do that tonight. You know we weren’t quite the fastest car, but we made the right changes when it mattered most. We made the right moves when it mattered most and we got the most out of our night tonight and got here to victory lane. Feel so relieved, alluded, proud and excited all in the same time.”
-- Kyle Busch
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· Kyle Busch won the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star race Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the only complete non-points race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule. It is Busch’s first All-Star race win and his initial Monster Energy Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
· Busch won the race in his 12th All-Star start, the largest number of starts before an All-Star race win – previous record was held by Tony Stewart with 11 starts before his first victory in 2009.
· For team owner Joe Gibbs Racing it is their second All-Star race win (Denny Hamlin, 2011).
· Kyle Larson was the runner-up in the race and also won Stage 1 and 2.
· Jimmie Johnson (third) captured Stage 3. It was Johnson’s ninth career top-5 finish in the All-Star race, the most-ever.
· Kyle Larson (475) leads the 2017 Monster Energy Series points standings by 44 points over Martin Truex Jr. (431). They are followed by Brad Keselowski (408).
· Seven drivers currently have qualified for the 16-driver field of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The list consists of Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Newman, Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., each of whom has won at least one race this season. The Playoffs culminate with the Ford EcoBoost 400 championship finale on November 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES
· Kyle Busch won the 15th annual North Carolina Education Lottery 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday night. It is Busch’s 48th victory in 136 career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, his second of the year and second in as many weeks.
· It is his seventh victory and tenth top-10 finish in 11 career Truck Series races at Charlotte. Busch also won both Stage 1 and Stage 2 of Friday’s race.
· For Busch, it was his 173rd combined national series win of his career (MENCS 38, XFINITY 87, Trucks 48), the second-most in NASCAR history, trailing only Richard Petty’s 200 victories (all MENCS).
· Johnny Sauter (second) accounted for his fourth top-10 finish in five races this year, all of which have been in the top-3, including three second-place finishes.
· Christopher Bell (third) posted his second top-10 finish in as many Truck Series races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has now finished in the top-10 in all five races this year, four of which have resulted in a top-5 showing.
· Grant Enfinger (seventh) was the highest finishing rookie.
· With one win apiece this year, rookie Kaz Grala and Christopher Bell have qualified for the 8-driver playoff field in the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs. The Playoffs culminate with the Ford EcoBoost 200 Camping World Truck Series championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday, November 17.
· Johnny Sauter (242) leads the points standings by 15 points over Christopher Bell (227).
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
· The NASCAR XFINITY Series was off this weekend. They will resume action on Saturday, May 27 with the Hisense 4K TV 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
