Buescher rallies to win NASCAR Xfinity race in Iowa
May 17, 2015, 2:12 PM
Chris Buescher races his car during the NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race, Sunday, May 17, 2015, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Chris Buescher pulled away on a restart in a green-white-checkered finish Sunday to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Iowa Speedway.
Buescher raced to his first victory of the season to give Roush-Fenway Racing its fifth Iowa win.
Chase Elliott appeared poised for an easy win before a late caution set up overtime. Buescher was the beneficiary, and he took advantage with a perfectly executed restart.
Elliott finished second after leading a race-high 114 laps. Erik Jones was third, followed by Brian Scott and Ryan Blaney.
As the first Xfinity event of the year that didn’t share a track with a Sprint Cup race, Iowa gave series regulars a chance to run without being overshadowed by the sport’s more established stars.
With the day to itself, NASCAR’s second-tier series put on one of its best shows of the year.
Drew Herring qualified the No. 20 car first Saturday while Jones backed up Kyle Busch at the Sprint Cup All-Star race in Charlotte. But the driver switch forced Jones to start at the rear of the field.
Buescher grabbed an early lead, only to watch Elliott pass him for an advantage he kept for a third of the race.
A strong pit stop gave Buescher the lead back with about 100 laps left.
But Brennan Poole was subsequently black-flagged by NASCAR after it said he intentionally hit JJ Yeley, sending him into the wall.
It appeared to be retaliation by Poole for a two-car crash involving the pair earlier in the race.
“We just got into it. Just part of racing. I hate that it happened between me and JJ, but that’s just how it goes sometimes,” Poole said.
Elliott eventually caught Buescher and was running so far in front that only a caution could stop him.
Unfortunately for Elliott, that’s what happed.
With just four laps left in regulation, Jamie Dick — whose windshield was destroyed when a weight from Ross Chastain’s car flew through it Saturday during practice — hit the wall. Chastain ran into Dick’s car to draw the caution that set Buescher up for the win.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
