Truex takes emotional win for Furniture Row Racing at Kansas

A loose wheel and penalty could not keep Truex from scoring his seventh Monster Energy Cup Series win of the season — including his second Kansas victory in 2017. 

“Fight, fight, baby. Never give up, this one is for Jim, looking out for us here,” said Truex as he dedicated the win to Jim Watson, the Furniture Row Racing crewmen who passed away on Saturday night.

Ryan Blaney finished third followed by Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola and Kyle Busch. Jimmie Johnson finished 11th. Keselowski came home 13th. 

Kyle Larson, Jamie McMurray, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt Kenseth failed to transfer to the Round of 8.

Harvick gained the lead for the final stage when Hamlin pitted on Lap 163. Kenseth ran second followed by Kyle Busch, Jones, McMurray, Blaney, Elliott, Dillon, Earnhardt Truex, Kurt Busch, Suarez, Kahne, Newman and Johnson when the race returned to green on Lap 167. Brad Keselowski and Stage 2 winner Denny Hamlin, both who were busted for speeding on pit road, restarted 25th and 26th, respectively. 

After three laps, Harvick held the point folllowed by Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jones, Blaney, Truex, McMurray, Elliott, Suarez, Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch, Johnson, Kahne, Bowyer, Earnhardt, Almirola, Ty Dillon, Trevor Bayne, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher and Ryan Newman. Keselowski moved up to 22nd by Lap 172. Hamlin ran 23rd.

Stenhouse flirted with disaster on Lap 172 when he hit the Turn 2 wall but ignited the caution two laps later when he slapped the Turn 3 wall. He was running 22nd before coming to pit road.

Harvick continued to lead followed by Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jones, Blaney, Truex, McMurray, Elliott, Suarez, Dillon, Kurt Busch, Johnson, Kahne Bowyer, Almirola, Earnhardt, Ty Dillon, Bayne, Logano and Buescher. Keselowski had advanced to 22nd, Hamlin 24th. 

Harvick remained on the track along with Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Blaney, Bowyer and Hamlin. Truex was the first lead lap driver out of the pits followed by Jones, McMurray, Suarez, Elliott, Austin Dillon, Johnson, Earnhardt, Kurt Busch, Kahne, Ty Dillon and Keselowski. Stenhouse restarted 31st, one lap down. 

Harvick led the field to the Lap 180 restart. After two laps, Harvick held a .641-second lead over Kyle Busch. Kenseth, Blaney, Jones, Truex, Bowyer, McMurray, Elliott and Johnson completed the top 10. 

Stenhouse returned to the pits on Lap 185. Harvick’s advantage extended to 1.471-seconds over Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Jones, Elliott, Blaney, Truex, McMurray, Bowyer and Johnson rounded out the top 10.

Johnson goes spinning 

Johnson lost control of his car coming out of Turn 4 and slid down the front stretch grass to trigger the seventh caution on Lap 186. Harvick remained on the track with Kyle Busch, Jones, Elliott, Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Suarez, Dillon, Almirola, Ty Dillon, Kahne and McDowell, Truex pitted along with Kenseth, Blaney, Hamlin, Earnhardt Keselowski, Buescher, Logano, Patrick, Bayne, Allmendinger, Newman and Johnson. 

“We have 75 laps to go, let’s get in this thing,” crew chief Chad Knaus told Johnson.

The field restarted on Lap 192 and Johnson failed to complete a lap before spinning out of Turn 3. 

“Flat tire,” Johnson said. “Got loose again.” 

Harvick held the point followed by Kyle Busch, Jones, Elliott, McMurray, Suarez, Truex, Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Blaney, Almirola, Ty Dillon, Kenseth, Earnhardt, Buescher, Hamlin, Ty Dillon, Patrick, Keselowski and Kahne. Johnson dropped to 27th, the last car on the lead lap. 

Race-halting crash

Harvick controlled the Lap 198 restart but Kyle Busch took the lead coming out of Turn 2. The field hadn’t cleared the backstretch when Erik Jones lost control of his car, over-corrected and came across the nose of McMurray. Kenseth, Logano, Newman, Bowyer, Almirola, Suarez, Bayne, Elliott, Austin Dillon and Earnhardt received damage in the wreck. Kenseth

NASCAR issued the red-flag for 10minute, 10-seconds. The race returned to yellow and finally went green on Lap 205 with Busch in the lead. Harvick, Truex, Elliott, Earnhardt, Blaney, Johnson, Buescher, Kurt Busch, Hamlin, Keselowski, Blaney, David Ragan, Almirola and Michael McDowell completed the top 15. 

Truex moved up to second on the next lap and set his sights on Busch. Harvick dropped to third followed by Elliott and Blaney. Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Earnhardt Hamlin and Johnson completed the top 10. Truex went underneath Busch for the lead in Turn 2 on Lap 211. Busch dropped .638-seconds behind after three-quarters of a lap. Elliott moved up to third and Harvick fell to fourth, complaining of a tight condition. Blaney ran fifth followed by Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Hamlin, Earnhardt and Johnson.

Truex held a two-second lead over Busch on Lap 215. Elliott, Blaney, Harvick, Kurt Busch, Keselowski, Hamlin, Earnhardt and Johnson completed the top 10. 

Harvick pitted from sixth-place on Lap 221. Earnhardt moved up to sixth followed by Hamlin, Keselowski, Almirola and Buescher. Johnson ran 11th. Harvick dropped to 22nd, one lap down. 

Truex held a five-second lead over Kyle Busch by Lap 230. Busch pit two laps later. Elliott moved up to second followed by Blaney, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt, Hamlin, Keselowski, Buescher Almirola and Johnson.

Allmendinger spun off of Turn 4 on Lap 235 to trigger the 10th caution. Truex led followed by Elliott, Blaney, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt, Hamlin, Keselowski, Buescher, Almirola and Johnson. Harvick was the second car, one lap down in 21st. Kyle Busch ran 22nd.

Pit road finally opened on Lap 239. Keselowski was busted for speeding in Section 8 and was sent to the tail of the field. He exited 12th and restarted 22nd

“There’s no way,” Keselowski said.

Bayne, who was 20th, took the wave around. Harvick and Busch cycled back to the lead lap in 20th and 21st, respectively. 

Final run

Truex led the field to green on Lap 243 followed by Kurt Busch, Hamlin, Blaney, Elliott, Earnhardt, Buescher, Almirola, Johnson, Austin Dillon and Ragan. Blaney passed Hamlin for third on Lap 245. Elliott remained fifth followed by Buescher, Johnson, Earnhardt, Ragan and Almirola. 

With 20 laps remaining, Truex’s lead was .682-seconds over Kurt Busch. Harvick moved up to 16th, Busch 18th and Keselowski 20th. Harvick moved up to 14th on Lap 249. 

Kurt Busch trailed Truex by 1.038-seconds with 10 laps to decide the race. Blaney ran second followed by Elliott, Hamlin, Buescher, Earnhardt, Almirola, Johnson and Harvick. Kyle Busch recovered to 12th with Keselowski in 15th-place. 

"I can't say enough about all these guys on the Furniture Row/Bass Pro Toyota, I'm just really proud of them," said Truex. "Our great friend Jim Watson, losing him last night, I want to send condolences to his family. He was a heck of a guy and a great worker and helped put a lot of speed in these Furniture Row Toyotas."

"I'm excited to get this one at Kansas. It feels really awesome. It's really Furniture Row's home track. It feels really good to win here. In the spring it was heartbreak and then today it looked like it wasn't going to happen and we persevered.

"I was definitely thinking about Jim and his family. It's crazy how things all work out."

Cla	#	Driver	Manufacturer	Laps	Time	Laps Led
1	78	Martin Truex Jr.	Toyota	267		89
2	41	Kurt Busch	Ford	267	2.284
3	21	Ryan Blaney	Ford	267	3.945	2
4	24	Chase Elliott	Chevrolet	267	5.362
5	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	267	8.542	4
6	37	Chris Buescher	Chevrolet	267	11.051
7	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	267	11.895
8	4	Kevin Harvick	Ford	267	12.356	36
9	43	Aric Almirola	Ford	267	14.207
10	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	267	15.046	107
11	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	267	16.748
12	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	267	17.489
13	2	Brad Keselowski	Ford	267	17.530	16
14	3	Austin Dillon	Chevrolet	267	18.017
15	5	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet	267	19.357
16	13	Ty Dillon	Chevrolet	267	20.273
17	38	David Ragan	Ford	267	20.534
18	95	Michael McDowell	Chevrolet	267	21.152
19	14	Clint Bowyer	Ford	267	22.841
20	6	Trevor Bayne	Ford	267	23.589
21	22	Joey Logano	Ford	267	23.795
22	32	Matt DiBenedetto	Ford	267	24.593
23	34	Landon Cassill	Ford	265	2 laps
24	72	Cole Whitt	Chevrolet	263	4 laps
25	15	Reed Sorenson	Chevrolet	263	4 laps
26	33	Jeffrey Earnhardt	Chevrolet	261	6 laps
27	23	Corey Lajoie	Toyota	261	6 laps
28	55	Gray Gaulding	Toyota	259	7 laps
29	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	Ford	256	10 laps
30	51	B.J. McLeod	Chevrolet	254	13 laps
31	83	Brett Moffitt	Toyota	238	29 laps
32	47	A.J. Allmendinger	Chevrolet	232	35 laps
33	31	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	203	64 laps
34	1	Jamie McMurray	Chevrolet	198	69 laps	1
35	77	Erik Jones	Toyota	197	70 laps
36	19	Daniel Suarez	Toyota	197	70 laps
37	20	Matt Kenseth	Toyota	197	70 laps
38	10	Danica Patrick	Ford	197	70 laps
39	42	Kyle Larson	Chevrolet	73	194 laps
40	00	Derrike Cope	Chevrolet	35	232 laps