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WATCH: How Kurt Busch Held his Nerve in Exciting Overtime Finish at Las Vegas

Published 09/29/2020, 10:42 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

The final few laps of the South Point 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway were quite frantic. Race leader Kurt Busch had the hardest job out of all the drivers on the track. Busch Sr. led the field on the final restart, heading into three laps of overtime. Along with concentrating on the road, he had to keep a wary eye out for Matt DiBenedetto and Denny Hamlin.

The #21 and #11 cars hounded the #1 Chip Ganassi Racing car and kept him honest. Somehow, the 42-year-old managed to fend them off with three laps in hand.

When the green flag waved, Kurt Busch tried to rabbit off into the distance. However, Matt DiBenedetto was able to keep tabs on him, courtesy of a helpful shove from Ryan Blaney.

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Soon enough, the duo pulled away from the chasing pack ever so slightly. However, Alex Bowman soon closed the gap, courtesy of a push from Denny Hamlin.

Naturally, this only served to make Kurt Busch sweat a little more. Before long, they came onto the back of DiBenedetto and tried to bump-draft him. However, an alert Denny Hamlin soon moved to the inside of the track and overtook Alex Bowman.

How did Kurt Busch eventually win the race?

Hamlin was on a charge, especially with Kevin Harvick further down the order. He got up alongside DiBenedetto to try and snatch 2nd place on the track and close the gap to Harvick. Heading into the last lap, Kurt Busch had a small buffer to DiBenedetto and Hamlin, who were still side-by-side.

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Matt DiBenedetto Explains Why Performance in NASCAR Is Not Limited to Silly Season

USA Today via Reuters

Since those two were focused on each other, Kurt Busch was able to relax. Meanwhile, Alex Bowman crept up to seek redemption. However, nobody was able to trouble the race leader on the final lap, with DiBenedetto grabbing a well-deserved 2nd and Denny Hamlin taking 3rd.

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While it may not have been the win that he wanted, at least Kevin Harvick ended up in 10th place. This gives Hamlin a bit of hope for the championship battle, as he is the only realistic threat.

Meanwhile, the win for Kurt Busch effectively seals his berth for the next round of the Playoffs.

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Written by:

Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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