Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 SPORTS
Friday 26 May 2017
All-Star champ Busch seeks to snap Cup points drought at CMS

STEVE REED anybody has ever seen when he took the low side
AP Sports Writer that.” of the track to pass Brad
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — But Busch knows winning Keselowski — who was run-
Kyle Busch proved last the Coca-Cola 600 won’t ning on old tires — from the
week he could win a Cup be easy. second row to beat out
race at Charlotte Motor He called NASCAR’s lon- four-time All-Star race win-
Speedway in the exhibition gest race, a 400-lap mara- ner Jimmie Johnson for the
NASCAR All-Star race. thon on a 1 1/2-mile course $1 million prize.
Now he’s out to prove he a “mental and physical Busch said he won despite
can win a Cup points race grind.” not having the best car.
and put an end a long “You just get tired,” Busch He said the race setup
drought. said. “I wouldn’t say you fall they’ve brought to Char-
“It felt good to get that out out of the seat, but when lotte is even better.
of the way, so now hope- you’re done, you’re done.” Crew chief Adam Stevens
fully we can make it back- Busch was ninth-fastest in said it’s only a matter of
to-back,” Busch said Thurs- Kyle Busch waits for his car to pass inspection before qualifying practice Thursday and said
day. for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup series auto race at Charlotte Motor his crew has plenty of work time before Busch finds
Busch has won eight Xfin- Speedway in Concord, N.C., Thursday, May 25, 2017. to do. his way to victory lane at
ity Series races and seven Associated Press He knows how important it Charlotte in a Cup points
Truck Series races at Char- in Cup races. Some of it NASCAR red-flagged the is to run out front in Char- race.
lotte, but is 0 for 26 in Cup Busch has brought on him- race and allowed teams lotte in the clean air. Last “No different than Kan-
points races. If he can get self with poor decisions or an opportunity to fix their year, Martin Truex Jr. got sas, some of these other
to victory lane Sunday in costly driving errors, while cars, but Busch could never out to the lead and no- places he’s struggled at
NASCAR’s longest race some of it has been out of recreate the speed he had body could catch him, in the past,” Stevens said.
he would become the first his control. before. His night ended in leading 392 of 400 laps. “Wouldn’t say here has
driver to sweep the All-Star In 2013, for instance, he frustration when his engine The difficulty in passing at been a struggle, but it’s just
race and the Coca-Cola was going for a series-wide blew up on Lap 253. Charlotte places an added been hard to finish it off.
600 since brother Kurt did it sweep at CMS and leading “I just heard a big thunk on emphasis on restarts and Hopefully (the All-Star race
in 2010. the Coca-Cola 600 more the right-front side tire and pit stops. win) is a little bit of momen-
Even team owner Joe than a third of the way into thought the right-front tire Busch feels like his team has tum, a little bit of wind in
Gibbs wasn’t aware of the 400-lap race. blew out,” Busch said at been the leader in pit stop our sails, something we can
Busch’s Cup race struggles That’s when a ny- the time about the cable. development over the last build on.”
at Charlotte, saying “To tell lon rope supporting a “That’s how hard it felt. ... It 15 years and he showed Said Gibbs: “I’m telling you,
you the truth, I thought he Fox Sports overhead tele- did have an effect slowing last week he’s still a master we feel like Kyle can win
had won here.” vision camera fell from the my car down and I could at restarts. anywhere. Certainly this
He probably should have. grandstands and got tan- feel it like, ‘Whoa, that’s With three laps remaining year he’s really been in po-
But it seems things have gled up in his No. 18 Toyota. weird.’ I don’t know that in the All-Star race, Busch sition a bunch.”q
conspired against him showed his driving savvy

Van Garderen wins 18th stage,

Dumoulin keeps Giro lead

couple of years. seconds ahead of 2014 with 6 1/2 kilometers to go
He has had to abandon champion Nairo Quintana, and opened up a small
three of his past four grand with two-time champion gap but the Colombian
tours. Van Garderen, who Vincenzo Nibali third, 1:12 was once again reeled in
rides for BMC Racing, behind. Pinot is only 24 sec- by the rest of the title con-
came to the Giro hoping to onds off a podium place. tenders.
contest overall victory but “Nibali and Quintana are Dumoulin attacked sev-
lost valuable time early on. only focusing on me, and eral more times as he ap-
“It’s been a rough couple trying to make me lose in- peared to almost be toy-
Tejay van Garderen, of the United States, celebrates as he cross-
es the finish line to win the 18th stage of the Giro d’Italia, Tour of years in Grand Tours as stead of trying to win,” Du- ing with his rivals. The Team
of Italy cycling race, from Moena to Ortisei, Thursday, May 25, far as the general classifi- moulin said. “I really hope Sunweb cyclist’s grip on the
2017. cation goes, but I did my that riding like this they will overall lead looked strong
Associated Press best to keep the morale lose their podium spot in as he managed to control
ORTISEI, Italy (AP) — Tejay “(Landa) is a strong sprinter high,” he said. “It’s my first Milan, that would be really the race and deliver a psy-
van Garderen claimed his and a great climber,” Van Grand Tour victory, so it’s nice, and I would be really chological blow to Quin-
first grand tour victory on Garderen said. “I tried to an incredible feeling, es- happy.” tana and Nibali.
the tough 18th stage of play it as best I could, but I pecially in an area like this, Quintana and Nibali knew “In the last climb I was feel-
the Giro d’Italia as Tom Du- didn’t know I was going to that I’m so familiar with. stage 18 would be their ing strong. So I decided to
moulin kept the pink jersey win until I crossed the line.” I’ve done a lot of camps chance to close the gap to show them that I’m also
on Thursday. Thibaut Pinot was third, here, so I know every inch Dumoulin. It appeared as if awake,” Dumoulin added.
Van Garderen, of the Unit- eight seconds behind the of road. It feels incredible they would do when Quin- Friday’s 19th stage is a
ed States, came round the front two, after five cate- to get this victory.” tana attacked on the third tough 191-kilometer (119-
inside of the final corner to gorized climbs through the Dumoulin took another climb and Nibali followed mile) route from San Can-
edge Mikel Landa at the Dolomites. step toward overall victory him, but Dumoulin paced dido to Piancavallo with
uphill finish of the 137-kilo- Van Garderen was clearly with an impressive ride to himself back to them by another uphill finish.
meter (85-mile) leg from emotional after crossing hold off his main rivals. The the summit. The 100th Giro ends in Milan
Moeana to Ortisei. the line, following a difficult Dutch cyclist remained 31 Quintana attacked again on Sunday.q