Kyle Busch snatched victory in the Fontana NASCAR Sprint Cup race as bitter foes Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin collided fighting for the lead on the last lap.
Former Joe Gibbs Racing team-mates Hamlin and Logano, the latter now at Penske, had become embroiled in a fierce row after a tangle at Bristol a week ago.
They then ended up head to head for victory at Fontana, beginning the final lap side by side, only to clash at Turn 3.
Logano slid into the outside wall while Hamlin made heavy head-on contact with the inside barrier. Hamlin got out of his car unaided but was clearly in discomfort and was taken from the scene by ambulance for further checks.
There was further drama to come post-race, as Logano was accosted in the pitlane by an enraged Tony Stewart, who he blocked at the final restart.
Busch and Logano had dominated most of the race, working their way back to the front whatever strategies others employed.
They appeared vulnerable at the last restart with 10 laps to go as most cars behind had just pitted for fresh tyres.
Hamlin was the fastest of that group, charging to the front to begin his fateful battle with Logano.
Busch swept around both as they banged doors, and his Gibbs Toyota was clearly ahead even before they spun.
Dale Earnhardt Jr recovered from a slow mid-race pitstop to finish second for Hendrick, claiming the points lead as Jimmie Johnson and an overheating Brad Keselowski could only manage 12th and 23rd respectively.
Kurt Busch fought for the lead several times and ended up third in his Furniture Row entry. He was one of several drivers who needed repairs early on after sliding into the wall on oil from Timmy Hill’s wilting Ford.
Roush Fenway duo Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle completed the top five, the latter despite starting at the back due to an engine change.
Logano’s mangled car slid across the line in sixth, just ahead of early leader Matt Kenseth.
Results – 200 laps:Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Kyle Busch Gibbs Toyota 2h57m19.000s
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Chevrolet + 1.261s
3. Kurt Busch Furniture Row Chevrolet + 2.475s
4. Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Ford + 2.600s
5. Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Ford + 2.759s
6. Joey Logano Penske Ford + 2.810s
7. Matt Kenseth Gibbs Toyota + 3.481s
8. Paul Menard Childress Chevrolet + 4.113s
9. Kasey Kahne Hendrick Chevrolet + 4.265s
10. Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Chevrolet + 4.505s
11. Jeff Gordon Hendrick Chevrolet + 4.941s
12. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Chevrolet + 5.274s
13. Kevin Harvick Childress Chevrolet + 5.819s
14. Aric Almirola Petty Ford + 5.912s
15. Casey Mears Germain Ford + 6.187s
16. AJ Allmendinger Phoenix Chevrolet + 6.579s
17. Jeff Burton Childress Chevrolet + 7.158s
18. Martin Truex Jr Waltrip Toyota + 8.314s
19. Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet + 8.995s
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr Roush Fenway Ford + 9.440s
21. Dave Blaney Baldwin Chevrolet + 14.476s
22. Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Chevrolet + 24.608s
23. Brad Keselowski Penske Ford + 27.944s
24. David Ragan Front Row Ford + 43.650s
25. Denny Hamlin Gibbs Toyota + 1 lap*
26. Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Chevrolet + 1 lap
27. JJ Yeley Baldwin Chevrolet + 1 lap
28. Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Toyota + 1 lap
29. David Gililland Front Row Ford + 2 laps
30. Landon Cassill Circle Sport Chevrolet + 6 laps
31. David Stremme Swan Toyota + 7 laps
32. Joe Nemechek NEMCO Toyota + 7 laps
33. David Reutimann BK Toyota + 8 laps*
34. Travis Kvapil BK Toyota + 12 laps
35. Clint Bowyer Waltrip Toyota + 16 laps*
36. Marcos Ambrose Petty Ford + 18 laps
37. Mark Martin Waltrip Toyota + 21 laps
38. Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet + 31 laps* Not running at finish
Retirements:
Timmy Hill FAS Lane Ford 108 laps
Josh Wise Front Row Ford 103 laps
Scott Riggs Xxxtreme Ford 66 laps
Michael McDowell Parsons Ford 60 laps
Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Toyota 44 laps
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/busch-wins-as-logano-hamlin-clash
James Christopher McMurray Casey James Mears Juan Pablo Montoya Joseph Francis Nemechek III Ryan Joseph Newman
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