MARTINSVILLE, Virginia -- Kyle Busch won the First Data 500 at Martinsville Speedway, edging Martin Truex Jr. in an overtime finish as a large multi-car wreck unfolded at the start-finish line.
Busch passed teammate Denny Hamlin as they took the white flag and pulled ahead of Truex coming to the checkered flag.
The win, Busch’s fifth of the year and the second of his career at Martinsville, clinches Busch a spot in the championship race. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver led a race-high 184 laps in the 505-lap race.
“Awesome to get to victory lane here at Martinsville,” Busch told NBCSN. “You know, I wanted to win Charlotte, Martinsville and Homestead and that’ll make us this year’s champions, so we’ve got one more.
“Just wanted to say our guys did an awesome job preparing this car. We weren’t the best all day, but we put ourselves in the right spots there at the end and there was kind of chaos ensuing and none of it was our fault, we just came out on the right end of the stick.”
The top five were Busch, Truex, Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick.
The final shootout was set up when Hamlin got into the back of race leader Chase Elliott with two laps to go in the original distance, turning the No. 24 and sending it into the Turn 4 wall. Elliott led 123 laps before the accident. He finished 27th.
The wreck at the start-finish line started when Hamlin and Ryan Blaney made contact exiting Turn 4 and began a chain reaction.
During the cool down laps, Elliott forced Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota toward the outside wall. After exiting their cars, Elliott and Hamlin had a heated exchange.
STAGE 1 WINNER: Brad Keselowski
STAGE 2 WINNER: Brad Keselowski
WHO HAD A GOOD DAY: Despite the crash at the end of the race, Denny Hamlin finished seventh after bouncing back from a pit road penalty to begin Stage 2 ... Trevor Bayne finished sixth for his sixth top 10 of the year and his first at Martinsville ... Clint Bowyer earned his sixth top five of the year and his first since Watkins Glen ... Kevin Harvick earned his first top five at Martinsville since 2011.
WHO HAD A BAD DAY: AJ Allmendinger finished last. He was disqualified from the race after 94 laps for failing to get his car fixed under the five-minute clock. He was involved in an accident with Danica Patrick on Lap 87 … Kyle Larson finished 37th after being involved in a crash early in the final stage when he made contact with a lapped car exiting Turn 2. It was Larson’s second consecutive DNF. … Jamie McMurray placed 29th, two laps down after pitting twice in Stage 2 for a tire rub. … Jimmie Johnson finished 12th, placing outside the top 10 at Martinsville for the fifth time in seven starts ... Joey Logano finished 24th, a lap down after he spun with eight to go from losing a tire. His No. 22 Ford was damaged from contact with Kyle Busch.
NOTABLE: The race was the first Cup event at Martinsville to finish at night under the newly installed lights ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 11th in his last Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. ... Kyle Weatherman finished 35th in his Cup debut.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT: "(Denny Hamlin) came over and talked to me on the back straightaway and he said somebody was pushing him, but it wasn’t two car lengths between him and the next guy. So, my Momma always said if you don’t have anything nice, not to say anything at all. So, it’s not even worth my time. We’ll just go on to Texas.” - Chase Elliott
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT 2: “Bent fenders, hurt feelings. I love it.” - Kevin Harvick.
NEXT: AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway at 2 p.m. ET on Nov. 5 on NBC.