TALLADEGA, Ala.
Kyle Busch used a generous bump from teammate Aric Almirola a few hundred yards from the finish line to win the NASCAR Camping World Trucks race at Talladega Superspeedway yesterday.
Busch and Almirola pulled wide behind leader Todd Bodine on the final lap and Almirola nudged Busch's No. 51 Billy Ballew Motorsports Toyota to the front. They overtook Bodine just before the finish line in fading daylight at the 2.66-mile oval.
The win was Busch's sixth in the Trucks series this season and his fourth in his past four starts.
Bodine, going for his fifth consecutive win in a restrictor-plate race, was third. Terry Cook was fourth, followed by David Starr.
Busch had endured tough luck in recent restrictor-plate stops, including a third-place finish at Talladega last year when Bodine bumped him out of the way on the final lap.
Busch didn't waste an opportunity to return the favor. Busch and Almirola tucked in behind Bodine on the final lap then waited until they emerged from the fourth turn to make their move. The two jumped to the outside and Almirola drilled Busch's rear fender, propelling them past Bodine in the final yards.
"It stinks sometimes when you have to push your teammate to victory, but hopefully Aric wanted to do it," Busch said.
Bodine said he considered jumping out in front of Busch in an effort to block him but didn't want to take any unnecessary risks, not wanting to duplicate Carl Edwards' wild ride on the final lap of the spring Cup race at Talladega.
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