Kyle Busch hits 100 at New England 200

Kyle Busch led only 33 laps in today's New England 200, but they were the final 33 and as the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota No. 18 crossed the line to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Loudon, N.H., he entered the NASCAR record books.

Not only was it his 100th NASCAR-sanctioned victory (22 in the Sprint Cup Series, 49 in the Nationwide Series and 29 in the Camping World Truck Series), his sixth Nationwide win of the season drew him level with Mark Martin as most prolific victor in NASCAR's second tier. Hendrick Motorsports driver Martin was there to greet the 26-year-old phenom in Victory Lane.

While Busch was near the head of the pack for most of the day, Kevin Harvick, Trevor Bayne and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. looked like the prime candidates for the win for much of the race. Stenhouse's Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang wrested the lead from polesitter Brad Keselowski (Penske Racing Dodge Challenger) on Lap 152 and had it run green to the end, he may have had the win in the bag. However, in the final quarter of the race, a fairly well disciplined race descended into a bump-n-run bonanza, and the caution flags were flying frequently. On lap 167, debris on the front straight brought out the yellows, and when Busch passed Stenhouse for the lead on lap 173, he was never headed.

When Steve Wallace turned Joey Logano's JGR Toyota into Bayne's Ford and caught Reed Sorenson's Toyota in the aftershock, a lap 190 restart gave Busch's pursuers a do-over. It wouldn't be the last. A ninth caution flew on lap 197 for a multi-car pile-up, and there were worries in the JGR camp over the 18's fuel situation. But despite Harvick's best efforts, he was unable to wrest the lead from Busch on the restart, and at the checkers on lap 20, the KHI Chevrolet Impala was 0.3sec behind.

By staying largely out of trouble, the JR Motorsports team saw Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola bring its Chevys  home in third and fifth, split by Stenhouse. Despite a spin and despite his car looking a handful for much of the day, reigning NNS champion Keselowski finished eighth, while championship leader Elliott Sadler's 12th place was enough to keep him ahead of the unfortunate Sorenson who trailed in 15th.