NASCAR New Hampshire 2017 results: Kyle Busch wins ISM Connect 300, plus full finishing order

Kyle Busch takes third win of the season and advances to second round of Cup Series playoffs.

Taking advantage of Martin Truex Jr.’s misfortune, Kyle Busch capitalized at the ISM Connect 300 Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, locking himself into the second round of the Monster Energy Cup Series playoffs.

A dominant Truex was leading when he was swept into a multi-car accident on the final lap of the second stage. Busch, who drove thru the smoke and narrowly avoided being collected in the incident that knocked title-contenders Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch out of the race, then moved into the lead and was never seriously challenged in winning for the third time this season.

“All in all a great day,” Kyle Busch said. “This thing was awesome. We ran upfront all day long. We executed, we did a good job, we did what we were supposed to do.”

Kyle Larson finished second, with Matt Kenseth third, and Brad Keselowski fourth. Truex, who led 109 laps before the accident, rallied to finish fifth. Rookie Erik Jones, Clint Bowyer, rookie Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano completed the top 10.

The accident involving Truex, Harvick and Kurt Busch was triggered when Austin Dillon tapped Harvick’s rear bumper off Turn 2. The contact sent Harvick spinning down the backstretch with a large cloud of smoke impeding the vision of those behind him, which prevented Busch from seeing Harvick’s prone car. Busch slammed into his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, significantly damaging both cars.

Truex became involved when he tried to slow down, only to be struck from behind. Also involved were Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeffrey Earnhardt, Denny Hamlin, and Danica Patrick.

The accident was especially crippling for Busch, who’s among the 16 drivers competing in the Cup playoffs. He fell 17 points behind Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the last driver above the cut line, entering next week’s Round 1 elimination race where the lowest four drivers in points without a win are dropped. Busch essentially needs to win at Dover International Speedway to advance.

“It’s all-in,” Busch said. “We’ll go there with everything we’ve got like we have been.”

Kyle Busch and Truex, who won the playoff opener last week at Chicagoland Speedway, are guaranteed to advance to the second round on the strength of their victories. Larson and Keselowski clinched their spots on Sunday via their points ranking.

“Obviously, you want to win,” Larson said. “And, second is the first loser. But, second is also not bad; especially when you get to the playoffs. Winning is very important, but also consistency is just as important. We got a fifth last week and a second today with even better stage points, so that was pretty much the day that we needed.”