Busch, with drafting help from Ty Majeski, made it to the front with six of 135 laps remaining just as race-leader Grant Enfinger fell off the pace with a flat tire.
From there, Busch went high and low to hold off Majeski by 0.187 seconds to earn his series-leading 65th career win.
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) February 24, 2024
Busch is running five Truck races with Spire this season after selling his Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck organization in the offseason.
“You’re relying on help, right? So, you got to have guys behind you that are willing to work with you and Majeski was that guy for me today,” Busch said.
“We had a bunch of Spire teammates that were good out there, too. I wanted to get us all on the bottom (lane) that time and we did, we drove right up to the front and I was going to try to pull both lanes but as soon as I pulled out to the front, the bottom went away.
“So, I was like, ‘Well, sorry.’ ”
Corey Heim ended up third, Taylor Gray was fourth and last weekend’s winner at Daytona, Nick Sanchez, rounded out the top five.
Completing the top 10 were Kaden Honeycutt, Tyler Ankrum, Rajah Caruth, Daniel Dye and Dean Thompson.
Stage 1
Christian Eckes grabbed the lead on restart from a caution then held off Ankrum by 0.194 seconds to take the Stages 1 win. Layne Riggs was third. Enfinger fourth and Majeski rounded out the top five.
Eckes, however, had brake issues on his No. 19 Chevrolet and missed his pit box during his stop during the stage break.
Stage 2
Busch claimed the Stage 2 win under caution when Jack Wood got wrecked on the last of the 30 laps. Ankrum was second and Enfinger was third.
Thad Moffitt, Riggs and Dye got together in Turn 3 on lap 49 which sent Moffitt in a big spin.
Trouble for Thad Moffitt in Atlanta! pic.twitter.com/W1my0SgeqY
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 24, 2024
During the caution, Eckes took his No. 19 truck to the garage and NASCAR asked the driver and crew chief to report to the hauler after the race to discuss their brake issue.
Stage 3
Following the break between Stages 2 and 3, most of the trucks elected to pit but Matt Mills remained on the track and in the lead on the restart with 69 laps to go.
NASCAR was forced to put the race under caution on lap 80 for a large piece of debris on the frontstretch. Just prior to that, Caruth was forced to pit road with a flat tire.
All the trucks hit pit road for new tires and fuel to make it to the finish of the race with Ankrum first off pit road. He led Heim and Busch when the race resumed on lap 86.
Another caution for a debris set up a restart with 36 laps to go and Ankrum still out front of Heim and Busch.
Thompson moved into the lead on the restart with help from Majeski before another caution for debris set up a restart with 31 laps remaining.
With 20 laps to go, Enfinger had taken control of the race but was followed closely by Busch and Majeski.
Ben Rhodes hit the Turn 3 wall with nine laps remaining but was able to make it to pit road as Enfinger continued to lead.
Enfinger fell off the pace due to a flat tire with six laps remaining as Busch moved into the lead with Majeski close behind him.
| CLA | DRIVER | # | MANUFACTURER | LAPS | TIME | INTERVAL | PITS | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | K. BuschSPIRE MOTORSPORTS | 7 | Chevrolet | 135 |
1:51'56.369 |
4 | |||
| 2 | T. MajeskiTHORSPORT RACING | 98 | Ford | 135 |
+0.187 1:51'56.556 |
0.187 | 6 | ||
| 3 |
C. HeimTRICON GARAGE
|
11 | Toyota | 135 |
+0.196 1:51'56.565 |
0.009 | 6 | ||
| 4 |
T. GrayTRICON GARAGE
|
17 | Toyota | 135 |
+0.273 1:51'56.642 |
0.077 | 6 | ||
| 5 |
N. SanchezREV RACING
|
2 | Chevrolet | 135 |
+0.649 1:51'57.018 |
0.376 | 6 | ||
| 6 |
K. HoneycuttNIECE MOTORSPORTS
|
45 | Chevrolet | 135 |
+0.892 1:51'57.261 |
0.243 | 7 | ||
| 7 | T. AnkrumMCANALLY HILGEMANN RACING | 18 | Chevrolet | 135 |
+0.896 1:51'57.265 |
0.004 | 5 | ||
| 8 |
R. CaruthSPIRE MOTORSPORTS
|
71 | Chevrolet | 135 |
+0.990 1:51'57.359 |
0.094 | 6 | ||
| 9 |
D. DyeMCANALLY HILGEMANN RACING
|
43 | Chevrolet | 135 |
+1.174 1:51'57.543 |
0.184 | 6 | ||
| 10 |
D. ThompsonTRICON GARAGE
|
5 | Toyota | 135 |
+2.983 1:51'59.352 |
1.809 | 7 | ||
| 11 |
B. HolmesBRET HOLMES RACING
|
32 | Chevrolet | 135 |
+5.503 1:52'01.872 |
2.520 | 9 | ||
| 12 |
A. LawlessREAUME BROTHERS RACING
|
33 | Ford | 135 |
+5.735 1:52'02.104 |
0.232 | 10 | ||
| 13 | M. CraftonTHORSPORT RACING | 88 | Ford | 135 |
+6.042 1:52'02.411 |
0.307 | 6 | ||
| 14 | T. DillonRACKLEY W.A.R. | 25 | Chevrolet | 135 |
+6.088 1:52'02.457 |
0.046 | 10 | ||
| 15 | C. PurdySPIRE MOTORSPORTS | 77 | Chevrolet | 135 |
+6.117 1:52'02.486 |
0.029 | 7 | ||
| 16 |
J. GarciaTHORSPORT RACING
|
13 | Ford | 135 |
+6.287 1:52'02.656 |
0.170 | 24 | ||
| 17 |
C. HowardTRICON GARAGE
|
1 | Toyota | 135 |
+6.335 1:52'02.704 |
0.048 | 9 | ||
| 18 | T. HillHILL MOTORSPORTS | 56 | Toyota | 135 |
+6.726 1:52'03.095 |
0.391 | 10 | ||
| 19 | T. GrayTRICON GARAGE | 15 | Toyota | 135 |
+6.945 1:52'03.314 |
0.219 | 7 | ||
| 20 |
M. MasseyYOUNG'S MOTORSPORTS
|
02 | Chevrolet | 135 |
+8.598 1:52'04.967 |
1.653 | 10 | ||
| 21 |
K. McGeeREAUME BROTHERS RACING
|
22 | Ford | 134 |
+1 Lap 1:52'12.514 |
1 Lap | 9 | ||
| 22 | S. BoydFREEDOM RACING ENTERPRISES | 76 | Chevrolet | 134 |
+1 Lap 1:52'13.842 |
1.328 | 9 | ||
| 23 | S. FriesenHALMAR FRIESEN RACING | 52 | Toyota | 133 |
+2 Laps 1:52'01.722 |
1 Lap | 8 | ||
| 24 |
L. RiggsFRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
|
38 | Ford | 133 |
+2 Laps 1:52'02.567 |
0.845 | 9 | ||
| 25 |
M. Maggio
|
21 | Ford | 133 |
+2 Laps 1:52'17.946 |
15.379 | 8 | 12 | |
| 26 | G. EnfingerCR7 MOTORSPORTS | 9 | Chevrolet | 133 |
+2 Laps 1:52'28.551 |
10.605 | 6 | ||
| 27 | T. MoffittFACTION MOTORSPORTS | 46 | Chevrolet | 132 |
+3 Laps 1:52'13.417 |
1 Lap | 9 | ||
| 28 | M. MillsNIECE MOTORSPORTS | 42 | Chevrolet | 132 |
+3 Laps 1:52'18.698 |
5.281 | 10 | ||
| 29 | B. RhodesTHORSPORT RACING | 99 | Ford | 130 |
+5 Laps 1:52'39.165 |
2 Laps | 11 | ||
| 30 |
C. JonesTHORSPORT RACING
|
66 | Ford | 129 |
+6 Laps 1:52'03.616 |
1 Lap | 11 | ||
| 31 | B. CurreyNIECE MOTORSPORTS | 41 | Chevrolet | 96 |
+39 Laps 1:23'49.706 |
33 Laps | 6 | ||
| 32 |
J. WoodMCANALLY HILGEMANN RACING
|
91 | Chevrolet | 57 |
+78 Laps 46'54.518 |
39 Laps | 5 | ||
| 33 | C. EckesMCANALLY HILGEMANN RACING | 19 | Chevrolet | 50 |
+85 Laps 41'18.882 |
7 Laps | 6 |
