Leffler Scores First Busch Win For Toyota

Jason Leffler drove Toyota to victory lane for the first time in the NASCAR Busch Series after a nail-biting finish at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Fellow Toyota drivers David Reutimann and Mike Bliss gave the manufacturer a top 10 trifecta with their 3rd and 9th place finishes.

I've never been a huge fan of Leffler or the #38 team, but I was ecstatic about their win today, which makes for five top 5s and eight top 10s on the season. That team has struggled for the past several years--they lost Kasey Kahne to Evernham Motorsports, Shane Hmiel to drugs and several cars to the wall, many of them put there by Anthony Foyt IV. Speaking of Hmiel, he holds the record at ORP for most laps led by a non-winner (153).

What made Leffler's win even more exciting is that he is only the second non-Cup driver to win a Busch race this season (not counting Aric Almirola). But any race fan who skips Busch races thinking they aren't worth watching because of the Buschwhacking missed out on some fantastic racing today.

Most of the Nextel Cup drivers missed Busch qualifying due to the Cup qualifying schedule change so they started at the back--three of them fought their way to the front and had top 10 finishes.

After a late race restart, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle battled for the lead for several laps. Leffler was in the seventh position with 37 laps to go and picked 'em off one while Biffle bounced off the wall a few times and Edwards took the lead for a lap before he started sliding backwards.

Reutimann was up in the mix, too, and unhappy with the way Leffler raced him, but in the end he congratulated Leffler, who shuffled past them all to take 2nd and finally overtook Biffle with just two laps to go and drove away with the win.

ESPN kept cutting back to the members of the pit crew who were all jumping up and down with excitement and then Leffler's very pregnant wife, Alison, came to plant a big wet one on him in victory lane. I'm pretty sure the crew chief was a little choked up during his post-race interview. All-in-all it was fantastically joyous and cheesy as winning sports moments go.

More notes
The #77 front tire carrier has a cut huge gash across the bridge of his nose and a broken toe after a frightening hit 'n' run accident on pit road with the #25 of Richard Johns.

Brad Keselowski scored his first top 10 finish in 23 series starts, his third for JR motorsports. They reported during the broadcast that Keselowski will finish the season in the #88 NAVY Chevrolet.

Kroger 200 benefiting Riley Hospital for Children Results | Busch Standings