Joe Gibbs Driven

It was Busch’s series-high sixth win of the season, the 10th of his career and his first at Daytona.

“Man, I can’t believe that we’re here right now,” Busch said. “We didn’t have the best car tonight, but these guys never gave up and we never gave up out there on the race track. We just had to get up to the front, and luckily we were leading there when it mattered the most when the caution came out. There was just a ton of wrecks behind us. I hate it for all of those guys in torn up equipment. I’m glad to have this Interstate Batteries Toyota up front.”

Busch and his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate Denny Hamlin made contact on lap 83, causing Busch to nearly lose control of his Interstate Batteries Toyota. But Busch – in a masterful piece of driving – kept control of his car by going to the apron of the race track as the pack of cars behind him screamed past.

“When I got hit from Denny and I pulled out of line to try to pass, the air pinned the nose and it just got me squirrely down the straightaway,” Busch said. “And there was really no rear grip in the tires while I was going straight for whatever reason. So just had to slow it down and get it straight and rode the apron there. Then I think when I rode the apron, Steve (Addington, crew chief) mentioned it, that I must have peeled the tires pretty bad because they were so hot that when I got going for the next couple laps, it just felt like the steering wheel had a lot of play in it. But I think the tires were just so hot that they weren’t reacting. They were just sliding on the surface of the race track. Just had to let them cool down a little bit and get everything back together to get back going.”

After recovering from the minor incident, Busch worked his way from 37th to the front of the field and managed to pass Jeff Gordon for the lead on lap 156 just before a multi-car accident in turn three caused NASCAR officials to extend the race two laps beyond the original 160-lap distance.

“The Roush cars behind us were really strong and when they got tied up together they were really working well as teammates,” Busch said. “I think it was the ‘17’ (Matt Kenseth) there who had a great run on the outside. And I went up to block it down the frontstretch and pulled back down into turn one and two, and because he got to my quarterpanel, and Jeff and I were down on the bottom going down the backstretch, Jeff pulled up to block the ‘17’ and he did, but then he couldn’t come back down soon enough.

“You just can’t maneuver these cars as well as you could the old car. He (Gordon) couldn’t turn from the top lane down to the bottom lane in time to block my run, so he was stuck where he was at. Then the caution came out when I got my nose it front of him or got my car in front of him. I don’t remember how soon it was, but we got a break there when we were able to lead that restart.”

When the race restarted on lap 161, Busch pulled away, while Gordon and Carl Edwards made contact while battling for second. Gordon spun to the inside of the track, while Edwards continued his pursuit of Busch.

“I knew it was the green-white-checkered, and yeah, I did see the ‘24’ (Gordon) go around,” Busch said. “And I was kind of waiting for the caution and the caution never came. I just kept my foot in it, and I was like, ‘All right, I guess we’re going to be racing.’ I just kept my foot in it and tried to beat (Edwards) and finish the race up front.”

Busch was just ahead of Edwards when the caution came out again for a multi-car accident in turn one on lap 162. Busch was declared the winner by NASCAR officials, as it was determined his car was in the lead when the caution came out.

The victory was the first for Interstate Batteries as a primary sponsor in the Sprint Cup Series since Bobby Labonte won at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November 2003.

“I’m happy to win for Norm Miller and all the Interstate Batteries dealers and distributors,” Busch said. “I’m so excited to bring this green car back to victory lane where it belongs.”

Interstate Batteries is the founding sponsor of Joe Gibbs Racing and was the first sponsor Joe and J.D. Gibbs signed for the team in late 1991.

“This one means a lot for Interstate Batteries and Norm Miller and the guys out of Dallas. They have been with us from day one, and this is special for them,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR. “That’s a big deal and a testament to Steve (Addington) and Kyle and the team we have there and the fact that they are able to capitalize on opportunities. We had three good cars here, but Steve and those guys did a good job of just capitalizing and getting that victory, so that’s a blessing.”

Busch’s teammate, Tony Stewart, started the race, but was replaced on lap 72 by former JGR driver J.J. Yeley, who drove the car to a 20th-place finish. Stewart was feeling ill prior to the race and on lap 71 radioed crew chief Greg Zipadelli that he would need to be relieved by Yeley. After being treated in the infield medical center for flu-like symptoms, Stewart was released after the race.

Busch’s other teammate, Hamlin, finished 26th after being involved in two separate accidents in the second-half of the race.

Busch remains the lead JGR driver in the championship point race, and he continues to be the series’ point leader, extending his lead to 182 markers over second-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hamlin and Stewart occupy the seventh and 12th slots, respectively. Hamlin maintained his position, while Stewart dropped three spots. Hamlin is 446 points behind Busch, while Stewart sits 541 points arrears Busch.

Following Busch to the checkered flag under caution was Edwards, while Kenseth, Kurt Busch and David Ragan rounded out the top-five. Robby Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Earnhardt, Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were 11 caution periods for 33 laps, with five drivers failing to finish the 162-lap race, which was extended two laps past its scheduled distance due to a green-white-checkered finish.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the July 12 LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The race begins at 8 p.m. EDT with live, high-definition coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 6:30 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128.