BROOKLYN, Mich., Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Kurt Busch beat Martin Truex Jr. by about half a second Tuesday and won the rain-delayed 3M Performance 400 at the Michigan International Speedway.
It was Busch's second NASCAR victory of the season and 17th of his career. The win allowed Busch to claim a 163-point advantage over Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the final spot for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
The race has been scheduled for Sunday, but rains washed out racing Sunday and Monday. Even Tuesday's start was affected by weather, with a start under a yellow flag because of fog.
Busch led for a race-high 92 laps. But Truex was usually right behind. With a restart with seven laps to go, Truex passed Jimmie Johnson and took aim on Busch. But another driver's spinout with two laps to go played to Busch's strength and a good final start allowed him to hold Truex off by 0.496 seconds for the victory.
Johnson finished third while Matt Kenseth took fourth and Denny Hamlin fifth.
Week 24 of the NASCAR season comes quickly with the Sharpie 500 in Bristol, Tenn., set for Saturday night.
