Elliott ends Busch's Truck Series dominance

Chase Elliott held off Kyle Busch for the final 20 laps to win the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Tuesday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., in the first NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race since the season resumed.

Elliott, representing GMS Racing, snapped Busch’s streak of seven straight wins in Truck Series appearances, a stretch that prompted a $100,000 bounty to be offered to any NASCAR Cup Series driver to beat Busch in a Truck Series race.

Kevin Harvick initially offered a $50,000 bounty, and Gander RV & Outdoors CEO Marcus Lemonis matched the money to make it $100,000. Harvick tweeted Tuesday that the money would go to a COVID-19-related charity in the name of the driver who topped Busch, citing the pandemic.

Elliott, 24, clipped Busch by 0.627 seconds to bag his third career win in the Truck Series. He started 26th.

Busch, 35, started 16th. He was seeking his 58th career Truck Series victory.

Zane Smith came in third place, Brett Moffitt fourth and Sheldon Creed fifth.

The last Truck Series race had been Feb. 21 in Las Vegas, before the season was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic. Busch led 108 of 134 laps in winning that event.

–Field Level Media