With a few laps to go, it was Kyle Busch who managed to take the lead away from Stewart, with Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson also in contention for a race win. In the late stages of the race, Hamlin was unable to keep the pressure on the leading trio and settled for a 4th place performance, leaving teammate Busch all alone to fight for the win.
With the last corner of the race already behind, Stewart started his last attack on Busch, moving on the outside of the Joe Gibbs Racing driver for the lead. Busch soon reacted, trying to block the championship leader, but the contact between the two drivers sent the former into the barriers and out of the race.
In the end, it was Stewart from Johnson and Hamlin at the finish line, while Busch's car was violently hit by Kasey Kahne's Dodge to cause a major pile up on the final straight. Carl Edwards eventually finished 4th overall, while Kurt Busch completed the Top 5.
“I hate to see a crash like that and I don't like winning them this way but I don't think I did anything wrong there. I got beside him before he came up and you know, he did what he had to do. He had to protect his line and we did the best we could do there,” said Stewart in the victory lane.
Championship's second placed Jeff Gordon was involved in another major incident on Lap 77, caused by David Stremme's spinning down the stretch. He eventually finished the race in 28th place and is now 180 points behind Stewart in the Sprint Cup standings (with Johnson breathing down his neck, some 14 points behind).
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