By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer

SPARTA, Ky. - Rising NASCAR star Kyle Busch pulled a stunning last-to-first run here Saturday night, charging from the back of the field to win the Meijer 300 Busch series race.

Kyle Busch falls into the arms of his crew as he celebrates his victory in the Meijer 300. (Patrick Reddy photo)

Busch thrilled a Kentucky Speedway-record crowd of 72,312 with a late pass of leader Greg Biffle, taking the lead on lap 198 of 200. Those were the only laps Busch led all night, after starting from the rear in a backup car.

Busch, younger brother of Nextel Cup racer Kurt Busch, wrecked his primary car in Happy Hour practice Friday after qualifying in the No. 2 position. With a backup car and new engine, NASCAR rules sent him to the back for the start of Saturday's race.

"I made a stupid move and wrecked our car Friday in practice," Busch said. "I wasn't sure we had a chance to get to Victory Lane tonight, but we were able to chase everyone down."

The crowd - which topped the previous Kentucky Speedway high of 71,299 for the 2002 Busch race - roared approval as the 19-year-old Busch spun a victory doughnut on the front stretch. The burnout sent clouds of white smoke billowing over the grandstands.

Two-time Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip, a native of Owensboro, Ky., was the top attraction for the standing-room-only crowd. But Waltrip was not a big factor and finished 14th.

The race marked the first time more than two drivers from NASCAR's premier series, Nextel Cup, have competed in Kentucky's Busch field in the race's four years here.

Cup regulars Waltrip, Biffle, Robby Gordon (finished 12th) and Kasey Kahne (17th) all were in the field and will pull the weekend "double," racing at Michigan in today's Cup race.

Busch, a Las Vegas native who skipped his high school prom to race (and win) a Kentucky Speedway ARCA event last year, outshone them all. He also has the right equipment as part of the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports team, best known for Nextel star Jeff Gordon.

"We came up through the field and were feeling really good about it," Busch said. "We didn't start real good, but we picked them off one by one and got to the front."

It was the third win of the year for Busch, who before Saturday stood second in the series points race. Busch won $99,405 of the Kentucky Speedway-record purse of $1.297 million.

"To be this successful this early in my career is awesome," Busch said.

Biffle was dominating the race in the final stages, leading polesitter Martin Truex Jr. by a hefty 6.0 seconds as the race entered its final 20 laps.

But, Biffle then was penalized for entering pit road too quickly with 18 laps left, leaving the outcome in doubt. Busch eventually took advantage via a caution and some pit stop shuffling, and in the final few laps he was not challenged.

"It looked like Kyle Busch was shot out of a rocket," MRN radio announcer Eli Gold told his audience.

Busch mentioned having four fresh tires after his last pit stop compared to Biffle, who was on two fresh tires at the end.

Biffle, who was miffed at his speeding penalty, did regain the lead on Lap 185 when everyone pitted on a caution and he stayed out. But that eventually cost him.

"I would have come in and put tires on it, but they had my hands tied because they gave me a speeding ticket," Biffle said. "I couldn't come in and put two tires on because I would have been in the back. I had to stay out for track position."

Busch, on the four new tires, was able to pass Biffle rather easily on the decisive Lap 198.

Biffle, who won the speedway's grand-opening NASCAR Craftsman Truck race in June 2000, finished second in two previous Busch appearances at Kentucky in 2001 and 2002.

Bobby Hamilton Jr., who won the 2003 Kentucky Busch race, led most of the early stages Saturday before experiencing car trouble.

Hamilton's car reportedly started running loose, and he drifted to third place as the race entered its last laps. Then, Hamilton pulled into the pits with 18 laps to go with smoke under the hood, and his crew pushed his car to the garage. He finished 28th.

It was Kentucky's fourth annual Busch event, part of NASCAR's No. 2 national stock car circuit. About a dozen other former Nextel regulars also competed Saturday, including Johnny Benson, Kenny Wallace, Mike Wallace, Robert Pressley, Jason Leffler and Casey Atwood.

There was a spectacular crash on Lap 10, when rookie Blake Feese hit the Turn 2 wall and his car caught fire. Orange flames streaked across the track as fuel spilled from Feese's car, but the driver walked away unharmed.

An even worse accident happened to NASCAR veteran Buckshot Jones on Lap 71.

Jones, a former Winston/Nextel Cup regular, tangled with Travis Geisler in almost the same spot Feese wrecked in Turn 2. Jones' car smacked the wall and burst into flames.

After a few agonizing moments, Jones staggered out of his burning car and collapsed face-first in the infield grass. He quickly was revived and walked to an ambulance with safety workers.---

Email tgroeschen@enquirer.com