Martin Truex Jr. Scores the Strike in Go Bowling 400 at Kansas [VIDEO, PHOTOS]

Posted on May 15, 2017

Martin Truex Jr. grabbed his second win of the 2017 NASCAR season Saturday night (5/13) at Kansas Speedway while Aric Almirola was involved in an accident that required him to be airlifted from the track.

The Go Bowling 400 began in the daytime on Saturday with the drivers and teams dealing with a hot, slick racing surface and progressed into the night with the track cooling and getting better grip for the drivers.

The track provided enough of a challenge for the drivers that the 267 lap race tied the record for the most caution periods in a NASCAR race for the top division at Kansas Speedway. The 2017 Go Bowling 400 had a total of 15 yellow flags issued. The most dramatic was the accident on lap 199.

Joey Logano had a mechanical issue sending his car into Danica Patrick’s car and causing a spectacular crash that Aric Almirola was unable to avoid. The race was put under the red flag for nearly 28 minutes as safety crews extracted a conscious Aric Almirola from his car. He was airlifted to a local hospital to be checked out. It was later revealed that Aric suffered a compression fracture to his T5 vertebra. Of course our thoughts and prayers are with him to have a complete and speedy recovery.

When the Go Bowling 400 got back under way it appeared that the race would come down to a few cars to beat including pole sitter Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. who had both been running right up front most of the day. As the laps wound down to the end of the race it was Martin Truex Jr. that got his car out front and was able to keep it there for the final 19 laps of the race to claim his second victory of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.

Brad Keselowski finished the race in second place with Kevin Harvick coming on strong at the end to finish in third place. Pole sitter Ryan Blaney was able to come across the line for a fourth place finish while the winner of this race last year Kyle Busch rounded out the top five. See the complete race results for the Go Bowling 400 here.

Following the Kansas race the top four spots in the point standings remain the same with Kyle Larson at number one followed by Martin Trues Jr., Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott in second through fourth places respectively. Jamie McMurray moves up to the fifth place in the standings after the Go Bowling 400. See the complete Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series point standings here.

Watch a recap video of the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway at the top of the page and check out photos of the race at the bottom of the page.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers get a break this week from racing for points as they battle to win one million dollars in the 2017 All-Star Race Saturday night, May 20th at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

By: Buck Stevens

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2017 Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway

KANSAS CITY, KS - MAY 13: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, and Joey Logano, driver of the #22 AAA Insurance Ford, lead the field to green during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 13, 2017 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, KS - MAY 13: Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, and Joey Logano, driver of the #22 AAA Insurance Ford, lead the field to green during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 13, 2017 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

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