OMNISPORT

Kyle Busch had to back off the throttle in the late stages at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, but he had just enough fuel to grab his first victory of 2019.

Busch, who led a race-high 177 laps, passed Ryan Blaney with just over a dozen laps remaining for the winning move at the TicketGuardian 500.

While Busch had to conserve fuel in the closing laps, he was able to hold off a hard-charging Martin Truex Jr., who finished second.

"I knew going back that we were going to be right on the verge on fuel," Busch told Fox Sports after the race.

Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.

Busch, who won Saturday's Xfinity Series event at ISM Raceway, now has 52 career NASCAR Cup victories.

He also has 199 career wins in NASCAR's top three series, and his next win is sure to spark comparisons to the great Richard Petty, who won 200 career races in NASCAR's elite Cup series.

Busch said he was not thinking about that milestone.

"That's not for me to worry about, it's for everyone else to discuss and talk about," Busch said.

Blaney, who sat on the pole for the Phoenix race, led 94 laps and won the first stage.

Busch won the second stage before claiming the win.