The bounty was set back in February, but unfortunately, it took over three months for us to see it through. Following Kyle Busch’s dominating Truck Series win back on Feb. 21 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Kevin Harvick and Marcus Lemonis put up $50k each for any Cup Series regular to beat Kyle Busch head-to-head in a Truck Series Race.

See, people were complaining then about Busch winning in this series. So, Harvick decided to do something about it.

Chase Elliott, John Hunter Nemechek and Brennan Poole took them up on the offer for Tuesday nights North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. But, it wasn’t going to be easy. Busch, had won seven straight Truck Series races. No one has scored as many victories in the history of this series than Busch. In his last 12 Truck starts, he’s finished either first or second in 11 of them. His last loss came in this race in 2018, a span is 668 days ago. The last full time Cup driver to beat Busch? Austin Dillon in 2015.

Elliott, who was making his first Truck Series start since 2017, won outright. The Georgia native defeated Busch to win the Trucks Series race at Charlotte and capture the $100,000 bounty. He can donate that money to a Covid-19 charity of his choice.

“It was a lot of fun,” Elliott said of his win. “It’d been a long time. It doesn’t make up for Sunday (finished second in the Coca-Cola 600) but it was still a really good night. I’m glad to win and do some good for the relief efforts for this virus.”

It was Elliott’s first win since his last Trucks Series race in 2017 and third of his career. In fact, he’s never raced a Truck at the Charlotte Motor Speedway before and here he is in victory lane.

Elliott, led a race-high 47 of 134 laps in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 and makes up for two heartbreaking Cup finishes since last Wednesday, one of those being at the hands of Busch. That’s why people are wondering why he did Busch’s trademark bow after the win.

“It was a spur of the moment thing. … It’s not a dig at anybody,” Elliott said. “Just having fun with it.

“Hopefully no one gets their feelings hurt over it. But if they do, they do. Whatever.”

Elliott, won Stage 2 and took over the lead for good on Lap 111 and never looked back.

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Busch, settled for second in his No. 51 Toyota. It was his third runner-up in the series since 2017. It was also his 10th straight top two finish in a Truck race at Charlotte and his 12th in 14 tries.

The Las Vegas native has an interesting night. He struggled early with his Toyota being too low, then too high. Then, he had a flat tire, then a vibration. Finally, he stayed out of the pits on Lap 80 when everyone else but two drivers came down pit road. He’d have one more stop, with everyone else good to go until the end.

That didn’t stop Busch though. He pit for the final time with 37 to go. He’d restart 23rd. In four green flag laps, he was up to 5th. He made his way up to second with 20 to go and set his sights on chasing down Elliott. While Elliott said his Truck turned tight at the end, Busch used too much of his tires and faded. Busch, passed 81 cars on Tuesday night but the 82nd one eluded him.

Busch gave Elliott all he could handle in the last 15 laps, drawing closer seemingly on every lap, but ultimately couldn’t catch Elliott before the finish line.

“He was a little better than I was there at the end; I had gotten a little tight and I don’t think we adjusted enough on the last pit stop,” Elliott said of Busch. “Luckily, the the right front stayed on it long enough to get to the end.

“To be able to come out and out-run him and him finish second, I’d rather have him finish second than wreck or something, so I feel like I did something right.”

Rookie Zane Smith finished third in his No. 21 Chevrolet, while Brett Moffitt and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top five to help GMS Racing put four Trucks in the top five. Nemechek, would bring his No. 8 Ford home sixth.

North Carolina Education Lottery 200 Results

1. 24 Elliott

2. 51 Busch

3. 21 Smith R

4. 23 Moffitt

5. 2 Creed

6. 8 Nemechek

7. 13 Sauter

8. 45 Majeski R

9. 16 Hill

10. 99 Rhodes

11. 42 Chastain

12. 98 Enfinger

13. 26 Ankrum

14. 18 Eckes R

15. 4 Lessard R

16. 19 Kraus R

17. 02 Fogleman R

18. 9 Rohrbaugh

19. 22 Self

20. 15 Gray R

21. 97 Little

22. 56 THill

23. 00 Ruch -1

24. 7 Forrister -1

25. 20 Boyd -1

26. 10 Cobb -1

27. 44 Decker -2

28. 49 Currey -2

29. 68 Greenfield -4

30. 52 Friesen -4

31. 3 Anderson -4

32. 04 Roper -5

33. 83 Bell -7

34. 28 Dauzat -14

35. 88 Crafton -27

36. 40 Smithley OUT

37. 38 Gilliland OUT

38. 30 Poole OUT

39. 33 Iwuji OUT

40. 11 Davis R OUR