Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch heads to Kansas Speedway for a September 11 race after leading 155 laps at Darlington Raceway. This took him to 18,905 laps led in his Cup Series career, which provided him with an opportunity to overtake Jimmie Johnson.
The two championship-winning drivers are only separated by 36 laps on the all-time laps-led leaderboard. Johnson ended his career with 18,941 over 686 races. Busch is at 18,905 laps led over 633 Cup Series races. Now the two-time champ will have an opportunity to take the lead at a track where he has previous success.
“It’s been a great racetrack for us, lately,” Busch said in a release. “We’ve had some good runs there once the track aged. We’ve kind of seemed to maybe have figured out the place a little bit better. And, you know, we’re looking forward to the opportunity of being able to go out there and hopefully get ourselves a win with our M&M’S Camry.”
The Numbers Set Up a Significant Day for Busch
GettyKyle Busch celebrates a win at Kansas Speedway.
Busch has made 29 starts at Kansas Speedway in his Cup Series career. He struggled early in his career with only two top-10 finishes between 2004 and 2013. However, the team took a new approach in 2014, which helped Busch turn a corner.
The driver of the No. 18 has since added 12 more top-10 finishes to his total along with all 10 of his top-fives. Busch also reached Victory Lane twice at the track — once in 2016 and once in 2021.
Busch has led more than the required 36 laps during five trips to Kansas Speedway. This run includes 64 in 2006, 69 in 2016, 59 in 2017, 112 in the second 2017 race, and 52 in 2020. Now he will try to add more during the return to the intermediate track.
If Busch can lead 36 laps, he will tie Johnson on the all-time list. 37 laps led will help him take over sole possession of the ninth spot on the all-time list. He will then be just over 1,000 laps led behind Rusty Wallace.
Oddsmakers Predict a Strong Performance by Busch
GettyKyle Busch celebrates a win during the 2021 Cup Series season.
There is no guarantee that Busch will jump to the front of the 36-car field and lead the required number of laps to pass Johnson. However, his third-place finish in May and the overall strength of the Toyotas indicate that he will accomplish this task.
According to OddsChecker, Busch will be one of the co-favorites to win. He enters the weekend in a tie with teammate Denny Hamlin for the best odds at +600. They are just ahead of Kyle Larson (+800), Martin Truex Jr. (+900), Chase Elliott (+900), Ross Chastain (+1,200), and Tyler Reddick (+1,200).
Of course, the Cup Series could also see another new winner. The 2022 season has already featured 17 drivers making trips to Victory Lane in the first 27 races. This includes Erik Jones, who won his first race since the 2019 season and his second Southern 500.
According to oddsmakers, Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace could be the next in line. The Team Penske driver enters the weekend at +1,500 while the 23XI Racing driver is just behind him at +2,000. This puts Wallace ahead of several playoff drivers. Additionally, Ty Gibbs has favorable odds at +3,500.
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Kyle Busch Can Pass Jimmie Johnson on All-Time List at Kansas