Kyle Busch is about to check off a new achievement in his NASCAR career that features more than 200 wins across the national series. He will make his first-ever Truck Series start on a road course.
Busch, who has made 161 starts in the Truck Series dating back to 2001, will take over the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra for the March 26 XPEL 225 at Circuit of the Americas (1 p.m. ET, FS1). He will pursue a trip to Victory Lane after previously winning the inaugural Xfinity Series race at COTA in 2021.
“I guess it’s kind of crazy to think that I’ve made 161 starts in the Truck Series and this will be my first on a road course,” Busch said in a release from KBM. “Back when I was running more races in the Truck Series in the late 2000s and early 2010’s there wasn’t any road courses on the schedule and the ones that were on the schedule were typically stand alones.
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“When the schedule came out last year, I had COTA and Watkins Glen on my wish list at first glance, but Cup Series drivers weren’t eligible for either of those two, so I’m glad that it worked out this year where not only will I be racing this weekend at COTA, but Sonoma in June is also on my truck schedule. Hopefully, we can check off another box and get a win on a road course in all three series.”
KBM Has Not Achieved Much Success at Road Courses
GettyErik Jones (left) is the only KBM driver to win at a road course.
Busch will mark off a career achievement when he makes his first road course start, but he will also have the opportunity to secure another for his Truck Series organization. KBM has 92 wins dating back to 2010, but only one has taken place at a road course.
Erik Jones, who currently drives for Petty GMS Motorsports in the Cup Series, is the only person to achieve this goal. He took the No. 4 Toyota to Victory Lane at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ont., after leading 19 of the 64 laps. Jones won a total of three races during the 2015 season and captured the championship trophy.
Three Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers took on Circuit of the Americas during the inaugural race on May 22, 2021. John Hunter Nemechek posted the best finish (12th) in the No. 4 Toyota while Parker Chase finished 18th in the No. 51. Chandler Smith, the 2021 Rookie of the Year, rounded out the group by finishing 33rd in the No. 18.
Busch Has Statistically Strong Numbers in the Truck Series
GettyKyle Busch celebrates a win in Mexico City.
The driver of the No. 51, who will debut a new Safelite scheme at COTA, has no shortage of success in the Truck Series despite having no road course starts. He has 61 wins in 161 starts (37.9%) and 108 top-five finishes (67%). This run includes the 2021 season when Busch won twice and finished second in his other three starts.
Along with his success in the Truck Series, Busch has also several wins on the various road courses. This includes four trips to Victory Lane in the Cup Series split between Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen. He also has 15 top-five finishes.
Interestingly enough, Busch also has four trips to Victory Lane at road courses in the Xfinity Series. He won at Watkins Glen International, Circuit of the Americas, Road America, and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, and Juan Pablo Montoya are the only other drivers to win an Xfinity Series race at the Mexico City track.
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Kyle Busch Will Set a Career Milestone at Next Race