Getty Kyle Busch celebrates a win at World Wide Technology Raceway.
It’s beginning to feel a lot like the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season. Kyle Busch now has three wins for the first time since his second championship run, and he has added another new trophy to his collection.
Rowdy achieved this goal during the odd race at World Wide Technology Raceway, an event that had three red flags, 11 cautions, four brake rotor malfunctions, and five lead changes. Busch started from the pole, and he led a race-high 121 laps while scoring his first stage win of the season.
RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE KYLE BUSCH ON HIS WIN AT WWT RACEWAY!
“Man, to sit on the pole, lead a lot of laps and have my guys do such a great job today was pretty phenomenal for us,” Busch said after climbing from the No. 8 Chevrolet. “Great for RCR. Just win, baby!”
Busch entered the race weekend at WWT Raceway with two wins to his name — one at Auto Club Speedway and one at Talladega Superspeedway. However, he only led 76 total laps in the first 14 races. He surpassed this number while stockpiling playoff points and setting himself up to move through the Round of 16.
Busch also became the first Richard Childress Racing driver since Kevin Harvick in 2013 to lead more than 100 laps. The Closer did so at Kansas Speedway in October 2013 after starting from the pole, and he ended the day in Victory Lane.
Busch Now Has 63 Cup Series Wins to His Name
GettyKyle Busch does a burnout at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Busch entered his first season with Richard Childress Racing with 60 Cup Series races to his name. He was in a tie with Kevin Harvick for the ninth-most wins in series history, but he had the goal of adding several more while bringing RCR back to championship form.
There are events where the two-car organization has struggled; Busch has specifically mentioned the short tracks as a pain point. However, he has been in contention at multiple others. This includes Circuit of the Americas where he finished second overall behind Tyler Reddick.
Hell yeah! Let’s hear it Rowdy Nation.
Busch hasn’t reached the level of dominance that he achieved in the first 14 races of the 2019 season. After all, he had four wins, eight top-five finishes, and 13 top-10s in this stretch. However, he has still added another win to his total.
Rowdy now has 11 seasons with at least three trips to Victory Lane. Based on the first 15 races of the season, it’s likely that he will add another to his resume in the coming weeks as he tries to make a return to the championship four.
Multiple Races Remain on Busch’s ‘To-Do List’
There are three more active tracks on the NASCAR schedule where Busch has yet to win in his Cup Series career — Nashville Superspeedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, and the Charlotte Roval.
Busch’s best finish in two starts at Nashville Superspeedway is 11th in 2021. He has completed both Cup Series races at the 1.33-mile track, but he has not contended for the win. Though he will have another opportunity on June 25 as the Ally 400 becomes a night race.
Like Nashville, Busch’s best finish at the Indianapolis road course is 11th in 2022. This event was full of on-track incidents as drivers entered Turn 1 far too aggressively, and it led to numerous spins and frustrated comments.
The Roval has been an interesting venue for Busch. He failed to finish the first two races and then he finished 30th overall in his third attempt. However, he has since secured consecutive top-four finishes on the road course.
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Kyle Busch Makes It Feel Like the 2019 NASCAR Season