No Gibbs driver has ever been as successful as Kyle Busch, and there’s still a few more weeks left for him to add to those impressive numbers.
In the Cup Series, 56 of the team’s 198 Cup Series victories are courtesy of Busch. He also won the Cup title in both 2015 and 2019.
And that’s even without mentioning his incredible NASCAR Xfinity Series record. So with the news of his imminent departure, it’s time to take a look back on some of Busch’s biggest moments with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Busch signed with JGR for the 2008 season after three years full-time with Hendrick Motorsports. He joined a lineup that included Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin at the time, and it didn’t take long for them to find Victory Lane…
Kyle Busch
Photo by: John Dunagan – Fastlines
In just his fourth start with the team, Busch won at Atlanta Motor Speedway after leading 173 of 325 laps. The victory was also the first for Toyota at the Cup level.
Victory lane: race winner Kyle Busch with Joe Gibbs
Photo by: Motorsport.com / ASP Inc.
But it’s also worth mentioning that his first win with the now iconic No. 18 M&Ms machine came a few races later at Talladega. He would win a total of eight races in that first season with JGR, a personal record he only matched one other time in his career. The decision by M&M’s parent company, Mars Inc., to end their sponsorship deal after 2022 became the main catalyst for Busch’s move elsewhere.
Race winner Kyle Busch celebrates
Photo by: Motorsport.com / ASP Inc.
His time with JGR wasn’t just about winning. No, there was another side to the success. ‘Rowdy’ Busch as would later be called had a run-in with NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver in an event still talked about to this day. The contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr. as they battled for the win solidified him as the villain in the eyes of many fans, but he became an anti-hero to others. It’s a role he didn’t particularly shy away from.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch on a restart
Photo by: Motorsport.com / ASP Inc.
Busch entered the 2008 playoffs as the title favorite, but suddenly, the magic of the regular season was gone. He began the postseason with a 30-point advantage over the competition, but it quickly evaporated with finishes of 15th or worse in five of the first six races. After winning eight of the first 26 races, he never placed higher than fourth in any of the final ten. Busch ended up tenth in the 12-driver playoff standings, a disappointing end to what…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Motorsport.com – NASCAR – Stories…