Truck Series Drivers Raise the Roof at Atlanta

In A Nutshell

For the first time in 15 years, Kyle Busch won a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race driving for a team that wasn’t his own.

Busch won the Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in his first trucks start after selling his beloved Kyle Busch Motorsports Truck Series team to Spire Motorsports. Coincidentally, his win came in his first of five starts with Spire – meaning he essentially drove one of his old trucks to victory.

Busch’s win is also the first in a truck at a drafting track since his 2014 win at Daytona International Speedway. For Spire, it’s the team’s third career Truck Series win and first by a non-Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series driver. William Byron won at Martinsville Speedway in 2022, while Kyle Larson took North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2023.

Ty Majeski finished second, followed by a pair of TRICON Garage teammates, Corey Heim and Taylor Gray. Daytona winner Nick Sanchez rounded out the top five.

The Top Truckers at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Winner, Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Busch
Polesitter: Daniel Dye
Stage 1 Winner: Christian Eckes
Most Laps Led (46 of 135 laps): Tyler Ankrum
Rookie of the Race: Layne Riggs

Top Storylines of the Race

• Only 33 trucks entered the race, the lowest for the series since 2020. However, of those 33, only three drivers failed to finish.
• Only Majeski broke up a potential top-four sweep for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, as MHR qualified first, second, fourth, and fifth. Majeski’s third-place qualifying effort split up MHR’s trucks.
• Sanchez’s fifth-place finish comes amid a recent lawsuit filed by Busch and KBM against Sanchez’s team Rev Racing over missed payments concerning their partnership in 2023. Rev’s trucks were housed in KBM’s shop and the two had a technical alliance – both things remained true through the sale, as now Rev has the same deal with Spire. The lawsuit didn’t seem to hinder Busch or Sanchez based on their Atlanta performances.
• Despite winning stage one, Christian Eckes failed to finish the race after encountering a brake issue. Eckes first reported the issue around lap 20 and his day ended on lap 50.
• Tyler Ankrum again had a fantastic race, his second straight with his new team in MHR. Unfortunately, Ankrum was shuffled out by the pack and never returned to the front, finishing seventh. The finish is disappointing, considering the circumstances, but it has to give Ankrum a stroke of confidence that he probably hasn’t had in…