Kyle Busch was all smiles with a pole position run at Gateway on Saturday. (Photo: Travis Haston | The Podium Finish)
MADISON, Ill. – After rallying to a top 10 finish in Monday evening’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, Kyle Busch is likely elated with his weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway with his pole position run on Saturday morning.
Earning his first Busch Light Pole Award since the penultimate race of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season at Phoenix Raceway, Busch has a No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry that is fast not just in qualifying trim, but race trim.
Before tallying his first pole position of the year, Busch posted the seventh quickest effort in Saturday morning’s practice session.
Clearly, Busch feels at home at the 1.25-mile egg shaped speedway with a runner-up result in last year’s Enjoy Illinois 300. Ahead of Sunday’s 240-lap race, Busch recalled how his runner-up efforts and what he looks forward to in Round 15.
“We had a really good run there last year,” Busch said in a Chevrolet press release. “We were kind of mired there in traffic for a little bit but once we got out front our car was pretty fast. We were able to lead the most laps.
“To me, Gateway is a tough track. There’s a lot of shifting there. The braking is very technical. The two ends of the track are entirely different from one another so that’s kind of an interesting take on it as well. Turns 1 and 2 are vastly different than 3 and 4, so how you attack each end of the racetrack is really different.”
Busch wants to tally his third victory of the 2023 season. (Photo: Travis Haston | The Podium Finish)
Busch thrives at technical racetracks, harkening to his days as the young racer climbing up the ladder in proving ground series in Las Vegas and the Southwest. Like his older brother, Kurt, the younger Busch is known for his passionate demeanor and aggressive approach.
Ranked 10th in the championship standings, Busch seems likely to make this year’s Playoffs with two victories (Fontana and Talladega). A third victory seems very much in the offing for Busch, especially if he can apply what he learned from last year’s tantalizing finish against Joey Logano.
“I had a couple of late-race restarts last year that came down to me and Logano,” he said. “I just messed up on one of the restarts and let him get alongside of me and then tried to throw a slide job and wasn’t quite able to secure the win. I feel like we’ll be real close to that and we can win there.”
As for the keys to success at Gateway, Busch pointed out how it compares to two favorites on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
“The long straightaways kind of remind you a little bit of Martinsville with the braking technique that it takes to get into the corners in Turns 1 and 2 being like Martinsville,” he said. “Then down in Turns 3 and 4, it reminds you of Turns 1 and 2 at Phoenix. Gateway is just tough, one that you don’t really compare to anywhere else. It’s its own unique animal.”
Despite a frantic schedule, Busch takes the time to make a race fan’s weekend. (Photo: Bobby Krug | The Podium Finish)
All things considered, Busch makes it clear that aggression must be tempered with smart, patient driving. After all, a crumpled up car will not count for anything at a track that behaves a bit like an intermediate speedway.
“Gateway is a little bit aero dependent,” Busch said. “Anywhere you go that you’re traveling 60 miles per hour there’s aero dependency. It’s a fun little racetrack. You can run low and you can run high. I seemed to find success there last year running a little bit higher. Other guys were working their way all over the track.
“The track surface is aged. It’s pretty worn but doesn’t lend itself to a lot of tire wear. Tire fall off happens a little bit when the tires get hot, but last year we didn’t see any issues where we had to pit and put tires on, or that putting tires on made a big difference.”
