Winner’s Circle: Busch Showcases Patented Rowdy Dominance at Gateway

Kyle Busch has tallied as many wins this season as he tallied in 2021 and 2022 combined. (Photo: Bobby Krug | The Podium Finish)

MADISON, Ill. – For all the talk about Kyle Busch backing into his recent victories, such thought was put to rest following his victory in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

Throughout the 38-year-old’s NASCAR Cup Series career, it is safe to say that he has made a reputation out of being a genuine conqueror of the asphalt arena. Namely, he has led 30% or more of the laps run in 35 of his 63 victories.

However, it has been some time since a patented, masterclass victory by the Las Vegas native. In the past three years, the notion has been there that Busch has backed into his victories.

For such a claim of this nature, it helps to dive into the numbers with Busch’s least commanding victories. When these race victories are considered, it may come as a mild shock or surprise for even the most ardent fan of the driver of the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Prior to dominating the 263-lap race at the 1.25-mile track, two of Busch’s most recent victories saw him leading 1.53% or less of the laps run in the races competed at Talladega and the Bristol Dirt track. Notably, of the two-time Cup Series champion’s 63 career victories, only nine of those wins saw him leading less than 10% of the laps run.

Of course, it is easy to recall Busch’s opportune victory in the Bristol Dirt Race, running in the third spot on the final lap before Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe tangled in Turn 3. As both drivers tried to get their cars back under control, Busch snookered his way to Victory Lane and into the record books with the least amount of laps led in a victory.

Likewise, it is not a matter of how many laps are led en route to a victory. Still, for a driver known for his dominant ways in the NASCAR Cup Series, Busch has showcased his propensity to seal the deal at the right moment.

Additionally, as with any other sport, it is about good timing and positioning for success. Throughout Busch’s career, particularly in the past three years, he has made a habit out of being calculative and patient until the final laps versus raw, sheer on track assertiveness.

Busch’s speedy No. 8 pit crew played a helping hand with the two-time Cup champion’s most commanding victory in four years. (Photo: Travis Haston | The Podium Finish)

No matter the number of laps led, it is about winning a race that drivers and teams will remember for years to come. When all is said and done, Busch will likely recall his win in the 2022 Bristol Dirt Race or this year’s GEICO 500 at Talladega in terms of standout, memorable victories.

So, what makes Busch’s victory at Gateway so significant or different from his recent wins at Talladega and Fontana? By taking a deeper dive into his numbers, it is a lot like seeing Pedro Martinez striking out at least 10 batters toward the final years of his Boston Red Sox tenure, for the stick and ball fans.

Although Martinez never hurled a fastball at a 1.25-mile racetrack, he and Busch share a commonality in dynamic, flashy performances that stand out distinctively for many years in the memories of those witnessing such greatness.

Much like Martinez, who was the last pitcher that any batter wanted to face when his fastball was at least 95 mph or better, Busch is the last driver that the field wants to see start on the pole.

Impressively, when breaking down those numbers further, 10 of those 35 dominant wins have come from starting on the pole as in the case with Sunday’s NASCAR Overtime extended race at the 1.25-mile track.

After rounding out these figures, Busch led nearly half of Sunday’s race at the egg shaped flat track. In other words, the man known as “Rowdy” turned back the page to his most commanding victory since the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

More significantly, when further analyzing Busch’s victories in which he led at least 49% of the race, Sunday’s race was a refreshing throwback, accomplishing this feat for the first time since the 2019 spring race at Phoenix Raceway, the year of his most recent Cup championship.

By all means, this raises some good points about Busch being a genuine championship contender. While today’s NASCAR Cup Series competition differs a bit versus the 2019 season, Busch’s passion, commitment to excellence and desire to win never left despite the generational changes with the stock car.

Yes, Busch’s Gateway victory was his 18th most compelling victory in Cup, but it is a byproduct of the increase competition in terms of Hendrick Motorsports’ resounding successes over the years.

Regardless, the Richard Childress Racing driver returned to his usual form, staving off multiple challenges against Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano in the final moments of Sunday’s race. Suffice to say, Busch took notice of the team work when he won his third race of the year.

Much like Arnold Schwarzenegger in “The Terminator” films, Busch was back like the T-800 cyborg. (Photo: Bobby Krug | The Podium Finish)

“That was pretty awesome,” Busch said. “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. Great win today for RCR. Just win, baby!” This one is pretty cool.

“We’ve had three wins obviously, which is great. But we’ve also had some dismal days as well. We’ve had peaks and valleys so far this year. We just got to find the greater planes, if you will, and level this thing out a little bit.”

A deep look into Busch’s victories shows that the progression toward convincing wins is trending in the right direction. Beyond his astonishing numbers, Sunday’s victory at Gateway meant a great deal to the man atop his No. 8 team’s pit box.

“It’s great to be able to score a win here in St. Louis in crew chief Randall Burnett’s hometown,” he said. “Our team is really on a high. The whole organization has been fighting hard and doing a great job.

“Everybody back at the shop at RCR and at ECR has been doing great. Every person in the organization has just been so welcoming. It’s really cool to be able to go out there and succeed for them and to give back to them for all the hard work they’re putting in.”