By Christian Koelle, Staff Writer
MADISON, Ill. – With just two NASCAR Cup Series races in the books at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, the list of drivers with wins in at least two series is rather slim. Earlier this month, Kyle Busch added his name alongside Joey Logano as Cup Series victors at the track across the river from St. Louis. Despite not being the first driver in line to sweep at Gateway, following the 2023 season, he’ll be the only driver on that list.
Currently, both Kevin Harvick and Busch have at least one win in two different NASCAR National Touring Series at Gateway. Harvick earned a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at the track in 2010 and has two Xfinity Series victories at the track in 2000 and 2001. Busch earned his lone Xfinity Series victory in Madison in 2009. With Harvick retiring from full-time competition after 2023, Busch will become the active wins leader at Gateway with two.
The two-time Cup Series champion would like to make that three with a Truck Series win with Kyle Busch Motorsports if only NASCAR would pull rules and regulations that keep him from that elusive Truck Series victory.
Busch is barred from competing at Gateway due to it hosting one of the Triple Truck Challenge events. Cup and Xfinity Series drivers are ineligible to compete in those, similar to the restrictions barring Cup drivers from Xfinity Dash 4 Cash races. The Triple Truck Challenge has moved around to other tracks in the past, which could open the door for Busch to compete at Gateway eventually.
“Depends on the rules and regulations and stipulations of locking me out,” expressed Busch. “This was a Triple Truck Challenge race. I can’t run in those. It’s a matter of being able to open up the playbook to have more races to choose from. It’s limited on which ones I’m allowed to go do.”
When it comes to sweeping racetracks, Busch has a hell of a broom collection. In fact, Busch has a whole trophy case at Kyle Busch Motorsports devoted to a particular track that he’s swept the weekend twice. Since making his NASCAR debut in the Truck Series in 2001, Busch has found victory lane in all three series 228 total times.
Believe it or not though, a Truck win at Gateway is not the only elusive victory to Busch in pursuit of having a victory in all three series. In fact, he’s missing more Truck victories at tracks than any other series.
The following tracks have not seen Busch in victory lane in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series; Circuit of the Americas, Darlington Raceway, Richmond Raceway, Watkins Glen International, and of course, World Wide Technology Raceway. If Busch could pull off a Truck victory at Darlington, Richmond, Watkins Glen, and WWTR, he’d have at least one victory in each of the top-three divisions. Add that a few of those will have to wait until they are added back onto the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series circuit.
Busch is only missing two wins in the Xfinity Series from having victories in the top-three NASCAR divisions, Sonoma and Martinsville. Credit, the Xfinity Series just embarked on Sonoma Raceway for the first time ever. Xfinity just returned to Martinsville after a hiatus from 2006 to 2021. Its understandable that those two tracks are missing and its only a matter of time until those get checked off the list.
With his victory at Gateway, Busch is now winless on two NASCAR Cup Series tracks that we have already seen before. Exclude the Streets of Chicago and North Wilkesboro as either its a debut season or hasn’t been on any schedule during Busch’s tenure until 2023.
Circuit of the Americas is the only track on the schedule that Busch needs two victories to complete the sweep. His best attempt came in the most recent race where he finished second to Tyler Reddick. Other than Austin, Busch is missing a guitar from Nashville Superspeedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.
With Richard Childress Racing, Kaulig Racing, and Kyle Busch Motorsports, Busch has a good amount of time left to complete these few straggler victories. That is, if he’s given the opportunity to do so without limitations.