Kyle Busch is aiming for the 2025 NASCAR Cup season as a year of revival, especially after a season without victories last year. However, with the Clash scheduled at Bowman Gray Stadium — a track last featured in the Cup schedule in 1971 — many drivers are entering uncharted territory, uncertain of what challenges the track might present. Busch echoed this sentiment when discussing his expectations for the historic venue.
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He remarked, “I don’t really know. I’ve never raced at Bowman Gray before. You see some of the highlight reels on TV of all the craziness that can happen, with people wrecking each other and whatnot. I’ve never been there to see a race.”
“I’ve got a few friends that have raced there for years though, including Burt Myers, which is cool, so I’ll lean on some of those guys to figure out how to get around there fast.”
Nevertheless, Busch acknowledged the track is a recorded place in NASCAR’s history and expressed genuine enthusiasm about his debut there, stating, “It’s my first time, and it’s going to be fun.”
While drivers such as Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Ryan Preece, Tim Brown, and Myers bring a measure of familiarity with Bowman Gray from their ARCA Menards Series days, Busch will be entering the fray without prior knowledge of the nuances of the short track.
However, Busch’s track record in the Clash is notable. Through 18 previous starts, he has secured two victories, eight top-five finishes, twelve top-ten placements, led 131 laps, and maintained an impressive average finish of 8.1.
Busch’s track record in the Clash
Busch won his first Clash victory at the 2012 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway, a full 9 years following his entry into the Cup series, and shared the podium with racing luminaries such as Tony Stewart and Marcos Ambrose. After that, he demonstrated his racing acumen once more at the 2021 Busch Clash while commanding the #18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
In the past three years, since the Clash’s move to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022, Busch has consistently achieved top-3 finishes. He secured P2 place behind Joey Logano in 2022 and followed up with P3 and P2-place finishes in the subsequent seasons, respectively, this time behind the wheel of the #8 Chevy.
With the Clash relocating to a new venue — one unfamiliar to Busch — it remains to be seen whether he can maintain the same fervor and continue his streak of stellar performances.
