The 2023 season was somewhat bittersweet for Kyle Busch. The Richard Childress Racing star ended the previous season with three victories, 10 top-5 finishes, and 17 top-10 finishes. However, his playoff journey ended in the round of 12, owing to an unfortunate crash at Texas Motor Speedway. But as the 2024 edition of the Food City 500 inches closer, Rowdy is left with a golden opportunity to punch a ticket to this year’s playoff rumble. But why Bristol?
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Busch has been incredibly strong at the half-mile racetrack in Tenessee. In 34 starts at BMS, Busch has won more times than any current NASCAR Cup Series driver (Eight Bristol triumphs in 2007, both races in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2018, and 2019.) Moreover, he also leads the pack in the number of top-five finishes (14) and laps led (2593).
That’s not all. Besides two pole positions, the veteran racer has nine wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and five wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, which makes him a 22-time winner at Bristol over all three NASCAR national series. All things considered, certainly, one could place their bet in favour of Busch. But what does the man himself have to say about the upcoming race?
Kyle Busch explains why racing at Bristol is unique
Bristol is an extremely high-banked racetrack. But the uniqueness lies in the fact that it is just half a mile long. Therefore, everything on the track happens at a blazing-fast speed. There is no time to relax and that is what drains the drivers out. “The repetitious nature of these short tracks of down the straightway into the corner, down the straightway into the corner, and it never seems to stop,” explained the #8 speedster. “It makes it fun for a lot of guys and challenging for others.”
Furthermore, that could lead to what the racing fans would call pack racing. Pack racing, in turn, increases the chances of contact. But rubbing is racing. Busch feels like when winning is on the line and there’s somebody on your way, you’ve got to resort to a little bit of rubbing. Besides that, the teams will also try to strategize their run, especially concerning the pit stops. According to the Chevy Star, that is the key to racing at Bristol.
