The Kyle Busch Charm School is a group of four remarkable drivers who developed under the guidance and mentorship of two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. The four drivers — William Byron, Christopher Bell, Daniel Suarez, and Erik Jones — drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports before becoming prominent names in the Cup Series.
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This Sunday, all five of them, including Busch, will compete for the win at the Bristol Motor Speedway. What makes this special is that Busch is the active driver with the most wins at the track (8). The obvious question that follows is if any of his proteges have the chance to stop him from making it nine wins at the 0.533-mile short track.
First up is Byron. The Hendrick Motorsports driver has been synonymous with consistency this year. He is at the top of the driver standings and also the one with the most stage points. However, he has never had much luck at Bristol. He has started 11 races on the concrete surface and, surprisingly, has not led a single lap.
It remains to be seen if he can put together a better setup this weekend. Next up is Bell. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has already won three races this year. He is in great form, finishing second in Martinsville and third in Darlington. This gives hope that he can finally reach Victory Lane at Bristol. He has three top-5 finishes at the track in the last five races.
Daniel Suarez’s case is a special one. It is not a secret that he is struggling to perform and is in a tricky spot with Trackhouse Racing. He finished second in Vegas earlier this year, but otherwise, he doesn’t have a single top-10 finish. The last time he finished in the top 10 at Bristol was back in 2019. He finished 31st in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race last year and 18th in the Food City 500.
Not a big case can be made in support of his chances of winning this Sunday. Erik Jones is pretty much on the same level, if not worse. The Legacy Motor Club driver doesn’t have a single top-10 finish yet this year. He secured a top-10 result at Bristol back in 2021 but hasn’t done well since. His best finish at the track was runner-up in 2017.
Byron and Bell are pretty much sure to perform better than Busch as they have been doing so far this year. It would come off as a surprise result if the teacher humbles all his students and decides to teach them a lesson or two.
