Kyle Busch’s name can be found on almost every list of achievements in NASCAR. He is the winningest driver in the Xfinity and Truck Series. He has two Cup Series titles. He has completed 19 consecutive seasons with at least one win, and then some more and then some more. Yet another marvel that carries his name in the stat book is that of drivers with the most stage wins.
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Since the implementation of stage racing (2017) in NASCAR, Busch has won an unparalleled 100 stages across all three National Series. He has 47 wins in the Cup Series, 22 in Xfinity, and 31 in Trucks. His 100th win came on Saturday during the Craftsman Truck Series race in Bristol. He finished the fixture in 2nd place, driving the #7 Chevy Silverado of Spire Motorsports.
Next to him on the list of stage win experts are Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. The former has 67 stage wins, and the latter has 66. Coming further down the ladder are top names like Denny Hamlin (49), Joey Logano (45), and Ryan Blaney (45). The drivers will get to advance their numbers further on Sunday’s Cup Series race.
With that Stage win, @KyleBusch now has 100 combined Stage wins across @NASCAR‘s three National Touring Series.
Busch has 47 Cup Stage wins, 22 @NASCAR_Xfinity Stage wins, and 31 @NASCAR_Trucks Stage win.#NASCAR | #WeatherGuardTruckRace | @ItsBristolBaby pic.twitter.com/3nB7PGgwqi
— Seth Eggert (@SethEggert91) March 17, 2024
Kyle Busch’s dominance over Christian Eckes that resulted in his 100th stage win
Kyle Busch has always been a strong driver behind the wheel of a truck. His experience and skill were on full display during Saturday’s race. He held off Eckes, Nick Sanchez, and Ty Majeski to win Stage 1. He completely swept the stages when he finished Stage 2 in the lead, ahead of Sanchez once again.
After the Stage 2 break, he continued his dominance into the 3rd, but Eckes did not let him off easy in the final bout. He took the lead from Busch in Lap 159 and remained there till the race ended. The two drivers combined to lead 249 of the 250 laps. After the nailbiting finish in the last lap, Busch admitted to Fox Sports that he “didn’t have enough” to win the race.
He said, as per NASCAR, in his frustration, “I let him [Eckes] go early in that run to just go burn his stuff [tires] off, track position in the end… Let him be ahead of us and got him a win. So, didn’t have enough rubber on the road to outduel him.”
Busch’s next race will be behind the #8 Chevrolet Camaro on the same track. Going in with a taste of what to expect from the oval, he could use the Truck race to his advantage on Sunday.
