Kyle Busch will roll into Watkins Glen this Sunday with momentum on his side and history in his corner. He enters as one of the heavy hitters, not just because the fans are pulling for him, but also because he carries an average finish of 11.7 at the famed road course, with two victories to his name in 2008 and 2013.
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Speaking during media availability at Watkins Glen, Busch made no bones about his intentions for the next three races that include Richmond and Daytona. “I have won at all those places, so let’s go do it again. Watkins Glen is probably my favorite road course we go to. Richmond is statistically one of my best racetracks that we go to. And then Daytona has been one of my best racetracks since I’ve been at RCR with Team Chevrolet.”
“I feel really good about our opportunities the next three weeks. It’s all about execution and being able to do our job right. And that includes me, going out there and setting some fast laps and being in control of being able to do that, and having good pit stops on Pit Road and having good strategy and the race falling our way,” he continued.
Still, the elephant in the room is that Busch hasn’t managed to crack the top-10 at The Glen since 2021. Since the induction of the Next Gen car in 2022, the numbers haven’t been kind to him. He’s posted finishes of 32nd, 14th, and 30th in his last three starts at the New York course.
But even if this weekend doesn’t break his way, Busch has two more shots to punch his playoff ticket. Richmond and Daytona stand as the final hurdles before the postseason, and both tracks play to his strengths. At Richmond, he carries an average finish of 7.6 and six wins in 38 starts, making it one of his most consistent tracks.
Daytona tells a different tale. Although his average finish there sits at 18.5 over 40 starts, with just one win, his recent (second race) outings since joining Richard Childress Racing have told a more promising story.
In 2023, Busch climbed from 18th to 7th, and last year he powered from 11th to 2nd in a strong late charge. That uptick has given the No. 8 Chevy driver every reason to feel confident about the final stretch of the regular season.
Adding more weight to his chances, Chevrolet sits atop the manufacturer leaderboard at Watkins Glen. Across all three national series, the Bowtie Brigade boasts 22 Cup Series wins, 13 Xfinity Series wins, and three Truck Series victories at the track. That history, combined with Busch’s pedigree, could spell trouble for the rest of the field.
