Kyle Busch hoping to end drought at Kentucky
SPARTA, Ky. — Kyle Busch hopes his Kentucky Speedway magic has enough shelf life to put him back in Victory Lane.
He’ll have two chances to find out after discovering there’s plenty in reserve.
The 2015 NASCAR Cup champion isn’t exactly panicking with a third-place points standing entering tonight’s 400-mile race at Kentucky Speedway. On the other hand, Busch arrived here last summer with three victories in hand before adding another at Indianapolis, which now seems like an eternity since he has gone 33 starts without a win. Fortunately for Busch, Kentucky arrived just in time to remind him why he loves the place.
He earned poles for the Cup and Xfinity races today, clocking File, Matt Slocum / The Associated Press and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing over the years,” Busch said, “and hopefully we can continue that pattern tomorrow night.”
Busch has been Kentucky’s most dominant driver with two wins each across all three NASCAR national series, including the 1.5-mile track’s inaugural Cup race in 2011. Busch’s Cup win total is just one behind defending race winner Brad Keselowski, and another Kentucky triumph would firm up his playoff prospects unless somebody else figures out how to break through into the exclusive winner’s club that includes Matt Kenseth (2013).
“We certainly think we have as good a shot as any to get back to victory lane there,” said Busch, who has led 437 laps in six Kentucky Cup starts. “It’s a place we get excited about, for sure.”