NASCAR

Atlanta Will Be Cup Series Start Number 500 for Kyle Busch

This Sunday’s Folds of Honor/Quik Trip 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway will be start number 500 for Kyle Busch. After some troubles in final practice, can Kyle still win in this historic start? His Atlanta stats are not something to overlook.

In a Hall-of-Fame career that started back in 2005, Kyle Busch has 51 Cup Series wins to date. This is in addition to 92 Xfinity wins and 51 Truck wins. Kyle looks to further his pursuit for 200 wins across all 3 NASCAR series this weekend. He is entered in the Truck race as well as the Cup race.

Busch’s History in Atlanta

In 20 career starts at the Georgia 1.5-miler, Kyle Busch has 2 wins, most recently in 2013. Kyle’s first Atlanta triumph was the first-ever Cup Series win for Toyota, back in 2008. Busch also has 5 top 5s, 7 top 10s, and 432 laps led. KB18’s average finish in the peach state is also 14.8. Despite these lackluster historical numbers, Busch has finished top 10 in 5 of the last 8 Atlanta races. Do not count out the chance for Kyle Busch to get his third Atlanta win this weekend.

Busch Looking to Join Elite Start 500 Win List

If a victory on Sunday is possible, then Kyle would join a very short list. In the 71-year history of the NASCAR Cup Series, exactly 2 drivers have won in career start 500. These 2 drivers are Richard Petty (1974) and Matt Kenseth (2013). Kenseth’s victory was as Busch’s teammate, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

On joining the 500-start club, Kyle said “I think it means that I’m old.” These words coming from a racer who is in fact only 33 years-old. Busch certainly has several more years of racing ahead of him due to his young age.

Can Kyle Busch win Sunday’s race in Atlanta, career start 500 for the Las Vegas native? If he does, it will be in a backup car after a practice crash on Saturday. Tune into Fox on Sunday at 2 PM EST to see if Kyle Busch can win in start 500!

Photo credit to Sarah Bundy via Flickr.