Kyle Busch Has Been Strong Early In Races and Hopes To Seal The Deal At ACS

While the expectation for Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), is to run up front and challenge for wins each week in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, there are particular tracks where Busch excels more others.

One of those places happens to be Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, the site of Sunday’sCup Series Auto Club 400. The Las Vegas native and his Interstate Batteries team will be shooting for his fourth career win at the track located approximately 50 miles east of Los Angeles this weekend.

Busch will pilot the colors of Interstate Batteries at Fontana for the first of six Cup Series races this season. The founding partner of JGR, Interstate Batteries has been powering the championship-winning organization for more than 25 years and is the “Official Battery of Joe Gibbs Racing”. This year, the iconic brand is celebrating its 65th anniversary. To commemorate the milestone, special 65th anniversary branding will be featured in each of the paint schemes JGR will race during the 2017 NASCAR season.

While Busch started the season with three disappointing finishes, he got back on track last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway by putting on a dominating performance. He led twice for a race-high 114 laps before a late-race caution foiled his chance at victory. With the season heading back in the right direction, Busch hopes to take that momentum to Southern California this weekend.
After winning back-to-back races at Fontana in 2013 and 2014 – both in dramatic fashion – the 2015 Cup Series champion is looking to add another win to his impressive record at the 2-mile oval. He scored his maiden victory there in September 2005 and overall has rattled off eight top-five finishes and 13 top-10s during his career. Busch also has six Xfinity Series wins at Fontana – October 2008, February 2009 and 2010, October 2010, March 2011 and 2013 –which included a weekend sweep in 2013.

Looking back on his most recent Cup Series wins there, Busch led a race-high 125 laps at Fontana in 2013 and brought home the checkered flag in dramatic fashion as he slid to the outside of the dueling Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin coming off turn four on the final lap. He followed that up in 2014 with another Fontana win despite the fact he was not nearly as dominant, leading just five laps. However, known as one of the premiere Cup drivers when it comes to restarts, Busch showed the field why that day. He restarted fourth late in the race and held off a hard-charging Kyle Larson to bring home his second Fontana win in a row.

So as Busch and the Interstate Batteries team head back to Southern California to finish off the final race of 2017’s West Coast swing, Busch will look to bring home his first win of the season at a place where he’s charged to the front many times before.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

How special were the 2013 and 2014 wins at Auto Club Speedway?

“The finishes of both of those races were pretty exciting. Of course, I won both so that makes it even better for me. The track is just down the road from Toyota Racing Development (TRD) headquarters and our wins there were the first two Cup wins for them at their hometown track. We had the best car there all day in 2013 but we ended up getting some late cautions and had to make some hard decisions on whether to stay out on old tires or lose our track position. We ended up getting passed by Joey (Logano) and Denny (Hamlin) and thought they had the race won. They got caught up racing each other and I was coming, even if they didn’t end up wrecking. I was digging on the high side and they got together. I hated it for Denny since that was really a tough circumstance for him. It was a crazy finish, one that I won’t forget for a while, and I’m sure the fans won’t forget any time soon, either. In 2014, it was sort of the opposite. We really didn’t have the best car, but we got a chance at them with fresh tires and we were able to hold of Kyle Larson. So, I’m hoping we can get our Interstate Batteries Camry back to victory lane there.”

What does it take to be successful at Fontana?

“It’s a fast racetrack and you just have to be able carry a lot of speed through the corners. You’re in the corner for a long time but, the more speed you carry through the turn, the better it makes your straightaways. It’s a big, fast racetrack and I’m hoping we can get Interstate Batteries its first win during the 65th anniversary celebration this year.”

How has Auto Club Speedway changed over the last several years, going from a new track to a place that has a lot more character and racing grooves?

“That place is tough. It’s really a hard racetrack to get ahold of, now, especially when it’s hot and the sun is out. There are two completely different types of racing when you run the top versus the bottom groove. You can run from the top to the bottom but, when you run the bottom, you really feel like you’re puttering around the racetrack. You feel like you aren’t making up any time on the bottom. But when you are running the top groove, you feel like you’re getting the job done. The guys who run the bottom have a little bit more patience and handle it better than the guys who are on the gas on top.”

What do you remember about that night in 2005 when you captured your first Cup Series win at Fontana?

“We ran in the top-five all day long but we really didn’t think we had a winning car. When we got the lead a few times throughout the race, we just pulled away and led by quite a bit. It was really cool to have a really dominant racecar. I remember having to drive the car really loose. That was the loosest I think I’ve ever driven a racecar that was still moving forward. It was crazy because I came over the radio and told the guys I couldn’t believe how loose I have to drive the car. But it was fast. All of my wins there have been a little different, but memorable at the same time.”

Interstate Batteries Racing

Race 5 of 36 – Auto Club 400 – Fontana

Car No.: 18 – Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry

Teammates: Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Sport ClipsToyota Camry; Daniel Suarez – No. 19 Subway Toyota Camry; Matt Kenseth – No. 20 Peak Toyota Camry.

At-Track PR Contact: Bill Janitz, True Speed Communication (704-875-3388 ext. 803 or Bill.Janitz@TrueSpeedCommunication.com).

Primary Team Members:

Driver: Kyle Busch

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Adam Stevens

Hometown: Portsmouth, Ohio

Car Chief: Nate Bellows

Hometown: Fairfax, Vermont

Race Engineer: Ben Beshore

Hometown: Hometown York, Pennsylvania

Engine Specialist: Mike Johnson

Hometown: Bozeman, Montana

Spotter: Tony Hirschman

Hometown: Northampton, Pennsylvania

Over-The-Wall Crew Members:

Gas Man: Tom Lampe

Hometown: Beatrice, Nebraska

Front Tire Changer: Josh Leslie

Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan

Jackman: TJ Ford

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina

Front Tire Carrier: Brad Donaghy

Hometown: Orange County, Virginia

Rear Tire Carrier: Kenny Barber

Hometown: Hoosick Falls, New York

Rear Tire Changer: Jake Seminara

Hometown: Steubenville, Ohio

Pit Support: Marcus Bonicelli

Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Pit Support: Jeff Koons

Hometown: Greenfield, Indiana

Road Crew Members:

Truck Drivers: Brendan Greene and Jamie Price

Hometowns: Midland, North Carolina, and Choteau, Montana, respectively

Tire Specialist: Jon Desrocher

Hometown: Plattsburgh, New York

Interior Mechanic: Wesley Lape

Hometown: Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania

Race Engineer: Tyler Allen

Hometown: Seattle, Washington

Ride and Handling Engineer: Chris Chase

Hometown: Nichols, New York

Rear End Mechanic: Chris Jones

Hometown: Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

Mechanic: Todd Foster

Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama

Front End Mechanic: Brandon Griffeth

Hometown: Pittsfield, Illinois

Notes of Interest:

• The Auto Club 400 will mark Kyle Busch’s 431st career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start and his 19th NASCAR Cup Series start at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

• Busch has career totals of 38 wins, 19 poles, 148 top-five finishes, 220 top-10s and 12,488 laps led in 430 career Cup Series races. His most recent Cup Series win came in July 2016 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when he brought home his second consecutive win at the historic 2.5-mile oval. Busch’s win came from the pole position, his most recent pole and the 19th of his career.

• Busch has three wins, eight top-five finishes and 12 top-10s and has led a total of 604 laps in 18 career Cup Series starts at Fontana. Busch’s average Fontana finish is 10.9.

• It’s a New Track Record: Busch began the 2005 season with a record-setting pole run at Auto Club Speedway in just his eighth career Cup Series start. Busch, who was 19 years, 317 days old, broke the record previously held by Donald Thomas, who was 20 years, 129 days old when he won the pole at Lakewood (Ga.) Speedway on Nov. 16, 1952. Thomas went on to win that race and remained the youngest race winner in Cup Series history until Busch won at Auto Club Speedway on Sept. 4, 2005. Busch bested Thomas’ win record by a mere four days.

• Fond of Fontana: On that hot September Southern California summer night at Fontana during his rookie year in 2005, it was Busch’s first career NASCAR Cup victory at just 20 years and 125 days old, making him the youngest Cup winner in NASCAR history. It was a record he held until June 2009 when his ex-Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon at 19 years and 35 days old.

• 38 Career Cup Series Wins: With his Cup Series win at Indianapolis last July, the 38th of his career, Busch is tied for 19th on the all-time Cup Series win list with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate Matt Kenseth.

• Trimming the List: With wins at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and Kansas Speedway in Kansas City added to the list last season, Busch has won Cup Series races at 21 of the 23 tracks at which the series competes. The only two tracks he has yet to conquer in the Cup Series are Pocono (Pa) Raceway and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. During his 2015 Cup Series championship season, Busch checked off Indianapolis and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Four of Busch’s last six Cup Series wins have been his first at each track in NASCAR’s top series (Indianapolis, Homestead, Martinsville and Kansas). Of the 21 different tracks where Busch has won, he has multiple wins at 11 of them.

• All-Time JGR Wins Leader: With his Brickyard 400 last July, Busch passed three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart for most all-time Cup Series wins for JGR. Busch now has 34 wins for JGR to Stewart’s 33.

• 170 and Counting: Busch enters Fontana with 170 career wins among NASCAR’s top three divisions – Cup (38), Xfinity (87) and Truck (46) following his NASCAR Xfinity Series win earlier this season at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Kyle Busch Has Been Strong Early In Races and Hopes To Seal The Deal At ACS

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