Kyle Busch through the years
By Staff Report | Sunday, February 24, 2019
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Kyle Busch has been a NASCAR driver for half his life. Here's a look back at some memorable photos and moments over the years.
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Busch got his NASCAR start at just 16 years old in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series as a replacement driver for Nathan Haseleu in the No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Busch's debut was made in 2001 at Lucas Oil Raceway, where he finished ninth. The future Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion competed in a total of six races in 2001.
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In 2003, Busch became a developmental driver for Hendrick Motorsports and ran seven ARCA RE/MAX Series races for the team, scoring his first career win at Nashville Superspeedway. Once Busch turned 18 years old, he drove the No. 87 Chevrolet for seven races in what is now known as the Xfinity Series.
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Busch's first NASCAR national series wins came in 2004 driving in what is now known as the Xfinity Series for Rick Hendrick. He won five races that year en route to a runner-up finish in the standings.
(Photo by Nigel Kinrade/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)
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At the end of the 2004 season, it was announced Busch would compete full time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports in 2005, replacing Terry Labonte in the No. 5 Chevrolet. Busch won his first race in the sport's top series that September at Auto Club Speedway.
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In 2006, Busch earned one win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in his career. Busch finished the season 10th in the driver standings.
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In June 2007, it was announced that Busch was leaving Hendrick Motorsports at the end of the season. In August, Busch revealed he would join Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2008 season, replacing J.J. Yeley in the No. 18 Toyota.
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Busch's first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win for Joe Gibbs Racing came at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2008. It was one of eight races he would win that year as he topped the standings for much of the regular season. All his wins came in the first 22 races of the season.
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Busch scored a hometown victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2009. To date, it is his lone premier series win at his home track.
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The 2009 season saw Kyle Busch win the Xfinity Series championship. He has had huge success in that series, winning 96 races as of this update.
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How sweep it is! Busch made NASCAR history as he won all three NASCAR national series races at Bristol Motor Speedway in August 2010.
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Busch and Samantha Sarcinella were married on New Year's Eve in 2010.
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Kentucky Speedway hosted its first premier series event in 2011, and Busch helped christen the track with a win.
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Busch had his share of rivals, most notably Brad Keselowski in recent years.
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Busch's 2015 season got off to a scary start in the Xfinity Series opener at Daytona International Speedway. A late-race wreck left him with a compound fracture of the right lower leg and a left mid-foot fracture. He would be sidelined for 11 races, including the Daytona 500.
(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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Busch returned to the track for the All-Star Race in May 2015 -- nearly three months after suffering his injuries at Daytona and with wife, Samantha, due with their first child. Busch was granted a playoff waiver, meaning he needed a win and to finish the regular season in the top 30 in points to be eligible for the postseason.
(Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
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Five races into his return, Busch scored his first victory of the 2015 season at the road course of Sonoma Raceway. A late stop for four tires helped Busch hold off his brother, Kurt, for the victory.
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Busch's son, Brexton, was born May 18, 2015. The youngster was immediately seen around the track -- and even here in Victory Lane, helping his dad celebrate his first Brickyard 400 win.
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Busch capped off his comeback season with a fairytale ending -- winning the 2015 championship. The title was his first, the first for manufacturer Toyota in the sport's top series and the first for Joe Gibbs Racing since 2005. Busch won the Ford EcoBoost 400 for his fifth victory of the season.
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Kyle Busch Motorsports began with the 2010 season in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series. To date, the Truck Series team has won a total of 75 races. The organization has provided a strong development pipeline for Toyota Racing as evidenced by its championships with Erik Jones (2015, seen here) and Christopher Bell (2017) in recent years.
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The Busch family alongside Joe Gibbs re-enact a scene from "The Hangover" at the 2015 NASCAR Awards. Busch has driven for Gibbs since 2008.
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Prior to 2016, Busch had yet to win a national series race at Martinsville Speedway. That changed in one weekend with a sweep of the Gander Outdoors Truck Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
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Kansas Speedway had been a track that had long given Busch fits. In 2016, though, he would win for the first time there in NASCAR's top series. The only track he has yet to win at in Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is Charlotte Motor Speedway's Roval. Busch went on to reach the Championship 4 later that year but did not successfully defend his title of the previous year.
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For the second time at Bristol, Busch brought out the broom. "Rowdy" swept the 2017 tripleheader in Thunder Valley.
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Martin Truex Jr. and Busch were the championship favorites throughout the 2017 season. The two Toyota drivers battled for the lead at numerous races, and each reached the Championship 4. The Homestead-Miami Speedway title race came down to both drivers in the closing laps with Truex holding off Busch as the JGR driver finished second in the race and the final standings.
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As son Brexton has gotten older, a Victory Lane toss has become part of the family's winning tradition. Here, Busch tosses Brexton after winning at Texas Motor Speedway in 2018.
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For the second time in his career, Busch won three consecutive races at NASCAR's top level. Busch won the Texas-Bristol-Richmond Raceway stretch of the spring season. It marked just the 25th time in NASCAR's modern era (since 1972) a driver has won three consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races.
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A well-earned selfie for Busch after his dominating performance in the 2018 Coca-Cola 600, where he led 377 of 400 laps. The win was his first points-paying victory at Charlotte.
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In July 2018, Busch matched Ron Hornaday Jr.'s win mark in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series at 51 wins. Ironically enough, that was his Truck number for the day, too.
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In September 2018, Busch earned his 50th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win. Busch matched his career-best tally with eight wins that season and established a new personal-best mark with 22 top fives en route to finishing fourth in the standings.
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With his victory in the Ultimate Tailgating 200 on Feb. 23, 2019 at Atlanta, Busch became the sole owner of the all-time wins mark in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series. His 52 wins are atop the list over Hornaday.
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When the green flag dropped in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 on Feb. 24, 2019, Busch made his 500th start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
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Kyle Busch matched Richard Petty's mark of 200 NASCAR national series wins at Auto Club Speedway in March of 2000.
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Busch locked down his second Cup championship in 2019 with a victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He won five races on the year.
