After Sonoma, Busch boys join list of brothers who finish 1-2
It’s not unusual for brothers to compete against one another in NASCAR's premier series, and as it turns out, it's not unusual for them to occasionally finish 1-2 in a race.
Such was the case this past weekend at Sonoma Raceway when Kyle Busch won the event while older brother Kurt finished second.
It was, however, a first for the Las Vegas natives, who have been competing together fulltime at NASCAR's top level since 2005. Combined, they have won 57 Sprint Cup Series races (Kyle 30, Kurt 27) but it wasn't until Sunday that the two crossed the finish line 1-2 for the first time.
According to NASCAR records, brothers have finished first and second 26 times. Before Sunday, the last 1-2 finish between siblings came in 1999 when Jeff and Ward Burton finished 1-2 in the 50th annual running of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
It marked the third, and final, time the Burtons swept the top two spots in a Sprint Cup Series race. Jeff, the younger of the two, finished first on all three occasions, beating Ward at Rockingham, N.C., and Las Vegas in ’99 as well.
The very first time brothers took the top two spots? That took place in just the second year of NASCAR when two of the three racing Flock brothers, Tim and Bob, finished 1-2 respectively on April 2, 1950 at Charlotte Speedway. The Flocks, which included brother Fonty as well, posted 1-2 finishes 13 times during their racing careers. Never managed the sweep, it seems, with the three winding up first, second and third.
The Labonte brothers, Terry and Bobby, account for three of the 26 1-2 finishes by brothers. Both are former NASCAR Sprint Cup champions; Terry will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame next January.
Two of their three 1-2 finishes came in ’95. When Bobby scored his first career Sprint Cup win in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, Terry placed second.
That same year, Bobby won the GM Goodwrench 400 at Michigan International Speedway to complete a sweep at the 2-mile track located in the Irish Hills. Terry wound up a distant second, trailing his younger brother by nearly seven seconds.
Terry finally drew some measure of revenge a few years later, winning at Talladega while Bobby finished second.
The string of 1-2 finishes by the Labontes came more than 20 years after the Allisons, Bobby and Donnie, took first and second in the Coca-Cola 600 at CMS.
The Allisons, charter members of the legendary Alabama Gang, managed the feat on four occasions. The only other siblings to score a 1-2 finish were the Thomas brothers, Herb and Donald, who did so on one occasion in 1954 at Orange Speedway in Hillsboro, N.C.
There have several other pairings that have competed in the same events through the years. But there was never a 1-2 finish for the Waltrips (Darrell and Michael), the Bodines (Geoff, Brett and Todd), the Wallaces (Rusty, Steve and Kenny), or the Parsons (Benny and Phil). The Pettys, Richard and Maurice, competed in the same race on numerous occasions as well, but also never posted a 1-2 finish.
For Kyle Busch, Sunday's victory was especially memorable. It was his first win since returning from injuries suffered at Daytona in February of this season, and it included a runnerup finish by his brother.
"We grew up racing on ovals, but to do that here on a road course, I think that's just a true testament to our father and everything he's done for us over the years to get us to the point," Kyle said afterward.
"To have both Busch brothers be as good as we are and to be winning drivers on the Sprint Cup tour each year is certainly a true testament to our family."