SPARTA, Ky. — Kyle Busch Motorsports etched its name into the NASCAR history books Thursday night at Kentucky Speedway with a fitting number — 51.
Team owner Kyle Busch’s organization eclipsed Roush Fenway Racing atop the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ all-time win list with its 51st victory, the fourth of the year for ultra-hot rookie William Byron. The 18-year-old driver led 70 of the 150 laps in the Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 and signaled the landmark win with a commemorative flag during his post-race burnout.
“Certainly you want to be the best at what you do,” Busch said. “I’ve tried to assemble a great group of guys. I feel like we have a great group of guys now. We have in our whole time that we have been in existence at Kyle Busch Motorsports. It’s been a lot of fun, it’s been a lot of trying times; it’s been a lot of blood, sweat and tears by both my wife (Samantha) and myself and all these guys that are on this team now and all the people that have been a part of Kyle Busch Motorsports in the years past. We wouldn’t be here without all them. This is a special moment. It’s really, really cool.”
The number, so frequently associated with Busch’s efforts in NASCAR’s lower two national divisions, was a collaborative total achieved by eight drivers — Busch himself (29 wins), Erik Jones (7), Darrell Wallace Jr. (5), Byron (4), Denny Hamlin (2), Christopher Bell (2), Kasey Kahne (1) and Brian Scott (1).
Busch lauded the relatively short amount of time (2010-16) in which his organization achieved the milestone. Likewise, it’s been a quick rise to success for Byron, who is now 4-for-11 — a .364 winning percentage — in his brief Camping World Truck Series career.
“I can’t say enough about this organization,” Byron said. “It’s so awesome to have Kyle and Samantha’s support, Toyota’s support with great Toyota Tundras and great JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) engines tonight. It’s a dream come true to get a win like this. It just keeps going.”