The Camping World Trucks Series headed to Kansas Speedway on Saturday night for the Wise Power 200. Kyle Busch Motorsports had the opportunity to win its fifth consecutive NASCAR race, and the team owner took care of business. Kyle Busch won the first two stages and then took the checkered flag in double overtime to seal his second victory of the season.
Busch took the lead from KBM’s John Hunter Nemechek, who won the pole position, during the first two stages, taking the green and white checkered flag. He was particularly dominant during Stage 2, building up a nearly five-second lead over Nemechek. Though the driver of the No. 4 finished second in both stages, adding to his considerable points lead.
ROWDY GETS IT DONE!
Watch @KyleBusch pass @RossChastain and @_AustinHill in NASCAR Overtime to capture the victory in Kansas! pic.twitter.com/z8lIWaToEB
— NASCAR Camping World Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) May 2, 2021
The end of the race featured a wild sequence of events. Busch had the lead with fewer than 10 laps remaining and appeared to be well on his way to Victory Lane. However, a late caution sent the race to overtime. He lost the lead on the restart while dealing with brake issues, but another caution set him up for the win. Busch raced to the outside lane from the second row and took the lead from Ross Chastain and Austin Hill as the white flag waved. He then held on and won his 61st Truck Series race.
Busch had a rare slip-up in Stage 3
While Busch led the most laps and left little doubt that he would take the checkered flag, he did have to recover from an early Stage 3 issue. He started the final set of laps second behind Nemechek but got caught up in the middle lane and lost momentum. He dropped to the middle of the field while 2020 champion Sheldon Creed took the lead.
Busch spent most of the third stage working his way back through the field, but he was able to achieve this goal with the fastest truck at the speedway. He continued making moves, ultimately making his way to third place before leapfrogging Nemechek.
.@RossChastain to the lead, but they're crashing behind him! @StewartFriesen and @derek9kraus are among those involved! pic.twitter.com/VEoxAzFCvL
— NASCAR Camping World Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) May 2, 2021
However, Busch was not yet done trying to recover from issues. He fell to fifth place during the first overtime while Ross Chastain took a late lead. He benefited from a late caution after a wreck collected two trucks and sent the race into double overtime.
Busch holds a prestigious record in the Truck Series
GettyKyle Busch prepares for a Truck Series race
The two-time Cup Series champion began competing in the Truck Series back in 2001, a year in which he started six of the 24 races at the age of 16. Busch took the 2002 and 2003 seasons off but made his return for another race in 2004. He has started at least three races every season since and has dominated the competition.
In his 19-year Truck Series career, Busch has posted 106 top-five finishes and reached Victory Lane 61 times. He is the all-time winningest driver in the Truck Series. The next person on the list is Ron Hornaday Jr., who last won a Truck Series in 2011. Mike Skinner (28), Jack Sprague (28), and Johnny Sauter (24) round out the top five.
Busch’s dominance in the Truck Series became a prominent talking point during the 2020 season. He won three of the five races that he started, prompting strong comments from his fellow drivers. Kevin Harvick, in particular, said that he would pay a $50,000 bounty to any driver that managed to beat Busch in a Truck Series race. Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis joined in and said that he would match the bounty due to his confidence in Busch’s abilities.
COVID-19 put the bounty on hold for multiple weeks, but it resumed once the Truck Series got back into action. Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, took part in a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and faced off with Busch and the other Truck Series drivers. Elliott held off a late charge from his fellow Cup driver and took the checkered flag, capturing the bounty in the process. Though Harvick donated the $50,000 to COVID-19 relief efforts, per Yahoo! Sports.
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