Page 56 - 2019_NPPG_digital copy

KYLE BUSCH

Birth Date: May 2, 1985 Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Team: No. 18 Toyota Camry Coupe / Joe Gibbs Racing

Although he had eight victories last year, Kyle Busch didn’t win the 2018
2018 FEATURED DRIVERS The 33-year-old driver from Las Vegas continued to establish high marks
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ championship. But the Joe Gibbs
Racing driver didn’t go away without a fight.

on the race track, from the premier series down through both the NASCAR
Xfinity and NASCAR GANDER OUTDOORS Truck series.
Busch, the younger brother of 2004 Cup series champion Kurt Busch, led
the championship-deciding finale at the Homestead-Miami Speedway last
year with 15 laps remaining. He battled finding grip all day, and it caught
up with him when Martin Truex Jr. easily passed him on the restart. Joey
Logano also passed – and went on to win the race and the championship
– as the driver known as “Rowdy” faded to a fourth-place finish in the race
– and in points.

Busch tied Kevin Harvick with a series-best eight wins in 2018, the fourth FOLLOW ONLINE
consecutive year he has posted multiple wins in the top series and the
10th time in his career. He also had four pole awards.
@KYLEBUSCH @ROWDYBUSCH
He enters the 2019 season, his 15th as a full-time competitor after getting
his start in 2004 with six races for Hendrick Motorsports and despite
missing 11 races due to injury in 2015 – though he defied incredible odds kylebusch.com
and came back to win the ‘15 championship.
It’s expected.
With 498 career starts, his 51 career wins is second among active drivers,
trailing only seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, who has 83. Those odds only increase with the return of crew chief Adam Stevens,
His top-five (183) and top-10 marks (269) are second and third overall, overseer of the team since 2015. Together, he and Busch have
respectively, among active drivers, and he carries the second-best win celebrated 22 wins and one championship in the premier series. But
percentage (10.2) in the series to Johnson (13.5). Stevens is no newcomer atop the pit box. He served as Xfinity Series
crew chief at JGR before heading up the No. 18 team, winning 31
Equally impressive is his success in the Xfinity and GANDER races with four drivers – Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Busch and Sam
OUTDOORS Truck series. His 92 career victories in Xfinity and 51 in Hornish Jr.
trucks give him 194 total wins across NASCAR’s three premier series.
If there’s a calming voice for the group, it’s Stevens, who rarely lets
The 92 victories in Xfinity are the most in series history – and 43 more his emotions determine his actions or the actions of his team.
than second-best Mark Martin, while his truck victories are tied with Hall of
Fame driver Ron Hornaday for first. Like many, Busch knows a championship put him in a select group
of elite drivers, but a second championship will elevate his place in
When the roster of championship favorites is jotted down before the the sport’s history. In fact, Johnson is the only active driver in the Cup
season begins, Busch’s name surfaces on nearly everyone’s list. And series with more than one championship.
when the list of title contenders becomes official later this year with the
announcement of the 16-team field, it’s just as likely Busch’s name will be “There’s been a lot of great champions in our sport, and many of them
there, too. only have that one championship,” he said. “I think it would solidify the
first in making your history in this sport.”
That he has made it to the Championship 4 at Homestead for four
consecutive years also speaks to the strength and talents of the No. 18 Given another solid finish, expect a strong start in 2019 from the driver
team. After winning the championship in 2015 by winning the race – Busch many consider the most talented in the series today.
has finished third, second and fourth. A return to the head table in 2019
isn’t out of the question. More wins and more titles await.

56 THE OFFICIAL NASCAR 2019 PREVIEW & PRESS GUIDE