Kyle Busch: Looking to Continue No. 18 Team’s Resurgence

Owner-driver Kyle Busch returns to the seat of the Dollar General Tundra Friday night for the Truck Series finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway. The team comes into this weekend’s event riding the momentum of Brian Scott’s win last weekend at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway, the first for the No. 18 team this season after leading the series in wins in each of its first two campaigns. Busch’s third-year Truck Series program, which finished first in the Owner’s points in its inaugural season and followed that with a runner-up finish last season, has recovered from a slow start to the 2012 season to put itself in a position to finish in the top-five in Owner’s points for the third straight year.

 

Misfortunes plagued the No. 18 Tundra in three of the first four races of the season – an early-race crash at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, engine failure on lap 19 at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway and then running out of fuel and losing two laps at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City – and the team found itself ranked 24th in the Owner’s point standings heading into the fifth race of the season at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

 

Since the Kansas race, the No. 18 Dollar General Racing team has scored 640 owner’s points, which ties it the with the No. 22 Richard Childress Racing team for the most during that 17-race period. Scott’s win at Phoenix marked the eighth straight top-10 finish for KBM’s flagship Tundra and the 14th over the last 15 races. Amazingly, crew chief Eric Phillips and his crew have orchestrated their resurgence with seven different drivers behind the wheel, each registering at least one top-10 finish.

 

With Scott’s win last weekend at Phoenix and Denny Hamlin’s win in the No. 51 Tundra two weeks ago at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, KBM enters this weekend’s Truck Series finale having collected victories in two of the last three races. The boss looks to get in on the act this weekend in the series finale and make it three out of four for his Truck Series program. Busch’s goal – as always – will be to sit on the pole, lead the most laps and end the night in victory lane. Then, with maximum points, hope his team has done enough to overcome a six point deficit it currently faces for the coveted fifth-spot in the Owner’s standings.

 

KBM PR