Kyle Busch returns this weekend to the place where it all began in 2008 and also continued one year ago – Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), headed to Atlanta for the fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of 2008 aiming to bring home his first win for two new partners – Mars Chocolate North America and Toyota.
After leading a race-high 173 laps, the Las Vegas native captured his first win for Mars’ SNICKERS brand and also the first win in NASCAR’s top series for Toyota, which was in its second year of Sprint Cup competition and its first year with JGR, as was Busch.
The win also marked the end to a 147-race drought for JGR’s No. 18 team, and it was Busch’s first of 25 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins for JGR. Busch has now totaled 114 overall wins among NASCAR’s top three series driving Toyota vehicles – 25 in Sprint Cup, 55 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and 34 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Add 21 overall wins prior to joining JGR at the beginning of 2008 and Busch is at 125 combined Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Truck Series wins and counting.
One year ago this Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, it was déjà vu all over again for Busch and the M&M’s team as he led 36 laps en route to his 100th overall win in a Toyota and his 24th Sprint Cup win with JGR’s No. 18 team.
This weekend, Busch and his entire No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry team will look to add to their winning ways at Atlanta by rolling up their collective sleeves and working on rekindling the magic from a year ago as the series returns for Sunday night’s Oral-B USA 500 Sprint Cup race.
While Mars Chocolate North America will race the M&M’s colors this weekend at Atlanta, its COMBOS® brand will also be busy outside the track in the Fan Zone. Known to be an expert when it comes to combinations, the COMBOS® Brand has been traveling the country throughout the summer testing interesting combinations of objects, people and places with the ultimate goal of determining whether each pairing – or, COMBOS® Curiosity – makes a good or bad combination. This weekend, the brand will put to the test its fifth COMBOS Curiosity – the combination of a fire hydrant and a water gun – to help fans cool off at the Atlanta Motor Speedway Fan Zone. Sunday, COMBOS will ask NASCAR fans who want to cool off to look for The Hydrant Soaker, get sprayed with water and declare via social media if The Hydrant Soaker is a #GoodCombo or #BadCombo.
Fans can join the discussion about good and bad combinations at Facebook.com/COMBOS, or by following the COMBOS® Curiosities in real time at Twitter.com/Combos.
So as the Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta this weekend, Busch and Company will undoubtedly be feeling just a bit nostalgic, recalling their 2008 and 2013 race wins at the 1.5-mile oval as they look to reach yet another milestone at the place where the winning all began.
TSC PR