Rowdy Victorious in Bullring Homecoming

Returning to the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 3/8-mile oval where he cut his racing teeth, two-time and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch won the Star Nursery 100 Super Late Model race on Thursday night.

 

Busch qualified eighth, but after a pill draw started the 100-lap event from the sixth position. In the opening quarter of the race, Busch remained near his starting position as four cautions slowed the early going. By lap 50, the Las Vegas native had maneuvered his Rowdy Energy Camry to the third position. After a lap-58 restart Busch would engage in a feverish battle with West Coast Super Late Model stalwart Derek Thorn, but captured the lead for good on lap 65 and remained out front for the final 35 laps of the event.

 

Sammy Smith in KBM’s other entry, started third and finished fifth. 

 

 

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 51 Rowdy Energy Camry

 

What does it mean to win a Super Late Model event at the track where you grew up racing?

“It’s been a long time since I’ve won here — a really long time. I certainly want to give a shout out to the Rowdy Nation fans that are always there to support me, all the ones from the Bullring days back when I was a kid. My mom and dad and my wife and my son now — my, how times have changed.”

 

You didn’t have a lot of speed in practice and qualifying, what did it take to win tonight?

“I worked my guys butts off these last few days — it’s a good thing I had a lot of Rowdy Energy to keep them going. Appreciate everyone at KBM, Rowdy Manufacturing, Toyota and TRD – our Rowdy Energy Camry was super-fast once we got into the second-half of the race tonight. Always enjoy battling with Derek Thorn — he’s the guy to beat out here on the west coast and I knew that if we were going to win tonight it was going to be him that we were battling. Hopefully we put on a good show for my hometown fans.”

 

KBM PR