This week the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) will compete in the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, a 2.45-mile, 11-turn road-course, their second ‘left and right-turn’ event of the year. Kyle Busch has piloted the No. 54 Monster Energy Nationwide Series car 15 times this season which has yielded eight wins, five pole positions, 13 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes, but has yet to try his hand on a road-course in the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) NNS Toyota.
In June, Australian driver Owen Kelly traveled with the JGR team to their first non-oval event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc. where they accomplished a fourth-place result, their 11th top-five finish in 14 races of the season. The No. 54 team hopes to improve on that finish Saturday, this time working together with their veteran Monster Energy athlete.
Among six career races at the Glen in the Nationwide Series, Busch has not recorded a win, but does maintain four top-five and five top-10 finishes along with 90 laps led. JGR statistics in the Nationwide Series at the New York facility are missing a win and a pole, but across 21 races, include six top-five finishes, nine top-10 finishes and 87 laps led.
The No. 54 Monster Energy team’s crew chief Adam Stevens recorded a steady top-five result in 2011 with then JGR driver Joey Logano. Stevens and the eight-time 2013 winning Toyota team look to achieve that first win for the JGR Nationwide shop and with Busch, a bridesmaid twice at the Glen, hoping to sip area wine from a victory chalice, this time around.
KBM/JGR PR
