Kyle Busch No. 54 Monster Energy NNS Richmond Preview

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In: Xfinity Series News

The No. 54 Monster Energy team looks to swing momentum their way as they enter week 25 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. With only four wins to date this year, the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) unit is now 26 points from the series-leading No. 22 Penske Ford in the NASCAR Owner’s Championship battle. If the Toyota team is going to vie for the top spot this season, another trip to victory lane would jumpstart their climb back into the first-place position. Kyle Busch and his JGR team head towards the season homestretch with this week’s event at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway (RIR), a track where the Las Vegas native has four Nationwide Series victories to his name.

During the fall 2013 Richmond International Raceway event Busch and team posted their 16th top-five finish in 19 races at that point last year, with the No. 54 JGR Monster Energy Camry. Busch and crew fought an ill-handling race car all day and night, from practice early Friday morning when they paced the field 21st quick, through qualifying that afternoon where he secured a seventh-place starting spot with a 21.857 second lap at 123.530 mph. In the main event, Busch raced as high as second-place at one point, but bounced among the top-10 most of the night, to bring home the black and green machine in seventh place.

In the spring 2014 RIR race, the result was not much different with a third-place finish after fighting a car with both loose and tight-handling conditions. It was Busch’s eighth top-five finish in eight starts with his JGR NNS crew this year. Busch was the highest finishing Toyota Racing driver in the spring, his 278th-career start that brought his 158th top-five and 193rd top-10 finish. This Friday, Busch will once again tackle the Virginia short-track from the seat of his black Monster Energy machine, to hopefully accomplish victory at the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 – one that would register as his fourth win this year. 

Busch is no stranger to success on the .75-mile oval, recording eight total wins there across the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. In NASCAR’s premiere Series Busch was the spring event winner at Richmond four seasons in a row, between 2009 and 2012. Likewise in the Nationwide Series, Busch has posted four victories — in the 2009 and 2004 spring events and the 2011 and 2007 fall events. Busch has led a total of 1,721 laps at the Virginia oval, boasting 4 poles, 25 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes.

KBM PR

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