NASCAR Cup Series: Will Kyle Busch win his third consecutive Richmond race?

Kyle Busch has won both of the last two NASCAR Cup Series races at Richmond Raceway. Will he make it three in a row this weekend?

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch won both of the NASCAR Cup Series races at Richmond Raceway in the 2018 season, meaning that he is set to go for his third consecutive victory at the track in this Saturday night’s race, the Toyota Owners 400.

The last race at the four-turn, 0.75-mile (1.207-kilometer) Richmond Raceway oval in Richmond, Virginia that was won by a driver other than Busch was the September race at the track in the 2017 season, which was won by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson. Busch, meanwhile, finished it in ninth place in his #18 Toyota.

In the April race at Richmond Raceway in the 2018 season, the Toyota Owners 400, Busch qualified in a dismal 32nd place. But by the end of the 402-lap race, he had worked his way to the front of the field. He ended up winning it by 0.511 seconds over Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott in second place after leading only 32 laps.

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The race featured a total of 16 lead changes, and six drivers aside of Busch led at least one lap of the race. Race polesitter Martin Truex Jr. led more laps than anybody else in the field with 121 laps led. Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick led 98 laps, 45 laps and eight laps, respectively, while Team Penske’s Joey Logano led 92 laps and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin led six laps.

In the September round of 16 playoff race at Richmond Raceway in the 2018 season, the Federated Auto Parts 400, Busch qualified in 11th place but was sent to the rear of the field before it started as a result of unapproved adjustments. Once again, he battled his way to the front of the field. After leading 92 of the 400-lap race’s laps, he won it by 0.777 seconds over Harvick, who started the race from the pole position, in second.

The race featured a total of 16 lead changes, and seven drivers aside of Busch led at least one lap of the race. Once again, Truex Jr. led more laps than anybody else in the field with 163 laps led.

Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski led 67 laps while Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Harvick and Aric Almirola led 40 laps and one lap, respectively. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Elliott and Alex Bowman led 34 laps and one lap, respectively, while Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led two laps.

Will Busch earn his third consecutive victory at Richmond Raceway in this Saturday night’s race, or will a driver other than Busch find victory lane at the track for the first time since Larson did so in September of 2017?

While Busch proved that he can win races at Richmond Raceway no matter what position he starts them in, the fact that he had not previously won a race at the track since the April race there in the 2012 season before he won both races there in the 2018 season to end a 10-race win drought at the track leads me to believe that he will not earn his third consecutive victory there this weekend.

That said, expect him to be in the mix for the victory whether he starts from the pole position or in 35th place, especially given the fact that he is on a 10-race top 10 streak going back the penultimate race of last season and the fact that his average finishing position during this 10-race span is an impressive 3.20.

Will Kyle Busch earn his third consecutive victory in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway by winning the race at the track this weekend? This race, the Toyota Owners 400, is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 13, and it is set to be broadcast live on Fox beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, so be sure not to miss it.