NASCAR: Will the Kyle Busch bounties help the Truck Series?

Kyle Busch now has two separate bounties on him in the NASCAR Truck Series. How will this affect all the parties involved?

Kyle Busch loves to win. He doesn’t care if it is in the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Truck Series, or even Late Models.

We’ve seen a lot of fans criticize him for racing in the Truck Series, especially because he has won his last seven starts.

In case you’ve been under a rock, Kevin Harvick recently put up a $50,000 bounty for any full-time Cup Series driver who can beat Kyle Busch in any of his remaining four Truck Series starts this season at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 14, Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday, March 20, Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, March 27 and Kansas Speedway on Friday, May 30.

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It was then raised to $100,000 when Gander RV & Outdoors CEO Marcus Lemonis matched Harvick’s bounty. Drivers have expressed interest, and as of now, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson both have confirmed rides with GMS Racing. Elliott is set to compete at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway while Larson is set to compete at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The playing field is even.

Additionally, Chris Larsen, the majority owner of the Halmar Friesen Racing #52 team, has put up a $50,000 bounty of his own, but for any Truck Series regular who can beat Busch and win the race, assuming Busch finishes.

These bounties have come at a good time, as all sides win here.

First of all, the fans. Some fans may continue to watch the Truck Series depending on what happens at the beginning of the year.

Remember, Busch won all five of his starts last year, and the majority of fans can’t stand it when a Cup Series driver is in the minor leagues winning races. Patience, friends; just survive until the end of May, and then you can watch the regulars battle it out.

Second of all, the drivers. They love racing for money. Who doesn’t love money? You’ve seen it in all three series: the Winston No Bull in the late 1990s to early 2000s, the All-Star Race for $1 million, the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash and the Triple Truck Challenge.

In the end, they’re racing for wins. If this comes down to a battle for the checkered flag, which is likely since Busch has won or finished in second place in his last 10 Truck Series starts, expect some more greedy drivers to make bold moves without trying to wreck.

Third of all, the broadcasters. The fact that there will be more Cup Series drivers competing and the fact that a bounty has been put on the dominant Busch is undoubtedly going to increase ratings. With all the talk on social media from drivers, fans, pundits, etc., this race should definitely get fans’ rear ends in the seats with higher attendance and increased viewership.

If none of the Cup Series drivers can beat Busch, Harvick and Lemonis will donate their money to Kyle and Samantha Busch’s Bundle of Joy Fund, an organization that helps couples who deal with fertility issues.

After the first two races of the season, we still have some questions to be answered aside of the bounty as well. Will Johnny Sauter continue his series-long streak of five top 10 finishes that goes back to last season? Will Stewart Friesen have a better weekend? Will Kyle Busch Motorsports get up to the front with someone other than Busch? What about Ty Majeski’s slow start to the season?

The next NASCAR Truck Series race is scheduled to take place at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 14. The Georgia 200 is set to go green at 1:30 pm ET on Fox Sports 1.