NASCAR: Kyle Busch just one win away from retirement?

By Asher Fair | Jun 18, 2021

Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, NASCAR (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /

Kyle Busch secured his 99th career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, bringing him to within one of his goal.

The all-time winningest driver in NASCAR Xfinity Series history (by far) added to his career win total on Saturday afternoon at Texas Motor Speedway in the Alsco Uniforms 250 Powered by Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.

After winning his first start of the season at Circuit of the Americas last month, Kyle Busch continued his winning ways in the Lone Star State on Saturday afternoon, leading 94 of the 171 laps around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Fort Worth and taking the checkered flag by 0.433 seconds over JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier in second place after starting in 14th.

Must Read. Dale Earnhardt Jr. still annoys Martin Truex Jr.. light

The driver of the #54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is now two for two this season, bringing him to 99 career victories in the series.

That number would be 100 if his win at Texas Motor Speedway would have counted last July; his #54 Toyota failed post-race inspection and he was disqualified.

More from Xfinity Series

Instead, it is still one shy of 100, and Busch is set make his first attempt at becoming the first driver in Xfinity Series history to hit triple-digit wins by competing in the Tennessee Lottery 250 at Nashville Superspeedway this Sunday, June 19.

Busch, who actually won at the four-turn, 1.333-mile (2.145-kilometer) oval in Lebanon, Tennessee back in 2009, two years before it was removed from the Xfinity Series calendar, has long said that he will retire from Xfinity Series competition once he secures his 100th victory.

He has said it over and over again and has no plans to walk back what he has said. He stated the following in November 2019.

"“Yeah, I’ve said it over and over again. I would be there by now and I would have been out of it by now but apparently NASCAR and the fans love me there so much they keep make limitations on keeping me there. I’ve also said that I’ll get to 100 and then I don’t need to be there. That’s just kind of a number I would like to get to.”"

Due to NASCAR’s restrictions on full-time Cup Series drivers with at least five years of experience, Busch is limited to five Xfinity Series starts per season, hence the “fans love me there so much” joke he made, knowing how irritated some fans still get when he competes.

The 36-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native entered this year with 97 career wins, and he is still set to compete at Road America and Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 3 and Saturday, July 10, respectively, in addition to his start at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon.

Busch is set to compete in all three races regardless of whether or not he secures career win number 100 in his next start. But as successful as Busch has been in the Xfinity Series, the possibility of him securing his 100th win as soon as next weekend was never seen as the most likely outcome.

Interestingly, in 18 seasons of Xfinity Series competition entering 2021, Busch had never won 60% of his starts in a single season.

He had come close, winning at least 50% of his starts on three occasions (2016, 2017 and 2019), but his highest single-season winning percentage was 58.82% (10 for 17) in the 2016 season. He went five for 10 (50%) in 2017 and four for seven (57.14%) in 2019.

Now two for two this season with three more starts on his schedule, he needs just one more win to lock up at least a career-high 60% winning percentage — and, of course, retirement from NASCAR’s second highest level of competition once the season concludes.

Next. Top 25 IndyCar drivers of all-time. dark

Be sure to tune in to NBC Sports Network at 3:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, June 19 for the live broadcast of the Tennessee Lottery 250 from Nashville Superspeedway. Will Busch secure his 100th career Xfinity Series win in this race?

Home/Xfinity Series