NASCAR: Is Kyle Busch really going to call it quits?
By Asher Fair
Kyle Busch is now a 100-time NASCAR Xfinity Series race winner. Does this mean that this is the end for him at the sport’s second highest level?
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch extended his NASCAR Xfinity Series winning streak two Saturday afternoons ago at Nashville Superspeedway, and he is now three for three this season after holding off JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier for the win in overtime.
He won at Circuit of the Americas in late May before winning at Texas Motor Speedway in mid-June, and he took the checkered flag in the first Xfinity Series race at the four-turn, 1.333-mile (2.145-kilometer) oval in Lebanon, Tennessee since 2011.
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As a result, Busch now has 100 career Xfinity Series victories to his name, a number that he has long said would lead him to step away from driving at NASCAR’s second highest level.
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Every year, Busch competes in as many Xfinity Series races as he is allowed to compete in. NASCAR’s restrictions on full-time Cup Series drivers with at least five years of experience limit him to five races per year.
So he still has two more starts scheduled for the remainder of the 2021 season, and this hasn’t changed; he isn’t going to not compete in these two races simply because he has already reached a triple-digit win total.
The 36-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native is set to compete in the Henry 180 at Road America on Saturday, July 3, and he is set to compete in the Credit Karma Money 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 10.
But what about beyond his fifth start of the 2021 season? Is that it for Busch?
Busch told Beyond the Flag before securing his 100th victory that returning next year depended on whether or not he was needed by Joe Gibbs Racing to drive their additional car. He noted that there had already been discussions.
“I’ve said before, if they need me to come back and run a race here or there then I would do it to help Joe (Gibbs) out if he needed to evaluate his equipment or help the team in any way,” he said. “Joe has some things sold for me already for 2022, so we’ll talk about that and see what happens.”
But after securing his 100th victory, he noted that there may not actually be anything sold for next year. Here is what he had to say, according to The Tennessean.
"“I haven’t necessarily had those discussions with Joe or (Dave Alpern, president of Joe Gibbs Racing), but my understanding is this might be it — two more (races this season). There may not be anything sold next year. So this might be it. Finish out this year and peace out.”"
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Indeed, there is nothing sold for next year, and that doesn’t look like it is going to change. And Busch is okay if his start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a few weeks ends up being his 362nd and final start in the Xfinity Series. But even if it isn’t, his days of running as many races as he is allowed to run in the series are over.