NASCAR: Kyle Busch can tie a major Richard Petty record
By Asher Fair
Kyle Busch enters the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season in position to potentially tie the great Richard Petty for a major all-time record.
Two seasons ago, it looked as though Kyle Busch may be headed for his first winless season in the NASCAR Cup Series since he became a full-time driver.
He had won at least one race in each year from 2005 to 2019, but 33 races into the 36-race 2020 campaign, he had not yet taken a checkered flag.
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However, despite no longer being in championship contention following his round of 12 elimination, Busch earned a fuel mileage victory at Texas Motor Speedway in late October to extend his winning streak to 16 consecutive seasons.
This victory tied him for third place on the all-time list of consecutive winning seasons with three drivers: Ricky Rudd (1983 to 1998), Rusty Wallace (1986 to 2001) and Jimmie Johnson (2002 to 2017).
Had his streak ended at 15, he would have stayed tied for sixth place on that list with three drivers: Darrell Waltrip (1975 to 1989), Dale Earnhardt (1982 to 1996) and Tony Stewart (1999 to 2013).
Unlike in 2020, it did not take Busch long to find victory lane in 2021.
He won at Kansas Speedway in early May before adding a victory at Pocono Raceway in late June, making the 2021 season his 17th consecutive winning campaign.
The first of these two victories tied him for second place on the all-time list with David Pearson (1964 to 1980), and it positioned him to tie the all-time record of 18 in 2022.
One win for the 36-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native throughout the upcoming 36-race season would tie Busch with the great Richard Petty, whose record streak in this category lasted from 1960 to 1977. Interestingly, Petty won at least two races in each of these 18 seasons.
When Petty went on this run, he became the all-time leader in this statistic in 1973 when he won the Daytona 500, making this season his 14th straight winning season.
Before this, the record had belonged to Lee Petty, his father. Lee won at least one race from 1949 to 1961, giving him 13 straight winning seasons.
Lee Petty’s streak is now tied for 11th on the all-time list.
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The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 20 with the 64th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Will Busch tie Petty’s record by winning the “Great American Race” for what would be the first time in 17 tries? Make sure to begin your free trial of FuboTV today!