LONG POND, PA.: After winning his 100th NASCAR Xfinity Series race last Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway, Kyle Busch will compete in his own team’s equipment in Saturday’s CRC Brakleen 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Pocono Raceway (12 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
This will be Busch’s final Truck Series start of the season. In his first four 2021 races, Busch has won twice and finished second to teammate John Hunter Nemechek twice.
The Truck Series’ career wins leader with 61 victories, Busch is the only multiple winner at Pocono (2015 and 2018) and the only former winner at the Tricky Triangle competing in Saturday’s race. Kyle Busch Motorsports trucks have won five of the last six events at Pocono.
Busch is gratified that the addition of Nemechek to his roster has added to the organization’s critical mass, but Busch is determined to win the rubber match between the drivers on Saturday.
“Did I expect them to do what they’ve been doing? Absolutely,” Busch says. “This was kind of the idea and the reason why we did what we did. Did I think they would have this many Playoff points by this point? Probably not that, but did I think that they would have three wins (actually four)? Certainly.
“Did I think they would beat me twice? No. So we’ve got one more. I told them ‘Don’t screw it up.’ I got to win Pocono, and then he can have the rest of the year. It’s all his.”
As a part-timer in the Truck Series, Busch isn’t running for the championship, but Sunoco rookies Carson Hocevar and Chandler Smith come to Pocono uncomfortably close to the Playoff bubble.
With three races left in the regular season, Hocevar is ninth in the standings and Smith is 10th (the last Playoff-eligible position). Hocevar leads 11th-place Johnny Sauter by 30 points, and Smith is 15 points ahead of the ThorSport Racing driver.
Both rookies are racing for the first time at Pocono in the Truck Series this weekend.
Source: Reid Spencer / NASCAR Wire Service
