Winningest driver in NASCAR Truck Series history notches 62nd win in his 165th career start.
Chris GraythenGetty ImagesNASCAR rules can keep Kyle Busch off the grid for most of its Camping World Truck Series races, but they can’t do much to keep him from victory lane once he gets out there with his self-owned No. 51 Toyota.
Busch led four times for 45 of the 75 laps in winning Saturday afternoon’s DoorDash 250-K on the road course at Sonoma Raceway in California’s Napa Valley. It was his record-extending 62nd career Truck Series victory, his first in a truck at Sonoma, and his first in five starts this season. By rule, that’s all he can run until next season. The fairly easy victory extended his Truck Series winning streak to 10 consecutive seasons.
The two-time Cup Series champion was almost untouchable all day, but he still had to survive three late cautions and restarts, including the last restart with three laps remaining after a 13-minute red flag for a multi-truck accident. He easily pulled away to beat Zane Smith, Ty Majeski, Ross Chastain, Chandler Smith, Carson Hocevar (with relief help from Daniel Suarez), Parker Kligerman, John Hunter Nemechek, Tyler Ankrum, and Matt DiBenedetto.
With the win Kyle Busch extended a streak of 10 consecutive years with at least one NASCAR Truck Series win.
Chris GraythenGetty Images
Chastain, Majeski, Busch, and Grant Enfinger swapped the lead five times in the first 25 laps before Busch took over. Once in the lead for the second time at lap 26, he led in segments of 18, 15, and the final 11 laps. The only six laps he didn’t lead during that stretch were as pit stops cycled through. He won by 1.176 seconds after Majeski and Ben Rhodes had won the first and second stages. The race was slowed six times for 17 caution laps.
Saturday’s show was the first for the Camping World series at Sonoma since October of 1998, when Boris Said beat Mike Bliss, Tony Raines, Joe Ruttman, and Jimmy Hensley. Several drivers on this weekend’s 38-truck grid weren’t even born then, and nobody who raced on Saturday had ever raced a truck there. Seven drivers – Busch, Chastain, DiBenedetto, Kligerman, Todd Bodine, Alex Bowman, and Austin Dillon – had Cup experience on the road course in recent years.
The 75-lap, 150-mile race was the 12th in the 23-race CWTS schedule and its sixth in a row, dating to Darlington on May 6. Its unusual string of eight consecutive races continues at Knoxville, Iowa next weekend and Nashville, Tenn. on June 24 before its next break, the weekend of July 2-3.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race
Inaugural DoorDash 250
Sonoma Raceway
Saturday’s Results
1. (3) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 75.
2. (13) Zane Smith, Ford, 75.
3. (4) Ty Majeski, Toyota, 75.
4. (2) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 75.
5. (14) Chandler Smith, Toyota, 75.
6. (1) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 75.
7. (11) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 75.
8. (7) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 75.
9. (5) Tyler Ankrum, Toyota, 75.
10. (12) Matt DiBenedetto, Chevrolet, 75.
11. (8) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 75.
12. (23) Harrison Burton(i), Ford, 75.
13. (27) Tanner Gray, Ford, 75.
14. (20) Kaz Grala, Chevrolet, 75.
15. (25) Chase Purdy, Toyota, 75.
16. (28) Jack Wood #, Chevrolet, 75.
17. (16) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 75.
18. (17) Ben Rhodes, Toyota, 75.
19. (22) Colby Howard, Chevrolet, 75.
20. (31) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 75.
21. (29) Blaine Perkins #, Chevrolet, 75.
22. (32) Brad Perez, Toyota, 75.
23. (36) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 75.
24. (33) Dean Thompson #, Chevrolet, 75.
25. (19) Lawless Alan #, Chevrolet, 75.
26. (30) Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 75.
27. (15) Derek Kraus, Chevrolet, 74.
28. (21) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 73.
29. (6) Alex Bowman(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 71.
30. (26) Josh Bilicki(i), Toyota, Accident, 70.
31. (10) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, Accident, 70.
32. (9) Hailie Deegan, Ford, Accident, 66.
33. (34) Jade Buford(i), Toyota, Transmission, 61.
34. (24) Matt Crafton, Toyota, Transmission, 54.
35. (18) Christian Eckes, Toyota, Accident, 26.
36. (35) Stefan Parsons(i), Toyota, Oil Cooler, 9.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 68.612 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 10 Mins, 31 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.176 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 6 for 17 laps.
Lead Changes: 10 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Hocevar 0;R. Chastain(i) 1-16;K. Busch(i) 17;T. Majeski 18-21;G. Enfinger 22;R. Chastain(i) 23-25;K. Busch(i) 26-43;B. Rhodes 44-46;K. Busch(i) 47-61;B. Rhodes 62-64;K. Busch(i) 65-75.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Kyle Busch(i) 4 times for 45 laps; Ross Chastain(i) 2 times for 19 laps; Ben Rhodes 2 times for 6 laps; Ty Majeski 1 time for 4 laps; Grant Enfinger 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 66,16,4,23,75,25,19,38,20,1
Stage #2 Top Ten: 99,18,61,02,42,20,56,40,1,62
Keyword: Two-time NASCAR Cup Champ Kyle Busch Toys with Truck Regulars at Sonoma