Kyle Busch won at Pocono in the No. 51 Chevrolet
When Kyle Busch executed a last lap pass on Corey Heim to win Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway it secured the 64th win for the driver and the 100th win for Kyle Busch Motorsports on that tour. The Las Vegas native is the all-time winningest driver on both the Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series while at the same time ranking 9th among past victors in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Busch has amassed a total of 229 wins across NASCAR’s top-three divisions over the course of his career.
Throughout most of his career, detractors have often complained about the fact that the two-time champion at the sport’s top level not only races but frequently wins in the lower divisions. Accusations of an unfair advantage over the regulars in those classes are often levied when Busch succeeds.
Admittedly, I used to be among those who would say that Busch should not enter so many Xfinity and Truck Series events for reasons such as taking prize money away from the regulars, having an unfair technology advantage, and having nothing to prove at those levels. But my views have changed over the years. Now, I have grown to appreciate the greatness and to realize that those other concerns are not actually so concerning at all.
One thing that has helped to change my view is drivers such as Kyle Larson, William Byron and Ty Majeski who often enter dirt and pavement races not related to NASCAR. Some complain that those drivers take purse money away from regulars in races involving Sprint Cars and Late Models on both types of surfaces. But those who oppose entry by such stars often fail to point out that their presence at local short tracks help to add to the fan count which in turn provides promoters with greater freedom host bigger shows.
Larson recently took to Twitter to address the accusation of taking purse money away from the regulars:
Last time I checked I fall into the category of “professional race car driver”. I race for a living just like the rest of them. https://t.co/xUDeZRel2W pic.twitter.com/FkD1pa4NSd
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) June 22, 2023
Busch racing against Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series teams is perhaps even less of an issue than any NASCAR driver entering a Sprint Car or Late Model feature because many of the more competitive teams at those levels receive technical assistance from Cup teams or directly from the manufacturers. And as Larson said, that isn’t necessarily an issue either.
I have come to believe that participation by NASCAR stars in other forms of racing provides more positives than negatives. And in the interest of keeping my own views aligned, my thoughts have come to be the same regarding Kyle Busch racing in the lower divisions as those regarding the likes of Larson and Byron.
I have adopted the opinion that people make too much of Cup drivers competing in the other classes.
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