NASCAR star Kyle Busch has made it clear through the years he’s not the biggest fan of unpredictable superspeedway tracks like the one in Talladega.
He has shined there anyway, with two Cup Series wins and eight top-five finishes. He also has won an Xfinity race at Talladega and twice in the Truck Series.
How much longer will Talladega see Busch come to town to test himself against the track he loves to hate? Busch, who turns 40 on May 2, hinted about retirement in a recent news conference.
“It was a consideration three years ago,” Busch said, according to Fox Sports. “I think daily, you kind of work through those things and those thoughts and where you want to be and what you want to do.
“But when you’re still out here being able to enjoy what you’re doing, working with your team and continuing to try to improve (Richard Childress Racing) and improve the program and get it to where we all want it and put ourselves in victory lane, we’re going to keep working at it.”
Busch is set to race Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway at the Jack Link’s 500. This is his 40th Cup race at the venerable track.
He won at Talladega in 2023 in a year in which he also won at Fontana and Gateway. He hasn’t won on the Cup circuit since.
“The strategy to superspeedway racing has entirely changed,” Busch said. “The fuel save action and what you have to do to try to prolong your time on track, to cut your time on pit road, to do the leapfrog strategy is what we call it. It is really different.”
He’s learned not to drive as aggressively.
“I would say we all want to go out there and run as hard as we can, as fast as we can, pass and mix it up and do all that sort of stuff,” he said. “But a lot of times it’s just better and it’s easier and it’s safer to just ride in line, part throttle and save fuel. So it’s definitely a whole new arena that we’ve got to get used to, of what speedway racing is.”
Drafting is still a big deal, he said.
“Honestly, the energy in the draft now is not necessarily coming from ahead of you, it’s more so coming from behind you,” he said. “Two, three, four, five cars behind you is where that energy really develops, and you get pushed forward from that energy. So, the draft is different than what it used to be.
“Years ago, you would suck up to the guy in front of you and slingshot past him and make him move that way. Now, you’re really relying on everything happening behind you and building from behind.”
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