Kyle Busch was one of Chicagoland Speedway’s most successful NASCAR Cup Series drivers, winning twice and leading more than 500 laps before the track left the schedule after 2019. Here’s a look back at his record as NASCAR returns this weekend.
As the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019, many fans are remembering one of the track’s greatest competitors.
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Since Kyle Busch’s death in May, NASCAR fans have continued searching for stories about the two-time Cup Series champion and revisiting some of the defining moments of his Hall of Fame career. This weekend’s return to Chicagoland provides another opportunity to look back at one of the tracks where Busch consistently ran at the front.
Across 15 Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile oval in Joliet, Illinois, Busch earned two victories, eight top-10 finishes and led an impressive 523 laps, cementing his place among the most successful drivers in Chicagoland history.
Here’s a closer look at Busch’s remarkable record at the Illinois speedway.
Kyle Busch found Victory Lane twice at Chicagoland
Busch wasted little time turning Chicagoland into one of his best tracks.
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His first victory came in July 2008 when he started from the pole, dominated the afternoon by leading a race-high 165 laps and drove his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to Victory Lane.
Ten years later, Busch returned to celebrate again.
After qualifying 16th for the 2018 race, Busch steadily worked his way through the field before taking the lead late and capturing his second Chicagoland victory.
His success extended well beyond those two wins.
Between 2012 and 2018, Busch finished 15th or better in seven consecutive races at Chicagoland. That stretch included a runner-up finish in 2013, fourth place in 2012, seventh in 2014, eighth in 2016 and ninth in 2015. He also won four poles during his career at the track, starting first in 2008, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
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One of Busch’s most memorable Chicagoland performances came in 2015.
Just months after suffering serious leg and foot injuries in the season-opening Xfinity Series race at Daytona, Busch returned to championship form and led 121 laps at Chicagoland before ultimately finishing ninth. He went on to win his first Cup Series championship later that season.
By the time NASCAR left Chicagoland after 2019, Busch had accumulated 523 laps led at the speedway, one of the highest totals of any driver to compete there.
His final Chicagoland race came before the track left the schedule
The Cup Series’ final visit to Chicagoland before its seven-year absence came in June 2019.
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Busch entered the weekend as the defending race winner but never found the same speed that carried him to Victory Lane the previous season. After qualifying 17th, he finished 22nd as Alex Bowman earned the first Cup Series victory of his career.
That race ultimately became Busch’s final Cup Series start at Chicagoland Speedway.
Now, as NASCAR returns to the Illinois oval, Busch’s legacy remains woven into the track’s history. His two victories, three poles, 523 laps led and years spent battling near the front made him one of the defining drivers of Chicagoland’s Cup Series era.
For longtime NASCAR fans, this weekend’s return is more than just another stop on the schedule. It’s also a chance to remember one of the sport’s all-time greats at one of the tracks where he left an unmistakable mark.
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