Kyle Busch knows how to win at Bristol Motor Speedway like almost no one else, and when he does, the fans often greet him with a chorus of boos. For the ninth time in his 18-season Cup Series career at the Tennessee short track, he ended up in Victory Lane on Sunday night.
But for the first time, he won on Bristol’s temporary dirt track, and he admittedly stole this win away from the race leaders on the last lap.
On a rainy, muddy night at the .533-mile track, Tyler Reddick was trying to hold on for the first Cup win of his career while trying to hold off a hard-charging Chase Briscoe behind him. The No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet driver led 99 of 250 total laps, but on the last lap as he and Briscoe dove into the final set of turns, things got wild.
Briscoe went to the inside of Reddick, but as Briscoe slid up the track, the back of his car hit Reddick’s, sending them both spinning.
Busch running third took advantage and sped past them to take the checkered flag at NASCAR’s second-ever Bristol dirt race and first in the new Next Gen car. Reddick still managed to finish second, while Briscoe was 22nd.
Wow. Retweet to congratulate Kyle Busch on his win at Bristol! pic.twitter.com/1P4CkhNkYR
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 18, 2022
Although Busch was the surprise winner Sunday, the reaction from the remaining fans in the stands — those left anyway after two rain delays — was anything but, as a soundtrack of boos provided accompanied his on-track post-race interview.
"I feel like Dale Earnhardt Sr. right now … I didn't even do anything." Kyle Busch reacts to the boos at Bristol. pic.twitter.com/uDfJ7nCOix
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 18, 2022
Busch told FOX Sports:
“Yeah, we got one. Doesn’t matter how you get ’em. It’s all about getting ’em. So just can’t say enough. I mean, man, I feel like Dale Earnhardt Sr. right now. This is awesome. I didn’t do anything. …
“Overall, just real pumped to be back. Real pumped to get a win. This one means a lot. I can win on any surface here at Bristol. Bring it on, baby.”
Busch — who won his first race of the 2022 season and is most likely locked into the playoffs because of it — later elaborated on what happened on the last lap and how he stole this win. He said:
“The last few laps I feel like we kind of maintained with them, at least kept them in our windshield in case something did happen.
“There you have it. The final corner there was chaos ensued I guess, then we were able to make it through, steal a win, back into one. Feels good to get one here in this Next Gen race car. Feels good to win on dirt. A lot of caveats.”
Beating Reddick by just 0.330 seconds, the victory marks Busch’s 60th Cup win. He’s ninth on the all-time wins list, first among active drivers and 16 wins away from tying Dale Earnhardt Sr. for eighth. He’s now won a race in each of his 18 seasons, tying Richard Petty’s record streak.
