Kyle Busch s Xfinity Series sweep wasn t as sweet as he hoped.
Busch completed a 5-for-5 sweep of what he says will be his final season in the Xfinity Series with a late recovery at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday. (AP)
Busch knocked teammate Daniel Hemric from the lead with a late push. That cast a pall on what otherwise would have been an ideal way for Busch to say goodbye to NASCAR s second-tier series. It’s not quite the win we were hoping for, Busch said. A little bit of a somber win I guess, not just for it being the last one but for the way it kind of happened.
Kyle Busch takes Xfinity Credit Karma Money 250 in OT thriller
Field Level Media
11 Jul 2021, 10:40 GMT+10
HAMPTON, Ga. Kyle Busch earned his record 102nd NASCAR Xfinity Series race victory Saturday afternoon in the Credit Karma Money 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway - taking the checkered flag in overtime to top a perfect 5-for-5 record in Xfinity starts this season.
The winningest driver in serieshistory proclaimed Saturday s work to be his final curtain call, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion saying he would no longer compete in the Xfinity Series.
Ironically, in what should have been his biggest bow before the fans - his traditional victory celebration - Busch, 36, opted for a more subdued acknowledgement of the win. He placed the flag inside his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Toyota and conceded the win wasn t exactly how he wanted to add to his historic victory tally.
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Kyle Busch celebrates his 102nd Xfinity win in the Winner s Circle at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch said it will be his final race in the Xfinity series.
Staff Photo: Larry Stanford
Kyle Busch takes the checkered flag to win the inaugural Credit Karma Money 250 Xfinity race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Staff Photo: Larry Stanford
The Full Throttle Formation Flying Team did the flyover following the National Anthem at Atlanta Motor Speedway Saturday afternoon.
Staff Photo: Larry Stanford
Kyle Busch couldn t wait to get the race started, moving his No. 54 Extra Gum Toyota to within inches of the pace car on the warmup laps before the race started.
Xfinity Breakdown: Going Out On Top; Kyle Busch Wins No. 102 at Atlanta
His NASCAR Xfinity Series career began on May 24, 2003, at Charlotte Motor Speedway. His first victory was at Richmond Raceway on May 14, 2004. But was Kyle Busch’s 102nd victory in his 362nd career start the final time the 2009 Xfinity Series champion competes in NASCAR’s second-tier division? According to Busch, that very well might be the case.
Unfortunately, the celebration will be more muted than other victories that came before. It showed as Busch did not bow after he took the checkered flag from the NASCAR official in Saturday’s (July 10) Credit Karma Money 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.