Kyle Busch Pulls Away Late for Fontana Victory

By Noah Nelson

Kyle Busch is undeniably one of the greatest wheelmen that stock car racing has ever seen, but few predicted such a hot start for Richard Childress Racing’s newest driver. After fifteen years at Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch moved to the #8 team for 2023, joining an organization that had just recently found their footing after only managing four wins between 2014 and 2021. Busch showed great speed at the pre-season exhibition race in Los Angeles, and was one lap away from potentially winning his first Daytona 500, but today he was finally able to capitalize and bring home his first win of the 2023 season.

Leading 27 laps, Busch cruised to the victory after taking the lead from the dominant Ross Chastain just before the final round of green flag pit stops. Chastain, who led 91 laps and won both stages, settled in for third behind Busch and Chase Elliott. Chastain’s teammate Daniel Suarez brought it home in fourth, while hometown hero Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five in his final Fontana start.

Busch, who rebounded from a lap 42 pit-road speeding penalty, emerged from his car to many cheers from the crowd, a deviation from the boos that he typically received over the years. Busch, seemingly relieved to finally win with his new team, expressed his appreciation for his #8 crew. It was his first win on an asphalt track since Pocono in 2021.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than being able to go to victory lane. It ranks high. I never doubted myself. You kind of get down and wonder what’s going on and what’s happening. You put yourself in a different situation. It’s awesome to be able to reward my guys,” said Busch.

With his victory, Busch broke his tie with Richard Petty for most consecutive seasons with a victory, standing alone at the top with 19 consecutive seasons with at least one win.

The race was marred by visibility concerns and a ten-car accident in stage two that took out several contenders, such as pole-sitter Christopher Bell (32nd) and Tyler Reddick (34th).

“You can’t see what’s going on,” Bell said. “You are just going off the guy in front of you, and all of sudden he slows down and I got into him, and other guys got into me.”

Mechanical issues plagued several big names, with Kyle Larson (29th) and Bubba Wallace (30th) falling victim to engine woes after showing speed early.

Busch’s team radio said, “Welcome to RCR baby. First of many,” as he crossed the line. The off-season questions about whether Busch could win in year one were put to rest as he sailed to victory under cloudy California skies. With the speed shown by the #8 team, there is no doubt that they are already emerging as an early-season title contender.

The NASCAR cup series continues their West Coast tour on March 5th at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where defending race-winner Alex Bowman looks to continue his strong start to 2023.

Race Results from the Pala Casino 400: