Kyle Busch, driver of the #51 Cessna Toyota, celebrates with his son Brexton by placing the Winner’s sticker on his car after winning the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Ultimate Tailgating 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga. – As darkness enveloped Atlanta Motor Speedway, and rain pelted the windshield of his No. 51 Toyota, Kyle Busch patiently waited for word he had sole possession of the all-time victory lead in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

Kyle Busch, driver of the #51 Cessna Toyota, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Ultimate Tailgating 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The record-setting win wouldn’t be quite that easy. After the red flag for rain, NASCAR restarted the race, rather than calling it. Five laps later, after parrying a determined charge from former series champion Johnny Sauter, Busch took the checkered Saturday’s Ultimate Tailgating 200, earning his 52^nd victory and breaking a tie for most all-time with NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr.

“It means a lot,” Busch said. “It’s a big deal for me and a big deal for this team.”

The win was Busch’s fifth in the Truck Series at Atlanta but the first since 2009. Of his 52 triumphs, 16 came in trucks fielded by Billy Ballew before Busch founded his own Kyle Busch Motorsports team and added 36 races to his total (and counting) as an owner/driver.

With Ballew in attendance at Atlanta, Busch’s Tundra carried the former owner’s name on board.

Kyle Busch, driver of the #51 Cessna Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Ultimate Tailgating 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

“I had Billy Ballew on board with us here today,” Busch said after climbing from his truck, with mist putting a wet sheen on Victory Lane. “And Billy’s right over here as well. It took putting Billy Ballew back on my truck to get me a win here, so we might have to make that an annual reoccurrence.

“I slipped getting out (of the truck). It’s a little wet out here, in case y’all didn’t notice.”

Busch, however rued the fact that the race was called as he sat on pit road under the red flag on Lap 121. His teammate and protégé, Harrison Burton, held the second position at the time, but when the race restarted, Burton had the slippery outside lane to deal with and fell to eighth at the finish.

“I wish we could have ended it (then),” Busch said. “I would have rather had Harrison finish second. I’m not sure how far he fell, but he ran a great race today. It was cool to see the No. 18 right up there as well.” 

Kyle Busch, driver of the #51 Cessna Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Ultimate Tailgating 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2019 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The victory Busch’s 195 over all three of NASCAR’s national touring series combined, leaving him just five short of his stated goal of 200. With 92 NASCAR Xfinity victories, Busch also holds the career record in that series.

Sauter got to Busch’s rear bumper right after the final restart on Lap 128 but didn’t feel he could make a winning move.

“I just didn’t think I could get it there,” said Sauter, who returned to ThorSport Racing for the 2019 season. “I’m bummed, because I thought I timed it right, and I was pushing him, and he was doing a good job of blocking, and I just didn’t think I could get there.

“It’s a good start, though. I’m happy with the effort. We just need a little bit more. When I go back and watch the replay, I hope I’m not kicking myself in the butt for not making that move to the top, but honestly, at that point I didn’t feel like I could get it done.”

Grant Enfinger, Sauter’s ThorSport teammate, ran third, followed by reigning series champion Brett Moffitt and Ben Rhodes. Ross Chastain and last week’s Daytona winner, Austin Hill, came home sixth and seventh, respectively.

Media Center Interviews:

Kyle Busch and crew chief Ryan Fugle – 

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race – 11th Running Ultimate Tailgating 200

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Hampton, Georgia

Saturday, February 23, 2019

               1. (7)  Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 130.

               2. (12)  Johnny Sauter, Ford, 130.

               3. (5)  Grant Enfinger, Ford, 130.

               4. (3)  Brett Moffitt, Chevrolet, 130.

               5. (6)  Ben Rhodes, Ford, 130.

               6. (21)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 130.

               7. (1)  Austin Hill, Toyota, 130.

               8. (2)  Harrison Burton #, Toyota, 130.

               9. (11)  Todd Gilliland, Toyota, 130.

               10. (14)  Timothy Peters, Chevrolet, 130.

               11. (15)  Tyler Dippel #, Chevrolet, 130.

               12. (4)  Sheldon Creed #, Chevrolet, 130.

               13. (29)  Brennan Poole, Toyota, 130.

               14. (10)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 130.

               15. (22)  Gus Dean #, Chevrolet, 130.

               16. (28)  Cory Roper, Ford, 130.

               17. (27)  Anthony Alfredo #, Toyota, 130.

               18. (9)  Stewart Friesen, Chevrolet, 130.

               19. (20)  Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 130.

               20. (26)  Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 130.

               21. (31)  Korbin Forrister, Chevrolet, 130.

               22. (25)  Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 130.

               23. (23)  Jesse Little, Ford, 130.

               24. (16)  Natalie Decker #, Toyota, 127.

               25. (18)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 126.

               26. (19)  Ray Ciccarelli, Chevrolet, 125.

               27. (17)  Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, Accident, 118.

               28. (30)  Chad Finley, Chevrolet, Accident, 117.

               29. (32)  Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Steering, 82.

               30. (13)  Josh Reaume, Toyota, Engine, 78.

               31. (24)  Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 53.

               32. (8)  Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, Accident, 50.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  112.648 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 46 Mins, 38 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.932 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  6 for 30 laps.

Lead Changes:  10 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   A. Hill 0;H. Burton # 1;M. Crafton 2-5;K. Busch(i) 6-43;G. Enfinger 44-47;K. Busch(i) 48-53;J. Sauter 54-57;B. Rhodes 58-77;K. Busch(i) 78-87;J. Sauter 88-92;K. Busch(i) 93-130.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Kyle Busch(i) 4 times for 92 laps; Ben Rhodes 1 time for 20 laps; Johnny Sauter 2 times for 9 laps; Matt Crafton 1 time for 4 laps; Grant Enfinger 1 time for 4 laps; Harrison Burton # 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 51,18,98,13,16,99,4,88,52,45

Stage #2 Top Ten: 51,99,18,13,24,16,45,98,88,2