{"id":34472,"date":"2021-05-22T22:21:39","date_gmt":"2021-05-23T03:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=34472"},"modified":"2021-05-22T22:27:55","modified_gmt":"2021-05-23T03:27:55","slug":"kyle-busch-conquers-cota-for-98th-nascar-xfinity-series-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2021\/05\/22\/kyle-busch-conquers-cota-for-98th-nascar-xfinity-series-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyle Busch conquers COTA for 98th NASCAR Xfinity Series victory"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Skittles Gummies Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of The Americas on May 22, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

Kyle Busch essentially went to school Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Xfinity Series to learn the Circuit of the Americas road course in preparation for Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series race there. The result, however, was that Busch absolutely schooled the field \u2013 earning an 11-second victory in the Pit Boss 250, NASCAR\u2019s Xfinity Series debut on the famed Austin circuit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Skittles Gummies Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of The Americas on May 22, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

It marked the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion\u2019s record 98th win in the Xfinity Series. His No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led a race-best 36-of-46 laps. No other driver led more than three laps at the 3.41-mile 20-turn circuit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really really cool to come here for the first race at a new track and to win,\u2019\u2019 Busch said. \u201cReal proud of the effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the biggest thing is just all the resources and stuff we have and being able to get laps on the track today, feel the tire, everything like that and then being able to get back out there tomorrow and do everything all over again tomorrow with the Cup car.,\u2019\u2019 the Las Vegas native added. \u201cThanks to Toyota and TRD, we\u2019ve got some really cool tools we\u2019ve been able to use and I feel like it was a plus for us today.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Skittles Gummies Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of The Americas on May 22, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

NASCAR Xfinity Series championship contender A.J. Allmendinger \u2013 one of NASCAR\u2019s best on road courses \u2013 finished second to Busch. Justin Allgaier placed third. Another NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kevin Harvick was fourth, also getting some laps in preparation for Sunday\u2019s race. NASCAR Xfinity Series championship leader Austin Cindric was fifth.<\/p>\n

Harrison Burton, Cup regulars Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick and Allmendinger\u2019s Kaulig Racing teammates Justin Haley and Jeb Burton rounded out the Top 10.<\/p>\n

Allmendinger and Haley won Stage 1 and Stage 2, respectively. Championship contenders, they opted to stay on track and earn the points rather than join in Busch\u2019s strategy of pitting just prior to the stage breaks. What he conceded in points, he made up for winning the inaugural trophy.<\/p>\n

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Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Skittles Gummies Toyota, leads the field during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of The Americas on May 22, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The only laps Busch, 36, didn\u2019t lead were when he pitted or when he made a brief rally after stage breaks. Following the first stage break, for example, he restarted fourth and was leading the field two laps later.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s shocking, Kyle Busch is actually pretty good,\u2019\u2019 Allmendinger said smiling. \u201cIt\u2019s always fun to race Kyle. Did everything we could, got a stage win, got a lot of points and finished second. That was as good as we were going to do.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

The victory marked the 17th season Busch has won an Xfinity Series race and the 27th different NASCAR track where he has hoisted a trophy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kyle Busch, driver of the #54 Skittles Gummies Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of The Americas on May 22, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

While the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, held hours earlier, had some light rain and was run on rain tires, the weather had cleared nicely by the drop of the Xfinity Series green flag. The vast majority of the field opted to pit for slicks (dry tires) during the parade laps and by the race\u2019s midpoint, it was a sunny afternoon.<\/p>\n

Busch will have a chance to earn another COTA victory when he competes in the inaugural EchoPark Texas Grand Prix (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) tomorrow at the Austin course.<\/p>\n

The Xfinity Series next races, Saturday May 29 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Alsco Uniforms 300 (1 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

Interviews:<\/h3>\n

NASCAR Xfinity Series Post-Race: Second-place finisher AJ Allmendinger (No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet), race winner Kyle Busch (No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/NXSCOTAPostRace052221.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Inaugural Pit Boss 250<\/b><\/p>\n

Circuit of The Americas<\/b><\/p>\n

Austin, Texas<\/b><\/p>\n

Saturday, May 22, 2021<\/b><\/p>\n

1. (1)  Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 46.<\/p>\n

2. (7)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

3. (9)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

4. (12)  Kevin Harvick(i), Ford, 46.<\/p>\n

5. (8)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 46.<\/p>\n

6. (10)  Harrison Burton, Toyota, 46.<\/p>\n

7. (3)  Cole Custer(i), Ford, 46.<\/p>\n

8. (5)  Tyler Reddick(i), Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

9. (6)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

10. (11)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

11. (35)  Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

12. (21)  Brett Moffitt, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

13. (17)  Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

14. (22)  Preston Pardus, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

15. (18)  Jade Buford, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

16. (29)  Riley Herbst, Ford, 46.<\/p>\n

17. (19)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 46.<\/p>\n

18. (13)  Andy Lally, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

19. (16)  Spencer Pumpelly, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

20. (4)  Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

21. (23)  Myatt Snider, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

22. (30)  Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

23. (33)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

24. (31)  Ryan Ellis, Toyota, 46.<\/p>\n

25. (34)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 46.<\/p>\n

26. (14)  Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

27. (25)  Gray Gaulding, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

28. (27)  Colby Howard, Chevrolet, 46.<\/p>\n

29. (26)  Daniel Hemric, Toyota, 46.<\/p>\n

30. (2)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 36.      <\/p>\n

31. (24)  Boris Said, Toyota, 35.<\/p>\n

32. (36)  Kris Wright(i), Toyota, Engine, 29.<\/p>\n

33. (28)  Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Engine, 29.<\/p>\n

34. (15)  Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 25.<\/p>\n

35. (32)  Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, Engine, 19.<\/p>\n

36. (20)  Noah Gragson, Chevrolet, Engine, 13.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  72.723 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 9 Mins, 25 Secs. Margin of Victory:  11.024 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  4 for 7 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  6 among 5 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   K. Busch(i) 1-11;A. Allmendinger 12-14;J. Allgaier 15-17;A. Cindric 18-19;K. Busch(i) 20-27;J. Haley 28-30;K. Busch(i) 31-46.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Kyle Busch(i) 3 times for 35 laps; Justin Allgaier 1 time for 3 laps; Justin Haley 1 time for 3 laps; AJ Allmendinger 1 time for 3 laps; Austin Cindric 1 time for 2 laps.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 16,31,19,23,51,7,5,77,22,8<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,1,48,77,54,51,7,16,5,15<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Kyle Busch essentially went to school Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Xfinity Series to learn the Circuit of the Americas road course in preparation for Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series race there. The result, however, was that Busch absolutely schooled the field \u2013 earning an 11-second victory in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":34475,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[38,11],"tags":[39,59,16,181],"class_list":["post-34472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-circuit-of-the-americas","category-nascar","tag-circuit-of-the-americas","tag-kyle-busch","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-xfinity-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1319521813-scaled-e1621740032123.jpg?fit=640%2C435&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-8Y0","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34472"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34483,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34472\/revisions\/34483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}