Kyle Busch earns file ninth NASCAR Truck Collection victory at EchoPark Speedway on Saturday within the FR8 Racing 208.
HAMPTON, Ga. – Kyle Busch took his third consecutive and file ninth win of his profession within the Fr8 208 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection race at EchoPark Speedway Saturday afternoon, capping a dramatic push to the checkered flag to gather his file 68th collection victory.
Kyle Busch Earns a Document Victory
Within the closing laps, Busch, 40, exchanged the lead with collection veteran Stewart Friesen in a flashback from the 2025 race on the 1.5-mile Atlanta excessive banks when Friesen completed runner-up to him. Finally, Busch’s No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet was once more capable of get the very best of the duel, benefiting from a well timed push from his teammate Carson Hocevar to reclaim the lead for good within the ultimate seven laps.
The race went to an ‘Antagonistic Circumstances’ rule and ended on a pre-determined deadline, solely ten laps wanting the unique 135-lap scheduled distance.
Busch in the end held off the sector by 0.114 seconds – a number of vans tried unsuccessfully to line up and make a final-lap run to the trophy within the closing laps. Hocevar was runner-up within the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, adopted by TRICON Storage’s Giovanni Ruggiero, ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes, and 2025 collection champion Corey Heim. A annoyed Heim, who drove the No. 1 TRICON Storage Toyota Tundra and received Stage 1, stated post-race he didn’t know the race had been formally shortened.
“It obtained dicey there on the finish,’’ a grinning Busch stated after giving his trademark bow to the group on the end line. “Actually, a fantastic race, and it obtained thrilling there on the finish.
“Had a fantastic teammate [Hocevar] behind me and have to provide credit score the place credit score is due. Early on was a bit of apprehensive he wasn’t serving to, however there on the finish, he was proper there. …positively made it an entire lot simpler.”
It was truly Rhodes, a two-time collection champion, who set the tempo for many of the race – hoping to have a good time his twenty ninth birthday by claiming his first trophy in additional than a 12 months. He led a race-high 70 laps however ran out of fuel mid-race, forcing him to rally from a two-lap deficit at one level. Rhodes obtained again on the lead lap, nonetheless, and was difficult Busch within the ultimate laps, simply by no means capable of get across the veteran and keep there.
Within the ultimate stage, Friesen, who received Stage 2, made a dramatic push ahead, placing his No. 52 Friesen-Halmar Racing Chevrolet nose-to-nose with Busch’s Chevy Silverado lap after lap within the closing portion of the race. However once more, Busch prevailed with the assistance of Hocevar’s push from behind.
Final week’s Daytona winner, Chandler Smith, completed sixth, adopted by Saturday’s polesitter Jake Garcia and a pair of NASCAR Cup Collection regulars, John Hunter Nemechek and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Justin Haley rounded out the highest ten, driving the No. 16 Kaulig Racing RAM within the producer’s 2026 return to the collection.
There have been 5 leaders within the afternoon and 14 lead adjustments.
Kyle Busch Problem to Set Document
And even after all of the victories on the observe, Busch stated he genuinely needed to work for it this week, noting that with all of the success comes a sure goal in your again – much less willingness for others to tug out of line and run with him.
“If there was a confidence meter on me, the beginning of the race it was at a 100 however then as we obtained via the second stage of the race it was dipping, it was a 40 simply because it appeared like all people had talked, and nobody was serving to Kyle immediately,’’ stated the two-time NASCAR Cup Collection champion Busch, whose final win in a significant NASCAR collection was his truck victory at Texas final April.
“Each time I pulled out of lane and seemed for 2 or three to go along with me with a view to get to the entrance, not one among them ever got here to my rear bumper to push,’’ he stated.
“Simply appeared like firstly and center of the race, I used to be having a troublesome time having the ability to make the strikes I keep in mind making final 12 months on my own. Right now was more durable to do this.’’
The Entrance Row Motorsports driver Smith’s high ten end was sufficient to maintain him atop the early championship standings. He sits 28 factors forward of TRICON Storage driver Gio Ruggiero.
Subsequent Up
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection makes its debut on the downtown St. Petersburg Highway Course subsequent Saturday. The OnlyBulls Inexperienced Flag 150 begins at midday ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. It is going to be the collection’ historic first avenue race at St. Petersburg.
