No NASCAR driver won more races than Las Vegas native Kyle Busch.
The two-time Cup Series champion won 234 races across NASCAR’s three national touring series.
Busch has won 102 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Busch/Nationwide/Xfinity Series) races and 69 in the Craftsman Truck Series. Both marks are the most by a driver in each series.
In the Cup Series, Busch’s 63 wins are the ninth most in the series, which began in 1949. All eight drivers ahead of Busch are in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
There were many memorable moments for Busch on (and off) the track.
The Review-Journal combed through all of Busch’s Cup Series wins and picked the 10 most memorable ones, with a few honorable mentions.
Here the 10 most memorable Cup Series wins in Busch’s career:
10. 2009 Las Vegas: Winning at home track
Busch made his Cup Series debut at his home track in 2004 during a part-time Cup Series schedule and finished second at the 1 ½-mile oval in 2005.
After getting many wins on the 3/8-mile Bullring on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway property, he finally won at the big track in 2009.
At the Shelby 427 on March 1, 2009, Busch had won the pole in qualifying but had to start the race last because of an engine change.
He charged to the front to get the lead late in the race and held during a final restart to hold off the field to get his only Cup Series win at Las Vegas.
Busch gave his signature showman bow to the crowd after capturing the checkered flag, and he kissed the ground at the start-finish line.
9. 2008 Atlanta (spring): 1st win with JGR, Toyota’s 1st win
The 2008 season marked a year of change.
Busch made the move in the offseason from Hendrick Motorsports to Joe Gibbs Racing. The legendary team owned by three-time Super Bowl-winning coach Joe Gibbs changed manufacturers from Chevrolet to Toyota.
It didn’t take long for the new partnerships to develop. Busch won the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 9, 2008.
It marked Busch’s first win with JGR and Toyota’s first Cup Series win after the manufacturer entered the sport prior to the 2007 season.
The win went on to be the start of one of the most successful runs for a driver and team combination.
Busch went on to win 56 races with JGR and the mark stood for the most Toyota Cup Series wins by a driver, until Denny Hamlin (61 Toyota Cup Series wins) passed Busch during the 2025 season.
8. 2018 Charlotte (spring): Winning at every track
By 2018, Busch had established himself as one of NASCAR’s greatest winners.
But there was still one track that Busch had not gone to victory lane in for a points-paying Cup Series race: Charlotte Motor Speedway.
That changed during the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 on May 17, 2018. Busch dominated the race, leading 377 of the 400 laps, to win one of NASCAR’s crown jewel races in sport’s longest race (by total race distance).
At the time, Busch became the first Cup Series to win at every track he competed on and is the only driver in series history to say they have ever accomplished that feat.
7. 2020 Texas (fall): Ending the drought
Busch’s quest to defend his 2019 Cup Series did not go as planned.
After winning the 2019 finale at Homestead on Nov. 17 2019, Busch went through the first 33 races of 2020 without a win.
That changed during the weather-impacted Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The race started on Oct. 25, but was stopped on Lap 52 and postponed multiple days because of inclement conditions. The was resumed on Oct. 28, where Busch led a race-high 90 laps and claimed the checkered flag.
The win kept Busch’s streak of recording a win in each of his full-time Cup Series seasons alive. He is still the record holder for most consecutive Cup Series seasons with at least one win (19 seasons, 2005 to 2023).
6. 2023 Fontana: 1st win with RCR
After 15 years at Joe Gibbs Racing, 2023 marked the start of a new era for Busch as he made an offseason change to join Richard Childress Racing.
Things got off to a great start for the new relationship at the 2023 Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on Feb. 26, 2023.
Busch started 21st and worked his way up to second by the end of Stage 2. He pulled way away for a large lead late in the race, leading the final 20 laps to claim the victory.
The victory solidified Busch as the ninth-winningest driver in Cup Series history with his 61st victory, breaking a tie with Kevin Harvick (60 career wins)
Busch was met with a decent amount of cheers from the California crowd as he won with his new team. The win was the final NASCAR race at Auto Club Speedway.
5. 2010 and 2017 Bristol (fall): Tripleheader sweeps
Since the introduction of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1995, only twice has a driver won all three national touring series races at the same track on the same weekend.
Busch is that driver. He won all three races at Bristol Motor Speedway twice, once in 2010 and again in 2017.
Busch led 282 of the 500 laps for the win on Aug. 21, 2010. On Aug. 19, 2017, overcame an 18th place starting spot to get the win.
It was fitting the feat came at Bristol. Busch won eight Cup Series races at the ½-mile track, and has another win at the track in 2022 when Bristol was turned into a dirt track. He has 23 wins across the top three series at Bristol.
4. 2005 Fontana (fall): 1st Cup Series win
Hendrick Motorsports tabbed a 19-year-old Busch to replace Hall of Famer Terry Labonte in the historic No. 5 Chevrolet for 2005 after finishing in second place in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (then Busch Series) standings the prior year.
There were expected ups and downs in Busch’s first full-time Cup Series season.
But the high mark of the year came on Sept. 4 at Auto Club Speedway, where Busch qualified 25th and went on to lead a race-high 95 laps to secure his first Cup Series victory in the Sony HD 500.
At the time, Busch became the youngest winner in Cup Series history at 20 years, four months and two days old. Joey Logano (19 years, one month, four days) broke Busch’s mark in 2009. Busch would win again later that season at Phoenix on Nov. 13.
3. 2019 Homestead: Another title, best of the decade
Busch capped off the 2010s by becoming the winningest Cup Series driver in the decade, while winning his second Cup Series title.
Busch started fourth and led a race-high 120 laps in beating Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the race and championship on Nov. 17, 2019 at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Florida).
The win snapped a 21-race winless streak for Busch, whose last win before Homestead was at Pocono on June 2.
Busch ended the decade with 40 Cup Series wins for the most during the period (Harvick’s 38 wins are second).
2. 2015 Sonoma: 1st win after leg injury
Busch’s 2015 season appeared to be in limbo after he suffered a double compound fracture to his right leg and a broken left foot during a crash in the 2015 Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona.
After surgery, Busch missed 11 weeks and returned to the Cup Series at the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24.
Four weeks later, Busch went to victory late at the 1.99-mile, 12-turn road course at Sonoma, California on June 24, 2015. He led 17 laps and outdueled older brother Kurt for the victory.
Busch went on to win three of the next four races to start his incredible return.
1. 2015 Homestead: 1st Cup Series championship
Busch’s remarkable return from his injury had a grand finale at 2015’s final race, where Busch was one of the four drivers eligible to race for the championship. The highest finisher among the four racers would win the title.
At Homestead on Nov. 22, 2025, Busch started third and battled late for the lead late with Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski, who were not eligible to win the championship.
A late caution with seven laps to go brought the leaders to pit road and on the restart, Busch took the lead from Keselowski and held off Kevin Harvick, winning the race and the championship. Busch entered the race with just one top-five finish at the track.
Honorable mention
2008 Darlington: 1st crown jewel win
A driver’s legacy can be determined by how many races they win at events that are considered “crown jewel” events.
Busch captured his first crown jewel win at the 2008 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina on May 10, 2018. Busch led a race-high 169 to win at the second-oldest active track on the Cup Series schedule.
Busch went on to win eight times in 2008, his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing.
2015 Indianapolis: Winning at the Brickyard
Busch had publicly said there were two different opportunities for him to do “The Double,” to run the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar race and Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race on the same day.
Neither opportunity came for fruition for Busch, but he left his mark at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway by winning the 2015 Brickyard 400 on July 26, 2015, for his first Cup Series win at the track. He won the race again in 2016.
2018 Chicagoland: The Kyle and Kyle Show
One of the most memorable finishes in recent NASCAR history came at Chicagoland Speedway at the Overton’s 400 on July 1, 2018, between Busch and Larson, who at the time was a rising phenom.
Busch won the race off pit road and restarted with the lead with 55 laps to go.
Larson – who was given the nickname “Tiny Kyle” by Busch – passed Busch in Turns 1 and 2 on the last lap for the lead.
Busch returned the favor in Turns 3 and 4, putting the bumper to Larson as Busch slid and hit the wall to take the lead and victory.
Busch was met with a chorus of boos from the crowd. He turned to the TV camera and sarcastically mimicked making a crying face.
“If you don’t like that, don’t even watch,” Busch told the crowd.
2019 Fontana: 200th national series win
Busch has plenty of memories at the now-shutdown Auto Club Speedway.
At the 2019 Auto Club 400 on March 17, Busch won the Cup Series race which gave him his 200th national series win across NASCAR’s three touring series.
That tied him with seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty for the most national series wins.
All 200 of Petty’s wins were in the Cup Series. Busch passed Petty on March 23, 2019, by winning a Truck Series race at Martinsville (Virginia).
2019 Bristol (spring): Busch brothers finish 1-2
There have been four 1-2 finishes during Kurt and Kyle’s Cup Series career.
The first time came at Sonoma in 2015 with Kyle winning. The second time it happened was at the 2019 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 7.
Kyle held off a late charge from Kurt to secure his eighth Cup Series win at Bristol. It was a fitting result since the Busch brothers have combined 14 Cup Series wins (Kyle with eight and Kurt with six) on the ½-mile short track in Tennessee.
Kurt won the two other times at Kentucky (2019) and Atlanta (2021). Kyle won again at Bristol on 2022 when the track was turned into a dirt in what was his final win with Joe Gibbs Racing
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
