NASCAR Cup Series
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing Prove to be Winning Combination at Auto Club Speedway
Feb 27, 2023
There is little doubt that NASCAR history is sprinkled with family ties all throughout. From the France family that founded the sport and continues to run it today, to the competitors on and off the track, family is a consistent and essential part of the NASCAR story.
In a season in which the sport is celebrating its remarkable 75th anniversary, 37-year-old Kyle Busch was able to add to the sport’s long history in a number of ways when he took the checkered flag Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.
Earning his first NASCAR Cup Series victory for Richard Childress Racing, the younger Busch brother notched his 61st-career Cup Series win. The victory moved Busch to ninth on the all-time win list, just ahead of the retiring Kevin Harvick, was his 225th win across NASCAR’s top three series, and his 19th-consecutive season with at least one victory - breaking a tie with ‘The King’ Richard Petty.
However, with the win, Busch and his older brother Kurt are now the winningest brother combination in NASCAR history, with a combined 95 NASCAR Cup Series victories. This moves the Busch brothers ahead of Bobby and Donnie Allison of the famed ‘Alabama Gang,’ who recorded a combined 94 wins.
Kurt kicked things off for the Las Vegas natives, earning his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in March 2002. Kyle’s first victory in the Cup Series would come three years later when he earned his first win at Auto Club Speedway in September 2005. Through the years, Kurt scored his first NASCAR Cup Series title in 2004, while younger brother Kyle took the title in 2015 and 2019.
While Kurt has stepped away from full-time NASCAR Cup Series racing, Kyle’s winning ways show no sign of slowing down. Following Sunday’s victory, Kurt was one of the first people to greet his younger brother as he pulled into Victory Lane.
“It would have certainly meant a lot to have him in the field, but just him being here and being around and still his role over at 23XI (Racing) is really special,” Kyle reflected. “It's neat to have him be there. He was emotional. He's getting soft in his old age. It was just cool to see him come up to the car and be a part of our celebration there for a quick moment.
It's fun to set records always, and when you're able to do it as a brother tandem, there's nothing more special for our parents, I'm sure.
Brotherly Winning Combinations:
95 - Kyle Busch (61), Kurt Busch (34)
94 - Bobby Allison (84), Donnie Allison (10)
88 - Darrell Waltrip (84), Michael Waltrip (4)
57 - Tim Flock (34), Fonty Flock (19), Bob Flock (4)
43 - Terry Labonte (22), Bobby Labonte (21)
26 - Jeff Burton (21), Ward Burton (5)
19 - Geoffrey Bodine (18), Brett Bodine (1)