Already the winningest Nationwide Series driver on the race track, Kyle Busch and his wife Samantha, through their Kyle Busch Foundation, set out to become winners off the race track Friday night by supporting fellow ‘Champions,’ and they were successful. On the home facility the No. 54 Monster Energy team at Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) approached Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (CMS ) the same as they have every race this season, focused on a victory. They settled for a second place but were also focused on providing a fun night of entertainment for some very special guests – and it ultimately proved successful.
The Kyle Busch Foundation and Monster Energy “Project Pink: Protect Your Pair” paint scheme was run in an effort to raise awareness and money for the Pretty In Pink (PIP) Foundation, a Raleigh, N.C.- based foundation whose mission is to provide financial assistance to uninsured and underinsured breast cancer patients regardless of their ability to pay. As part of the program, 16 local ‘Champions’ and their guests were supported and on hand to cheer for Busch and enjoy a night of entertainment, free from their treatment worries. Many of them first-time NASCAR fans walked away with big smiles on their faces.
The event weekend started on Thursday when in two practice sessions the Monster Energy Camry posted speeds at the top of the board initially, before recording two top-five finishing positions through both stints on track. The team continued to dial in the car appropriately, and on Friday afternoon for their qualifying effort they secured the fifth-place starting spot with a 29.863-second lap at 180.826 mph.
Earlier on Friday, an important moment also took place when Samantha Busch and the Kyle Busch Foundation, made a check presentation to the Pretty in Pink Foundation, on behalf of the 16 ‘Champions’ they chose to sponsor this year, in the amount of $53,000. Through fundraising activities with apparel sold, a corporate dinner executed and a mobile mammogram screening unit made available to race fans, the program had yielded a successful campaign. At that point Kyle and Samantha Busch felt they had already won and looked forward to showing their special guests a unique night of entertainment, away from any treatment or health worries.
Next up was the live race experience for the Pretty in Pink breast cancer patients. Little did they know what to expect with an ever-changing race that played out before them. Busch took the green flag and gained one position to fourth before an early caution came out and the Monster Energy driver relayed to his team, “There’s no right rear grip.” The tight condition didn’t discourage Busch from advancing though and he soon overtook fourth place at lap 16, then on to second place at lap 21.
At lap 50 of the 200-lap event, however, Busch struggled with tires and a hot engine temperature. “I have a handful, the car’s inconsistent,” he relayed to his team who had concerns of debris on the Camry’s front grill that might be raising the engine temperature. A few laps later Busch brought the No. 54 Toyota to pit road quickly when he also felt the tires begin to fail, a ‘good call’ accordingly to his team who identified both right side tires began to ‘spiral or cord,’ a condition that could have turned bad but was avoided in time.
At the event’s halfway point, Busch and the Monster Energy group had the fastest car on the race track and the season’s six-time winner worked his way to first place at lap 121. The car looked strong before Busch radioed that either his car or the track was beginning to exhibit loose-handling conditions. “I’m sideways wrecking loose,” he exclaimed over the radio before the team conducted a pit stop around lap 139 for four fresh Goodyear tires and a wedge adjustment to tighten up the car’s chassis.
With about 50 laps to go Busch restarted from a caution in second place then worked his way back to the front of the field. The team felt good about their chances of repeating a victory at their home track when a late-race caution for debris appeared that would put most teams back on the same final tire strategy. The restart was a bottleneck and No. 54 Toyota would drive from fourth place, behind cars that only changed two tires that caused delay for Busch getting around traffic. He advanced to second place with 11 laps remaining and came close to catching the No. 22 of Brad Keselowski on the final lap, but had to settle for the runner-up position.
Busch described his race at the end, “They were faster than us tonight. Just knew that with about 60 (laps) to go that we had a tire advantage over them and that was going to be the way for us to win the race. But, bizarre debris cautions always ruin those things for you. It’s a shame. I don’t feel bad for us and the team. I feel bad for the Breast Cancer Champions that were here with us tonight. Just to give them a little more something to celebrate in their life, and weren’t able to do it. I appreciate Monster Energy giving us the opportunity to do this and all the people behind the scenes to make this happen, and for my wife, she’s worked so hard to put this foundation program together-I’m proud of her.”
Keselowski recorded his 31st victory in 214 NASCAR Nationwide Series races. Busch finished in the second spot, while JGR teammate Matt Kenseth, Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson completed the top-five finishers. There were eight caution periods for 42 laps of the race along with 13 lead changes across seven drivers. Busch led the field two times over 34 laps.
With the Friday night finish, Bush and the No. 54 Monster Energy team remain in second place in the Owner’s Championship Point standings, now 31 points behind the No. 22 Penske Ford, with three races left in the season.
The Nationwide Series takes a two-week hiatus then continues action Nov. 1 at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge from Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The Saturday event television broadcast will start at 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2. Kyle Busch will make his 24th start of the season behind the wheel of the JGR No. 54 Monster Energy Camry.
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