Date: March 20, 2021
Event: Fr8 Auctions 200 (Race 4 of 22)
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. (1.54-mile, quad-oval)
Format: Three Stages; 30 laps/30 laps/70 laps
Start/Finish: 2nd/1st (Running, completed 130 of 130 laps)
Winner: Kyle Busch of Kyle Busch Motorsports (Toyota)
Kyle Busch dominated the Fr8 Auctions 200 at Atlanta Motor Speedway to score his 60th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory.
Stage One Recap:
- Busch started in the second position after a performance matrix based off of finishing position from the previous race, ranking in owner points standings and the fastest lap from the previous race at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.
- At the competition caution on Lap 15, Busch radioed that his Cessna Tundra was a little but on the free side. Crew chief Mardy Lindley kept his driver out on the track.
- Busch would finish the stage in the second position.
Stage Two Recap:
- At the stage break, Busch radioed to his No. 51 Cessna crew that his Tundra was a little loose. Lindley summoned his driver to pit road as the over-the-wall crew administered a four tire and fuel stop while making adjustments. Busch would restart the stage from the fourth position.
- During the run, Busch radioed that his Tundra was still on the loose side.
- The veteran driver would finish the stage in the second position.
Final Stage Recap:
- Under the break, Busch radioed to his crew that his Tundra was a little bit better. Lindley summoned his driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Busch would start the second stage from the first position.
- Prior to his green flag stop on Lap 100, Busch radioed to his Cessna team that his Tundra felt really good. Lindley would summon his driver to pit road under green flag conditions for four fresh tires and fuel
- The veteran driver cycled back to the lead on Lap 106. With the race staying green, Busch was able to score his 60th career Camping World Trucks victory and sixth career victory at Atlanta.
Kyle Busch driver of the No. 51 Cessna Tundra for KBM
What does winning, especially the way you did today, do for you mentally?
“It’s just a great opportunity to race in great stuff with KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports), Cessna and Beechcraft. This Toyota Tundra was awesome. I can’t say enough about my guys, everybody at Kyle Busch Motorsports. They do such a great job with a lot of hard work. Without their preparation and dedication, we wouldn’t be as successful as we’ve been as an organization. It’s great to get back to Victory Lane. It’s cool to get back to Victory Lane in Billy Ballew’s (former NCWTS team owner) backyard here in Atlanta. We carried the Billy Ballew Motorsports decal today. If you need a deal on a sweet used car, go see him in Dawsonville. All of the Chase Elliott fans want to go there, but tell them that I sent ya.”
What contributions has Marty Lindley made to Kyle Busch Motorsports thus far?
“It’s all about great people. You win with great people in this sport and we’ve had great people and we still have good people. Just bringing Marty (Lindley, crew chief) on has been a refresher if you will. Six months from now, setups may not be the same and so just having some of those fresh ideas and some of those different concepts that we can apply to our Tundras to make sure we can go out there and continue to win and have good days like we did with John Hunter (Nemechek) and myself and race for that championship.”
Fr8 Auctions 200 Recap:
- Kyle Busch scored his first victory of the 2021 season beating Toyota teammate Austin Hill by 4.133 seconds. John Hunter Nemechek, Johnny Sauter and Sheldon Creed rounded out the top five.
- There were three cautions for 16 laps. There were seven lead changes among four drivers with Busch leading a race-high of 102 laps.
How Busch’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the No. 4 Toyota, finished third.
- Chandler Smith, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 35th.
Camping World Trucks Owner’s Championship Standings:
After four races, the No. 51 team sits fourth in the owner’s championship standings.
Next Race:
The No. 51 hits the track with Martin Truex Jr. when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series resumes action on Saturday, March 27 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Live coverage will be on FS1, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM at 8 p.m. ET.
