FONTANA, Calif. — Cole Custer held off Kyle Busch to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Auto Club Speedway on Saturday, preventing Busch from tying Richard Petty’s file with his 200th professional victory throughout NASCAR’s three fundamental collections. The 21-12 months-antique Custer capitalized while a disastrous pit prevents dropped Busch to 14th area with 33 laps to move in a race Busch had dominated as much as that point. Although Busch charged back thru the sphere, he couldn’t trap as much as Custer, who drove his Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to his 0.33 career Xfinity victory on his home track.
Norman native Christopher Bell took third. Busch overlooked his first chance to healthy Petty’s hallowed mark, but he’s going to get any other when he competes within the Cup Series race at Fontana on Sunday. “Kyle, he’s got to be one of the legends of our recreation,” Custer stated. “To preserve him (waiting) one extra race for that two hundredth win is quite splendid.
I recognize he is likely quite pissed off, though.” Custer is from Ladera Ranch, a prosperous coastal community in Orange County about fifty-five miles south of Fontana. The son of veteran racing executive Joe Custer earned his fifth usual victory across NASCAR’s 3 primary collections — simply 194 fewer than the 33-yr-vintage Busch. Cup regular drivers had won 23 consecutive Xfinity series races at Fontana due to 2002, but Custer broke the streak at the rate of Busch, who led ninety-eight of the one hundred fifty laps.
Brittany Force breaks Gainesville Raceway record Brittany Force broke the Gainesville Raceway file Saturday all through the fourth Top Fuel qualifying session in Gainesville, Florida, becoming the first woman driver to qualify No. 1 inside the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals considering that Shirley Muldowney 40 years in the past. Force had a three.680-2d pass at 326.32 mph. Robert Hight topped the Funny Car lineup, Rodger Brogdon changed into the quickest in Pro Stock, and Andrew Hines took the pinnacle spot in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Hight had a three.868 at 331.12 in a Chevrolet Camaro, Brogdon ran a 6.490 at 212. Forty-three in a Camaro and Hines had a 6.720 at 199.Ninety-four on a Harley-Davidson.
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) — If Kyle Busch earns his landmark 200th victory throughout NASCAR’s 3 predominant series this weekend in Southern California, do not count on him to do a good deal to have fun the success. “Maybe a hat or something in Victory Lane,” Busch stated Friday, his indifference obvious in his voice. “Other than that, we pass on to the following one.” Although he reviews his region in NASCAR history, Busch will permit others to debate it after his victory odometer rolls over to zeros. He ties Richard Petty’s career wins mark. The 33-12 months-old Busch arrived at Fontana in no temper to do plenty reflection on a racing profession still at its high, even even as others debate the importance of the list he is probably to top soon.
“It doesn’t alternate something,” Busch stated. “We’re entered in each race (at Fontana). We pop out here and try to do the best we can to win. If we win on Saturday and that wins two hundred, then so be it. I am clearly not going to sandbag a race or throw a race away to win 2 hundred in a Cup race. That’s now not my way of going approximately matters.” After he moved to the edge of the file through sweeping two races in Phoenix last weekend, Busch should tie Petty’s mark as quickly as Saturday in his dominant Xfinity Series vehicle. With a further win within the Cup race in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on Sunday, he would be the winningest driving force in NASCAR records. Or not, depending on the way you degree it, of direction. Petty’s 200 victories all got here on the Cup level, at the same time as Busch has fifty-two Cup wins.
Busch has spoken on it all earlier than. He previously said he would not keep in mind his wins to be the same as Petty’s achievements totally on the pinnacle stage. Still, he also realizes Petty failed to face the same degree of opposition in many of his Cup races as Busch faces every week. What’s clear is that Busch has cemented an area as one of the best drivers of his era in any automobile and any collection. Other experts accept as true with he is one of the nice of all time.
“I study what Richard said the opposite day, which became cool,” Busch stated. “He talked about how if I turned into thrown again of their technology, with (David) Pearson and Petty, I might want to compete with the one’s men. That’s very respectful, and I admire that. I am venerated he said that. I experience I’d like to suppose the equal manner that I may want to do it. It does not count numbers. It’s a one-of-a-kind time and place.” Busch’s fulfillment inside the other two collections will always be part of his tale, but he would not pull away from it.
Many drivers percentage the view of Denny Hamlin, who believes Busch couldn’t reach his lofty marks in any racing circuit without an aggregate of excellent automobiles and first-rate skills. “People can argue about the competition happening in the exclusive collection, and especially at this point, the device is a huge issue,” Hamlin said. “JGR proper now has probably some of the high-quality Xfinity systems, and while you placed one of the pleasant Cup drivers inside the first-class Xfinity gadget, you will have quite a few successes. In the truck series, we recognize (Kyle Busch Motorsports) has got first-rate vehicles.
They outqualify anybody pretty a good deal each week, and then while you placed a pinnacle Cup guy in a truck, it truly is super-rapid; you’re going to have the success that you are going to have. “But I think he’s first-rate at the Cup degree. I gauge myself (against) his accomplishments with the aid of what he does inside the Cup series, and to me, he is the best accessible. There’s simply no one better.” Busch is almost continually good at the weathered asphalt east of Los Angeles, winning three Cup Series races, including the first of his profession in 2005 — and 6 Xfinity races. He additionally has two Truck Series wins right here, even though the vans are not racing this weekend in Fontana.
