"You’ve always got to be leery of that" - Kyle Busch talks about the most challenging part of racing at Kansas Speedway

Kyle Busch will return to Kansas Speedway to compete in the NASCAR Cup Race. He will pilot his #18 M&M’S Toyota Camry, hoping to take it to the victory lane on Sunday, September 11th.

Kyle Busch's history with Kansas Speedway has been well documented. The 1.5-mile oval began as a nightmare for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, resulting in three consecutive DNFs in 2012 and 2013. His initial dislike for the track, however, gradually turned to love, especially in his last 15 races, where he's finished 10th and 12th on multiple occasions. When he returns for the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on Sunday, he'll look to build on that consistency.

Despite performing well at the venue, he spoke about the most challenging part of racing at Kansas Speedway. Speaking to the media, Kyle Busch stated that:

“The wind always seems like it’s high in Kansas and it will also change directions. It can change directions day to day, so you can practice in one wind direction and you can race in another one. That completely throws off the balance of your racecar and what you are feeling, and which corner of the track you attack the most, so you’ve always got to be leery of that, and we certainly will be this weekend.”

The Kansas oval was built in 2001, and the turns were initially banked at a constant 15 degrees. Before its October 2012 event, however, it underwent a massive renovation project. Following these renovations, Busch has struggled with the new surface.

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Kyle Busch's performance in NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway

Records show that Kyle Busch has traditionally performed well in Kansas. In the April 2014 race, he and his M&M team took a different approach, starting from scratch with a brand new car.

Busch hoped that a new perspective would yield significantly different results. Even then, he was penalized, which cost him a valuable track position and an even better finish in the race, and the outcome and effort were vastly different from the previous three trips.

In October 2014, Busch finished fifth in his first Kansas Cup Series race. In 2016, he won his first NASCAR Cup Series race in Kansas after it became a much friendlier place for his driving style. He then added another victory at the venue in the spring of 2021, following which he has had only three finishes outside the top-10 in his last 15 races there.

Last weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series opening playoff race in Darlington, Busch recorded a disappointing 30th place finish after his engine gave up with over 20 laps to go. He now heads to Kansas for the second of three challenges going into the Round of 12. Busch currently sits 11th in the playoffs, eight points ahead of the cutline to advance to the next Round of 12 races.