"We have a good shot at Darlington," claims Kyle Busch ahead of NASCAR Cook Out Southern 400

Kyle Busch’s career has earned him adoring fans globally, and this weekend his South Carolina fans will get the opportunity to see him perform his magic in Darlington. The 'Too Tough to Tame' track marks the first venue for the 2022 Cup Series playoffs, which will see 36 drivers on track. NASCAR recorded 15 winners in the regular season, meaning there was only one slot for a point driver, which was taken up by Ryan Blaney.

The #18 M&M Toyota Camry driver will arrive at “The Lady in Black” with a 10th place finish he secured last weekend at Daytona, marking the last regular season race. Heading to Darlington, Busch feels he has a shot at this track, and it might be a good opportunity to turn his season around.

This will mark his second visit to 'The Lady in Black' this season. During his last visit on May 8th, Kyle Busch controversially ended his day after leaving his #18 Toyota at Pit Road after he was wrecked, recording his third DNF of the season. During the event, he had race control at some point, leading by 18 laps.

He hopes things will work out differently this time around. Speaking to the media earlier this week, Busch said:

“We’ve had good speed with our Toyota group on the mile-and-a-half and 2-mile tracks. We’ve been good at those places. Under a mile, we’ve struggled a bit, and road courses we’ve struggled a bit, as well.”

He added, saying:

“Would like to think we have a good shot at Darlington this weekend. We were running in the top-four the last time there, and a car in front of us blew a tire and crashed, and we got caught up in that. So don’t need any of that this time around. ”

The two-time Cup Series champion was among the drivers who secured their slots during the season’s early stages after winning the Bristol Dirt race on April 17th. After earning a spot in the 16-driver field, Kyle Busch’s new assignment is to get to champion four, where he’ll have a better position to battle for the 2022 championship at the end of the season.

---

How Kyle Busch has performed in NASCAR races

The last time Kyle Busch crossed the victory line at Darlington was back in 2008, the same year he joined Joe Gibbs Racing. The win was historic as he became the youngest Cup driver to win a race at the track 'Too Tough To Tame'. At the time, he was only 23 years old.

In addition to the Cup win, Busch has also delivered two Xfinity wins at the track. The Las Vegas-born driver has also earned six top five finishes and 12 top 10 finishes at the track for the past 18 starts he has been behind the wheel of the #18 M&M Toyota Camry.

This weekend, he’ll be looking forward to bringing the Darlington tally to two wins. Though the past couple of months haven’t been easy for him, Kyle Busch seems confident about this upcoming event. He will hit the playoffs with 2010 points, being 11th in the drivers' standings.