WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.— In Kyle Busch’s estimation, there’s a major difference between the high-speed road course at Watkins Glen and the slower, more technical course at Sonoma Raceway.
The difference? It’s harder for fellow competitors to wreck Busch at the Glen, because it’s harder for them to catch him.
“I think one of the biggest things that lends to my success here (at WGI) is less opportunities for mistakes by others,” said Busch, the defending winner of the Cheez-It 355 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. Every single time I’ve been at Sonoma, I’ve wrecked, so that’s why the results are so bad there.”
Though Busch has one victory at each track, his average finish at Sonoma is 20.9 versus 8.1 at Watkins Glen.
“I think it’s been eight, nine races in a row or something at Sonoma where I’ve been spun out, and here I tend to be fast enough to be out front, to not have people around and don’t get spun out.
“Now that I say that, I’m sure that will change. Knock on wood, and go into Sunday, I guess.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
- NASCAR to debut new short track package at Phoenix - February 28, 2023
- The Wrench Who Stole Racing - December 16, 2022
- Matt DiBenedetto’s excellent run comes to abrupt, violent end - February 17, 2019
