The weekend sweep is an extremely rare achievement in NASCAR. To go out and run the Cup, Xfinity and Truck races on the same weekend is impressive enough, but to win all three? That’s at another level entirely. It’s only ever happened twice in the history of the sport and it was the same driver both times — Kyle Busch. The track was also the same — Bristol Motor Speedway.
Another Kyle has been actively trying to join this exclusive all-Kyle club and his name is Kyle Larson. Earlier this year, the Hendrick Motorsports driver came agonizingly close to completing the sweep at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He rebounded from a late-race spin to win the Truck race and passed his teammate in the closing laps of the Cup race to win that as well. Surprisingly, the one jewel missing in this triple crown was his most dominant showing of the weekend. Larson drove off with the lead in the Xfinity race, lapping most of the field with over 16 seconds between him and the second-place car. However, a late-race caution and awkward restart left him seething over what could have been. In his post-race interview, Larson’s mind was already moving towards his next chance at the weekend sweep — Bristol this very weekend.
And Larson has some extra motivation to get the job done. He’s coming off a race at Darlington which was not his best, and that’s being kind. Larson spun all on his own exiting Turn 2 less than five laps into the race. He returned to the track after repairs but while running over 160 laps down, he inadvertently triggered the final race-altering caution when he abruptly slowed for a car tagging the wall. Larson got turned from behind and crashed into the very same wall at the exit of Turn 2 again. He did not provide any post-race comments to the media.
Larson will pilot the No. 07 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in the Truck race on Friday, the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Xfinity race on Saturday, and of course, his usual No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup race on Sunday. That’s over 1,000 laps of racing at the treacherous half-mile short track where things can go very wrong, very fast. It seems like a near-impossible feat, but Busch did it twice.
So, how exactly did KB accomplish what no other driver could? For a glimpse at what Larson may be facing, let’s take a look at how Busch handled it:
2010 – Taking on Bristol … and Brad
The Truck race went like many Truck races do when Busch shows up. He earned pole position, led over half the race, and captured the checkered flag with relative ease. Even an overtime restart failed to create much of a challenge as Busch remained fully in command of the lead until the race-ending caution. However, much like Larson’s failed Homestead attempt, the battle for the win in the Xfinity race ended up being the most dramatic.
Busch had to fight hard against another Cup Series driver in Brad Keselowski. The two drivers have had several run-ins over the course of their careers and this race was no different. Working the low lane for several laps, Busch was desperately trying to clear Keselowski, who maintained the momentum down the straights with a higher line through the corners. But with 32 laps to go, Busch just about had him cleared … but not completely. Busch moved up anyway and contact was made with Busch’s car slapping the outside wall and Keselowski retaking the lead. Lucky to escape without any major damage, Busch was quick to retaliate, intentionally spinning Keselowski in the very next corner. That was the final lead change of the race with Busch marching on to collect his second win of the weekend.
The following day, Keselowski did not retaliate – probably because he was already on probation for a separate incident. But he did take a shot at Busch in a different way. During driver introductions, he had quite the statement to make after being handed the microphone: “Brad Keselowski, driver of the Penske Racing Dodge. Kyle Busch is an ass!” The crowd immediately erupted in cheers.
As for Busch, he had to battle from 19th on the grid at the start of the Cup race, making it to the lead for the first time by Lap 172 of 500. While in control, he did cross paths with Keselowski, who fought extremely hard while Busch attempted to put him a lap down. No contact was made, but it was enough to let second-place Jamie McMurray close the gap to Busch. A few laps later, McMurray was able to take the lead away, only for Busch to snatch it back in the pit stops that followed under green. He almost threw the sweep away after contact with a slower car in the final 100 laps of the race, but much like his wall contact during the Xfinity race, Busch was lucky to escape unscathed. David Reutimann used the undercut to move ahead of both drivers, but Busch was able to claw his way back into the lead with 72 laps to go, never to relinquish it again. Leading 283 of 500 laps on Sunday, the sweep was complete.
2017 – Won on the track, but nearly lost on pit road
Much like in 2010, there was little doubt Busch would win the Truck race, taking the checkered flag from pole position and again leading over half of the race. The Xfinity race was a fairly straightforward affair for Busch as well. Just like Trucks, he won from pole position and led over half the race including the final 80 laps.
But this time, Sunday’s Cup race proved to be the most challenging. In 2010, he had to come from 19th on the grid to complete the sweep and this time was strangely similar, starting 18th in the Cup race. But this time, he made it to the front a bit quicker, leading his first lap on Lap 115 of 500. He then went back-and-forth in a thrilling battle for the Stage 1 win with none other than Larson himself. After a little bump-and-run, Busch prevailed in that battle.
However, the dismal trip to pit road that followed threatened to unravel his entire day. A slow stop dropped Busch from first to sixth in the running and to add insult to injury, he got pinched in the middle exiting the pit lane with contact from both sides. As the race progressed, an aggravated Busch remained near the lead, which came down to a three-way battle between Toyota Busch and fellow Toyota drivers Matt Kenseth and Erik Jones. After a spirited but clean fight, Busch managed to pass them both with 55 laps to go and never looked back. As the fans showered him with boos during the post-race celebration, he claimed his well-earned broom and proceeded to ‘sweep’ the roof of his winning race car.
Larson's track record
Larson is no stranger to success at Bristol, which is likely why he chose it for triple-duty this weekend. He's won there twice in the Cup Series, including the most recent visit to the track last September where he led a stunning 462 of 500 laps. It was the most dominant showing at the track in six decades.
Larson has one Xfinity win at Bristol, coming with Ganassi in 2018 when he again dominated the event. However, that is also his most recent Bristol race in an Xfinity car and a lot has changed since then. Then there's the Truck Series where Larson has zero experience at Bristol (without dirt on it), but he has won during his last two starts for Spire. It will be no walk in the park for the versatile racer, but if anyone can complete a daunting weekend sweep at Bristol, who better than someone named Kyle?
