In his 10th season with Toyota flagship Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 SNICKERS Crisper Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, the place where the winning began in 2008 with JGR, Mars Inc. and its SNICKERS brand, and Toyota.
Back in 2008, his first year with JGR, Busch headed to Atlanta for the fourth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season aiming to bring home his first win for the team's two new partners - Mars Chocolate North America and Toyota.
After leading a race-high 173 laps, the Las Vegas native captured his first win for the SNICKERS brand and also the first win in NASCAR's top series for Toyota, which was in its second year of Cup Series competition and its first year with JGR. The win also marked the end of a 147-race drought for JGR's #18 team, and it was Busch's first of 30 Cup Series wins for JGR, so far. Busch has now totaled 149 overall wins among NASCAR's top three series driving Toyota vehicles - 34 in the Cup Series, 75 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and 40 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Add 21 overall wins prior to joining JGR at the beginning of 2008 and Busch is at 170 combined Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series wins, and counting.
It was déjà vu all over again for Busch and the #18 team at Atlanta in 2013 as he led 36 laps en route to his 100th overall win in a Toyota and his 24th Cup Series win with JGR.
This weekend, Busch will also have the SNICKERS Crisper scheme along for the ride once again after the scheme debuted last August at Watkins Glen International. The SNICKERS Crisper is "crispy satisfaction" in the form of crisped rice and peanuts, topped with a layer of caramel and coated in creamy SNICKERS brand milk chocolate. A singles pack of SNICKERS Crisper contains two squares that are less than 100 calories each.
The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 will mark Kyle Busch's 428th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start and his 19th NASCAR Cup Series start at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Busch has career totals of 38 wins, 19 poles, 147 top-five finishes, 219 top-10s and 12,374 laps led in 427 career Cup Series races. His most recent Cup Series win came in July 2016 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With his Cup Series win at Indianapolis last July, the 38th of his career, Busch is tied for 19th on the all-time Cup Series win list with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate Matt Kenseth. Busch has two wins, five top-five finishes and six top-10s and has led a total of 423 laps in 18 career Cup Series starts at Atlanta. Busch's average Atlanta finish is 15.2.
--- True Speed Commincations / JGR ---
See more images on the #18 Team Schemes page