9781422270806

2009 NATIONWIDE SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

2015 may have been Busch’s first Cup Series championship, but it wasn’t the first time he hoisted a NASCAR Series championship trophy. In 2009, he won the Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) championship while also running a full-time Cup Series schedule and finding time to appear in 15 truck races. Busch finished the Nationwide Series season with nine wins. He also amassed 25 Top 5 finishes and finished in the Top 10 in 30 out of 35 races. He capped the season with wins in two out of the final three races, including the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch’s margin of victory in the standings was 210 points over Carl Edwards. He led an incredible 2,698 laps across the 35 races. No other driver led even 1,000 laps during the season. It was only two short seasons later when NASCAR ruled that drivers had to choose one series in which to accumulate championship standing points, so despite being one of the most dominant drivers on the Nationwide Series through the mid-2010s, Busch did not qualify to win that championship again.

Kyle Busch wins the 2009 Nationwide Series (now Xfinity Series) championship.

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Superstars of the Speedway: Kyle Busch