Kyle Busch Motorsports Sweeps First Practice at Chicagoland

Kyle Busch Motorsports may be without their owner, Kyle Busch, due to the NASCAR policy limiting Cup driver participation in other series, but that’s not stopping them from showing strength. On Thursday’s first of three scheduled practices, the three KBM drivers swept the top three fastest spots.

Kyle Busch has won 5 of the 10 Truck races at Chicagoland Speedway, but he’ll have to rely on his team to keep up the success. Busch is only allowed to run five Truck Series races per year due to his participation in the Cup Series. He has ran all five of those allowed races already and won all five.

Otherwise, it has been a frustrating year for KBM, where Busch has been very open and critical about his drivers’ lack of success. Neither Todd Gilliland or Harrison Burton have been able to find victory lane. At Texas, Greg Biffle won when he came back after nearly 3 years outside of a race car, and that didn’t help the cause for Gilliland or Burton.

Scoring 2nd and 3rd in practice won’t get Burton and Gilliland out of their hot seats, but if they’re able to keep up the speed, it could maybe cool those seats. Gilliland ran the race at Chicagoland last year where he finished 16th, 2 laps down while Burton is making his first start at Chicago.

Notes:
– Johnny Sauter returns after a one-race suspension and was the slowest of the 4 ThorSport Racing trucks.
– Dylan Lupton is running a 4th DGR Crosley truck, running the #5. Anthony Alfredo is in the #15, Tyler Ankrum in the #17, and Natalie Decker in the #54.
– Defending race winner Brett Moffitt was the fastest non-KBM truck.