Busch Gunning For Fourth Straight National Series Victory

For Kyle Busch (No. 18 Toyota Tundra/Traxxas Toyota), victories, like grapes, come in bunches. Last weeks OReilly 200 win opened an unprecedented NASCAR national series weekend sweep at Bristol Motor Speedway where Busch added a third consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at the .522-mile concrete oval. Bristol, however, is in Buschs rearview mirror. Next up is Friday nights EnjoyIllinois.com 225 at Chicagoland Speedway. Surprise: Busch is the defending winner at the 1.5-mile track located a few miles southwest of Chicago in Joliet. The 2009 race was win No. 2 of five for Busch in consecutive appearances that included Bristol, Chicagoland, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Texas Motor Speedway. Busch, in relatively short order, has vaulted to fifth on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series all-time victory list. Hes won 19 times in 77 starts, or roughly one victory for every four times Busch has taken the green flag. His winning percentage - .247 tops those of the series four most prolific winners: Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 ShopE-ZGO. com Chevrolet), Mike Skinner (No. 5 International Trucks/Monaco RV Toyota), Jack Sprague and Todd Bodine (No. 30 Germain.com Toyota). Chicago is always fun because my parents are from that area and so are my fiancées parents. It has a lot of history and family ties, said Busch, a winner at Chicagoland in all three NASCAR national series. I think we think we have a good shot and with a new sponsor on board (Traxxas RC cars), we have a good chance at winning and making it four (national series wins) in a row. Bodine and Hornaday are sure to give Busch all the competition he can handle. Bodine, who collected his 20th series victory (and third of the season) Aug. 14 at Darlington Raceway, leads all drivers on 1.5-mile tracks, with 11 wins. Bodine, the current NCWTS championship leader, finished second to Busch at Chicagoland Speedway a year ago. We had a really good truck last year. We got beat on a restart, said Bodine. Hornaday, a 46-time winner, is closest to sweeping the eight 1.5-mile tracks on the current schedule. A victory at Chicagoland would leave just Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which the series visits next month, on Hornadays 1.5-mile to do list. Last year we had a pretty good set up for the race but got caught on a round of pit stops, said Hornaday, who led two laps before finishing 11th. Likewise, Johnny Sauter (No. 13 Curb Records Chevrolet) figures to be among contenders. Sauter finished fifth in last years Chicagoland race and edged Hornaday in a slam-bang finish earlier this season at Kansas Speedway, a similar layout. Current championship runner-up Aric Almirola will attempt to guide Billy Ballew Motor-sports No. 51 Zyclara/Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota back to Victory Lane. Almirola is driving Buschs 2009 Chicagoland-winning truck. Fridays race is the eighth consecutive race in as many weeks. The nine-race swing ends Sept. 3 at Kentucky Speedway.