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HAMPTON, Ga. – As darkness enveloped Atlanta Motor Speedway, and rain pelted the windshield of his No. 51 Toyota, Kyle Busch patiently waited for the word he had sole possession of the all-time victory lead in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.

The record-setting win wouldn’t be quite that easy. After the red flag for rain, NASCAR restarted the race, rather than calling it. Five laps later, after parrying a determined charge from former series champion Johnny Sauter, Busch took the checkered Saturday’s Ultimate Tailgating 200, earning his 52^nd victory and breaking a tie for most all-time with NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr.

“It means a lot. It’s a big deal for me and a big deal for this team.”

Kyle Busch – After his 52nd NASCAR Truck Series victory

The win was Busch’s fifth in the Truck Series at Atlanta but the first since 2009. Of his 52 triumphs, 16 came in trucks fielded by Billy Ballew before Busch founded his own Kyle Busch Motorsports team and added 36 races to his total (and counting) as an owner/driver.

With Ballew in attendance at Atlanta, Busch’s Tundra carried the former owner’s name on board.

“I had Billy Ballew on board with us here today. And Billy’s right over here as well. It took putting Billy Ballew back on my truck to get me a win here, so we might have to make that an annual reoccurrence.

“I slipped getting out (of the truck). It’s a little wet out here, in case y’all didn’t notice.”

Kyle Busch – after climbing from his truck, with mist putting a wet sheen on Victory Lane.

Busch, however rued the fact that the race was called as he sat on pit road under the red flag on lap 121. His teammate and protégé, Harrison Burton, held the second position at the time, but when the race restarted, Burton had the slippery outside lane to deal with and fell to eighth at the finish.

“I wish we could have ended it (then). I would have rather had Harrison finish second. I’m not sure how far he fell, but he ran a great race today. It was cool to see the No. 18 right up there as well.”

Kyle Busch – team owner of Kyle Busch Motorsports

The victory Busch’s 195 over all three of NASCAR’s national touring series combined, leaving him just five short of his stated goal of 200. With 92 NASCAR Xfinity victories, Busch also holds the career record in that series.

Sauter got to Busch’s rear bumper right after the final restart on lap 128 but didn’t feel he could make a winning move.

“I just didn’t think I could get it there. I’m bummed because I thought I timed it right, and I was pushing him, and he was doing a good job of blocking, and I just didn’t think I could get there.

“It’s a good start, though. I’m happy with the effort. We just need a little bit more. When I go back and watch the replay, I hope I’m not kicking myself in the butt for not making that move to the top, but honestly, at that point I didn’t feel like I could get it done.”

Johnny Sauter – Now with ThorSport Racing for the 2019 season

Grant Enfinger, Sauter’s ThorSport teammate, ran third, followed by reigning series champion Brett Moffitt and Ben Rhodes. Ross Chastain and last week’s Daytona winner, Austin Hill, came home sixth and seventh, respectively.

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Race – 11th Running Ultimate Tailgating 200

Atlanta Motor Speedway

Hampton, Georgia

Saturday, February 23, 2019

               1. (7)  Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 130.

               2. (12)  Johnny Sauter, Ford, 130.

               3. (5)  Grant Enfinger, Ford, 130.

               4. (3)  Brett Moffitt, Chevrolet, 130.

               5. (6)  Ben Rhodes, Ford, 130.

               6. (21)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 130.

               7. (1)  Austin Hill, Toyota, 130.

               8. (2)  Harrison Burton #, Toyota, 130.

               9. (11)  Todd Gilliland, Toyota, 130.

               10. (14)  Timothy Peters, Chevrolet, 130.

               11. (15)  Tyler Dippel #, Chevrolet, 130.

               12. (4)  Sheldon Creed #, Chevrolet, 130.

               13. (29)  Brennan Poole, Toyota, 130.

               14. (10)  Matt Crafton, Ford, 130.

               15. (22)  Gus Dean #, Chevrolet, 130.

               16. (28)  Cory Roper, Ford, 130.

               17. (27)  Anthony Alfredo #, Toyota, 130.

               18. (9)  Stewart Friesen, Chevrolet, 130.

               19. (20)  Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 130.

               20. (26)  Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 130.

               21. (31)  Korbin Forrister, Chevrolet, 130.

               22. (25)  Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 130.

               23. (23)  Jesse Little, Ford, 130.

               24. (16)  Natalie Decker #, Toyota, 127.

               25. (18)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 126.

               26. (19)  Ray Ciccarelli, Chevrolet, 125.

               27. (17)  Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, Accident, 118.

               28. (30)  Chad Finley, Chevrolet, Accident, 117.

               29. (32)  Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Steering, 82.

               30. (13)  Josh Reaume, Toyota, Engine, 78.

               31. (24)  Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 53.

               32. (8)  Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, Accident, 50.

Average Speed of Race Winner:  112.648 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 46 Mins, 38 Secs. The Margin of Victory:  0.932 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  Six for 30 laps.

Lead Changes:  Ten among eight drivers.

Lap Leaders:   A. Hill 0;H. Burton # 1;M. Crafton 2-5;K. Busch(i) 6-43;G. Enfinger 44-47;K. Busch(i) 48-53;J. Sauter 54-57;B. Rhodes 58-77;K. Busch(i) 78-87;J. Sauter 88-92;K. Busch(i) 93-130.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Kyle Busch(i) four times for 92 laps; Ben Rhodes one time for 20 laps; Johnny Sauter two times for nine laps; Matt Crafton one time for four laps; Grant Enfinger one time for four laps; Harrison Burton # one time for one lap.

Stage #1 Top-Ten: 51,18,98,13,16,99,4,88,52,45

Stage #2 Top-Ten: 51,99,18,13,24,16,45,98,88,2