It took four days and 34 races for defending NASCAR champion Kurt Busch to win a race in 2020 and extend his streak of years with at least one victory to sixteen. He is now only the sixth driver to win at least one race a year for sixteen years in a row. He joins Ricky Rudd, Jimmie Johnson, and retired Missouri drive Rusty Wallace. Only David Pearson with 17 and Richard Petty with 18 have longer streaks.
Busch nursed his dwindling fuel supply through the closing laps to beat Martin Truex, Jr., to the finish line by less than one-half second. Truex had been forced to the back of the field at the start because inspectors found his car’s spoiler was illegal. But by the time the race was stopped because of rain Sunday, he had climbed to fifth, and he led 53 of the race’s 334 laps at Texas Motor Speedway.
Rains kept the cars in their garages Monday and Tuesday. Engines didn’t fire until late Wednesday afternoon. NASCAR, which keeps track of such things, calculated the red flag period lasted 72 hours, 28 minutes, 34 seconds. That was not a record, however.
Busch did not reach the semifinal round of eight and will not repeat as champion this year.
The series moves to the Martinsville short track next weekend where the championship field will be cut to four drivers who will race for the title at Phoenix.