Sonoma Throwback: Kyle Busch wins first race after breaking his leg in 2015

When it comes to road racing in NASCAR, Sonoma Raceway has a ton of history. But 2015 was a special race for Kyle Busch and the Cup Series. Of course, 2015 was the year that Busch broke his right leg and his left foot in the season’s opening Xfinity Series race. He missed 11 races to start the year, but ended it with a championship in Miami.

When Chase Elliott broke his leg after the first two races of the NASCAR season this year, many felt that they had seen the story before. While it wasn’t racing-related, Elliott’s injury reminded many of the time Kyle Busch was sidelined with his own injury.

At one point during the season, Busch made his way back to the Cup Series. He struggled to start. Then he won four of five races. That all started at Sonoma Raceway.

Not only was this win special because of the injury Kyle Busch suffered that season and what it signaled for the playoffs later that year. It was the first time that Kurt and Kyle Busch finished 1-2 in the same race. This Toyota/Save Mart 350 had a lot of history and meaning behind it.

Sonoma is a track that has been good to Busch over the years. It isn’t just the 2015 win. He picked up the first and only Truck Series victory at the track last season. The point of all of this, keep an eye on that RCR No. 8 car this weekend. He might just ride it into Victory Lane again.

Kyle Busch’s odds to win Sonoma

Now that we’ve taken a trip down memory lane, let’s get back to the present. In case you have been stranded on a deserted island for the last decade, Kyle Busch is still really good! This year he has three wins with his new team and in a new car.

Busch was victorious last Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway. It was vintage Rowdy. He went out and grabbed the pole award. Then, he led the most laps on the day on his way to taking the checkered flag. Not even five late restarts could faze the two-time Cup Series champion.

Coming into Sonoma Raceway, Busch is slated at 9-1 odds, the same as Ross Chastain’s odds to win. Vegas thinks that Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and William Byron all have a better chance to win. But Busch is good on the roads. He will be tough to beat.

Eight years after his big win at Sonoma, can Kyle Busch find success once again in wine country?