KBM’s #NASCAR Truck #51 Program
Kyle Busch, Todd Gilliland, Myatt Snider, Harrison Burton Will Share the #51
Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) announced that owner-driver
Kyle Busch will compete in five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events in 2017. Busch’s No. 51 Tundra will carry primary sponsorship from Textron Aviation, an aircraft industry leader that provides its customers with the most versatile and comprehensive general aviation product portfolio in the world. KBM will promote Textron Aviation’s Cessna, Hawker and Beechcraft brands.
Busch ranks second on the Truck Series All-time win list with 46. The Las Vegas native has been victorious in a remarkable 34.6 percent (46/133) of his starts since debuting in NASCAR’s third division in 2001 and has finished first or second 52.67 (70/133) percent of the time. ‘Rowdy’ collected two wins and three top-five finishes across four Truck Series starts in 2016. His 170 all-time combined NASCAR national series wins rank second to NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty (200).
“We are very excited to have Textron Aviation and the Cessna, Hawker and Beechcraft brands as new partners for my five races in the Truck Series for 2017,” Busch said. “Textron Aviation’s commitment to multiple teams across multiple levels in NASCAR shows that they are a company that knows how to build successful programs and I’m looking forward to seeing our program take off at Atlanta.”
The 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion
Todd Gilliland will compete in four NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in 2017 with primary sponsorship from Toyota – the world’s top automaker. Gilliland, who competed in seven Super Late Model races for KBM in 2016, will make his Truck Series debut behind the wheel of the No. 51 Toyota Tundra June 17 at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill.
The third-generation driver will also compete at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ont., Sept. 3, New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon Sept. 23 and Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway Nov. 10.
With six victories this year in the K&N Pro Series West, the 16-year-old matched three other drivers for the series record for most wins in a single season and also collected six poles, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes en route to becoming the youngest champion in the history of any NASCAR national or touring series. The K&N West Series Rookie of the Year also competed in five K&N Pro Series East events in 2016, registering one win, one pole, three top-five and five top-10 finishes.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to race in the Truck Series for KBM next year and it wouldn’t be possible without the support of everyone at Toyota and TRD,” Gilliland said. “Moving up into the top levels of NASCAR is going to be a learning experience, but I know that I’m getting behind the wheel of fast Tundras and with the staff that they have in place at KBM and the knowledge that Kyle can pass along I’m going to learn a lot and continue to grow as a driver.”
Myatt Snider will compete in eight NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in 2017 with primary sponsorship from Southeastern Mills and its Louisiana Hot Sauce brand. Snider will make his KBM debut behind the wheel of the No. 51 Louisiana Hot Sauce Tundra in the Truck Series season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Feb. 24.
The 22-year-old is also scheduled to compete at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth June 9 and Nov. 3, Kentucky Speedway in Sparta July 6, Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., Sept. 15, Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway Sept. 30, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway Oct. 14 and Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway Nov. 17.
Snider put his name on the national motorsports map in May of 2016 when he led 35 laps en route to victory in his ARCA Racing Series debut at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway. The North Carolina native collected one win, 68 laps led, three top-five and five top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 13.8 across nine ARCA starts this season. He made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut for AM Racing at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in November where he started 19th and finished on the lead lap in the 17th spot.
“I am so thankful to Kyle, Samantha and everyone at Toyota and TRD for this fantastic opportunity,” Snider said. “The chance to race in a Toyota with KBM equipment is something I’ve worked my whole career to have the opportunity to do. I cannot wait to learn from Kyle and my teammates. I want to soak up every bit of information I can. You can’t do better than KBM in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and to have Louisiana Hot Sauce on our truck only makes it better. I’ve been blessed with great equipment and people in my career. I’m so thankful to keep that going in 2017. I’m really excited about the races we are running. We will be racing at mile-and-a-half tracks or bigger. That will provide some great opportunities for me to learn and continually improve. I look forward to doing great things with the people at KBM.”
Harrison Burton, sixteen years young, will compete in six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races behind the wheel of the No. 51 Tundra in 2017.
Burton’s six-race schedule begins April 1 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and also includes Dover (Del.) International Speedway June 2, Iowa Speedway in Newton June 23, Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio July 19, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Aug. 16 and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway Oct. 28.
The NASCAR Next product competed full-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2016, earning one pole and a seventh-place finish in the final point standings as a rookie. Burton collected three Super Late Model victories this year, including a Southern Super Series victory at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., and also earned a third-place finish in his ARCA Racing Series debut at Iowa Speedway in Newton.
“I honestly feel like I have hit the jackpot by signing with a championship-caliber team like Kyle Busch Motorsports,” Burton said. “”Having raced in Martinsville last season with KBM, I understand the strength of the team and have complete confidence that they can provide me with great race trucks while making my transition into the Truck series as smooth as possible.”
Kevin “Bono” Manion will guide the No. 51 Tundra team with drivers Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, Todd Gilliland and Myatt Snider. Manion guided KBM’s No. 51 team to one win, one pole, four top-five and seven-top 10 finishes with four different drivers behind the wheel last year in his first season as a Truck Series crew chief.
Prior to joining KBM, the Massachusetts native collected five victories in 10 seasons atop the pit box in NASCAR’s premier series, including two marquee wins with Jamie McMurray in 2010; the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. Before graduating into NASCAR’s top division, he guided Martin Truex Jr., to back-to-back NASCAR XFINITY Series titles in 2004 and 2005. In addition to his five Monster Energy Cup Series victories, Manion boasts 15 XFINITY Series wins; 13 with Truex Jr., and two with Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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