Kyle Busch has set multiple records in his NASCAR career, including those for wins in multiple national series. He also set a surprising record back in 2017.
Busch, who drove for Joe Gibbs Racing at the time, won the July 2017 Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. This was his first win of the season, and he scored it after leading 1,040 laps in the season.
According to NASCAR Insights, Busch is the only driver in Cup Series history to lead more than 1,000 laps in a season before parking his car in victory lane.
The 2017 season featured Busch contending for numerous wins in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He finished third at Phoenix after leading 114 laps. He finished second at Martinsville after leading 274 laps.
He posted consecutive top-five finishes at Talladega, Kansas, and Charlotte while leading a combined 170 laps. Busch also won the pole for the June race at Pocono and led 100 laps. He finished ninth while Team Penske's Ryan Blaney won.
The return to Pocono in July featured Busch showcasing speed once again. He won the pole for the second time that season at the 2.5-mile track, and he led 74 laps. Busch won stage 1 and the Cup Series race, which secured his spot in the playoffs.
The win at Pocono may have set the surprising record, but it also kicked off a strong second half of the season. Busch went on to win four more races in 2017. First up was the Bristol Night Race. Next were New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway.
Busch's fifth win of the season was the playoff race at Martinsville Speedway. This victory punched his ticket to the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The Las Vegas native ultimately ended the season second in the championship standings as Furniture Row Racing's Martin Truex Jr. won the finale and the Cup Series title. But Busch did top 2,000 laps led by spending 43 at the front of the pack during the finale.