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Ranking Every Las Vegas NASCAR driver from worst to best
Las Vegas is home to some of NASCAR's biggest stars, including Kurt and Kyle Busch. Here, we're breaking down every Las Vegas NASCAR driver from worst to best. Let's get started.#5 Brendan Gaughen, former NASCAR Cup Series driver
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Source. YouTube[/caption]
Brendan Gaughen didn't have the NASCAR career he wanted but played an important role in the sport's history. While Gaughen is a California native, he moved to Las Vegas shortly after his birth. This is where he grew up and why he is ultimately being billed as from the town.
He is actually one of the first well-known drivers to come from the city and make his mark.
#4 Riley Herbst, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver
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Source. YouTube[/caption]
Riley Herbst is in the infancy of his NASCAR career, and it's difficult to know how things will pan out. On the one hand, his Craftsman Truck Series numbers aren't that impressive, but he is slowly starting to carve out a name in the Xfinity Series. So much so that he currently sits 8th in points with two top fives and six top ten in ten races.
One interesting accomplishment Herbst has this season is six straight top-tens in the first ten races of the year. There seems to be so much talent here, and it will be fun to watch him develop. He might have a long way to go to catch up with others on this list, but he has a lot of time to do it
#3 Noah Gragson, 13x Xfinity Series winner
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Source YouTube.[/caption]
Noah Gragson is just starting to make a name for himself in the NASCAR Cup Series and has a bright future ahead. He might even have a shot at being a future Cup Series champion. Not only is that evident by his success in The Xfinity Series, but also by who he is aligned with.
Gragson signed with Legacy Motorsports and is now driving for Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson. That's a who's who of NASCAR legends and should be a solid foundation for him to build on. Of course, Gragson is having some growing pains in the Cup Series as Legacy MotorSports gains its footing, but those should resolve soon.
Gragson is also a former JR Motorsports driver, so his chances of success are pretty high. This is due to the Xfinity Series-based team already producing two future champions in Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski. However, Gragson might have a long way to go before that's a possibility, making his career interesting to watch.
Related: 5 bold predictions for The Las Vegas Aces in 2023
#2 Kurt Busch, 1x NASCAR Cup Series champion
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Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=667092084772796&set=pb.100044160322651.-2207520000.&type=3[/caption]
Kurt Busch has been a lot of things throughout his NASCAR career. He started as the young, hungry rookie from Las Vegas that could go toe-to-toe with legends. He also became known for an aggressive driving style that not everyone was a big fan of.
Busch later used that to help him win the 2003 championship and cement his legacy among NASCAR's elite. Unfortunately, his career became very tough after that. He got fined for flipping off President Obama's motorcade during a race at Homestead Miami. He also got fired from Penske Racing for toxic behavior.
And then, just like that, he became a success again. It started when he won the Daytona 500 in 2017, adding another key accolade to his resume. Fast Forward to 2022, and he was on the cusp of reviving his career at 23XI Racing. That didn't happen after a qualifying crash at Pocono sidelined him with a concussion.
Busch continues to undergo therapy for his symptoms and hopes to return to a part-time schedule someday. Although it's great to see Busch somewhat get to go out on his terms, it's disappointing to see it end early. You just know he had more in the tank and might never get to capitalize on that potential.
#1 Kyle Busch, 2x NASCAR Cup Series Champion
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Source. YouTube[/caption]
Kyle Busch is the most successful Las Vegas-born driver in NASCAR history and has the stats to prove it. This includes being a two-time Cup Series champion, having over 200 NASCAR wins, six championships, and four appearances. He is also the sport's most polarizing entity and is one of their bigger personalities.
As much as some NASCAR fans want to bemoan Busch as the villain of NASCAR, he's actually one of their biggest iron men. For example, he won his first championship in 2015 after suffering two broken legs in an Xfinity race at Daytona. That left him out for 11 races. He had to undergo extensive physical therapy just to get back on the track.
NASCAR granted Busch a playoff waiver, and he punched his ticket a few weeks later at Sonoma. That guaranteed Busch a spot in the playoffs if he made the top-25, which he did by the end of the 26-race cut-off. He then racked up seven top tens, including a win in the Championship race at Phoenix.
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