Xtreme Concepts Racing owner Landon Ash had been in victory lane as a guest of Kyle Busch’s following the popular driver’s win in Charlotte last year.
Less than a year later, Ash got back into victory lane with Busch, but this time he did not need a guest pass.
This time Ash was there as the winner.
Ash’s Xtreme Concepts Racing team and its iK9 car notched their first-ever NASCAR Xfinity Series win last weekend at the Boyd Gaming 300 in Las Vegas.
“It’s great to actually be back in victory lane with Kyle Busch’s first win of 2019 under the iK9 Xtreme Concepts brand,” Ash told Yellowhammer News. “It’s amazing to be there and experience the excitement and everything that’s going on.”
Xtreme Concepts fielded its iK9 car as part of its alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Coming off a sixth-place finish the previous week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the team could feel the momentum building.
And, yet, Ash views Saturday’s win as only the beginning for his team.
He thinks the team’s lineup of drivers is the best it has ever been.
In addition to Busch, Xtreme Concepts will have Jeffrey Earnhardt back behind the wheel at Talladega in the 81 car. Brandon Jones and racing prodigy Hailie Deegan, whom Ash calls “the most talented female driver” in motorsports, will both be driving for Xtreme Concepts this year.
“We’ve really spread out the brand,” Ash said. “Kyle is out there killing it, and we’ve got Jeff doing the same things.”
Jones has also built up quite a resume for a young driver with two top-five finishes already this year and 36 total top-10 finishes in the series.
If there is one win Ash really wants to see, it might be when Earnhardt takes the checkered flag.
“Jeffrey is not just my driver, he’s my brother,” said Ash. “He’s been grinding for a decade now, and I can’t wait to see him there, too.”
As an Alabama-based racing team, Ash appreciates what a unique situation his team is in and the effect Saturday’s win could have on the state as a whole.
“We are serious about bringing racing back to Alabama,” he said. “Hearing the slogan ‘Made in Alabama’ really resonated with us. We try to do as much business as possible with other Alabama companies, and we really want to highlight the success that Alabama has as a labor force and a location for businesses globally.”
ISM Raceway in Phoenix is the next stop on the Xfinity Series schedule.
Tim Howe is an owner and editor of Yellowhammer News
