Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), was in position to score a top-10 finish in the 23rd Annual Brickyard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but contact from behind on the final lap of the race would see him take the checkered flag 16th.
Photo: Stewarthaasracing.com
After starting 11th in the 40-car field, Busch ran in the top-10 for much of the race despite struggling with handling issues that had his Chevrolet loose exiting the corners while tight in the center. Crew chief Tony Gibson called for wedge and air pressure adjustments each time the No. 41 came to pit road, while Busch adjusted the track bar inside the racecar to help fine-tune the chassis. As a result, Busch was able to hold steady in the top-10 despite his handling woes.
Busch was running 12th when the caution flag waved with 10 laps remaining. He and Gibson agreed to pit for one last round of adjustments to give him what he needed to improve his position. Unfortunately, Busch didn’t get much opportunity to put his fresh tires to use as three more incidents would limit the amount of green-flag laps toward the end. On the final restart, Busch lined up 11th and took the white flag in 10th. But on the last lap, contact from Austin Dillon would force Busch out of the groove, allowing Dillon and a handful of other drivers to get by him. He crossed the finish line 16th, a disappointing result considering the strong run the No. 41 team had.
Kurt Busch is third with 627 points, 44 behind Harvick. Patrick is 24th with 373 points, 136 ahead of 31st-place Chris Buescher. Stewart is 27th with 317 points, 80 ahead of 31st.
Harvick, Busch and Stewart are all eligible to compete in the 16-driver, 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, which begins after the Sept. 10 race at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. All have won a race this season and are among the top-30 in points, the two requirements necessary to secure a spot in the Chase.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Pennsylvania 400 on Sunday, July 31 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The race begins at 1:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN.
