Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished 15th in the Citizen Soldier 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Sunday after a trying day battling handling issues.
Photo: Stewarthaasracing.com
Teams were at a loss for valuable data throughout the weekend due to inconsistent weather on Friday and Saturday. Rain interrupted the first practice session, and both qualifying and final practice were canceled entirely. Busch started 11th for Sunday’s race, with the lineup set by owner point standings.
The No. 41 Chevrolet team couldn’t find a good balance with the car’s handling on Sunday despite several air pressure and wedge adjustments during the 400-lap race. Busch’s feedback bounced between tight and loose, and as track conditions changed, the situation grew more complex. With ill handling, the Las Vegas native didn’t have enough power to race past competitors ahead of him.
Crew chief Tony Gibson called for one last round of air pressure changes with 37 laps to go, but Busch didn’t see an improvement and wasn’t able to gain any positions before the finish.
“Really proud of this team,” Busch said. “We deserve to move on to the next round, but a day like today really tested us to let us know that we’ve got work to do. I’m ready for the challenge. Today was a challenging day, but thanks to our Monster Energy fans, Haas Automation fans, employees, everybody. We are not here just to advance through the round, we are here to do well and be a force toward the front. I like Charlotte and I like Kansas; we will see how they play out. We need to gain points there, because you can’t go to Talladega expecting a good finish.”
Stewart, Busch and Harvick came into Dover as members of the 16-driver Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Dover, however, served as an elimination race, with the four lowest Chase drivers not advancing to the Round of 12.
Three races will be run in the upcoming round, with the next cutoff coming after the Oct. 23 race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, whereupon the Chase field shrinks to eight. Another three races will be run in the Round of 8, where after the Nov. 13 race at Phoenix International Raceway, only four drivers will advance to the final, winner-take-all Championship Round Nov. 20 in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the fourth race of the Chase – is the Oct. 8 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 7 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC.
