Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), spent a fair portion of the Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race trying to rally from behind.
Kurt Busch wins the pole for Sundays Las Vegas Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. (HHP/Harold Hinson)
Busch started from the pole and led 31 laps early in the race, but he was penalized on his first pit stop of the day for speeding on pit road, which resulted in him starting at the tail end of the longest line on the ensuing restart. He restarted in 35th on lap 35 but was able to steadily advance his way through the field, eventually breaking back inside the top-10 by lap 123. Despite battling a tight-handling condition, Busch was able to maintain his spot in the top-10 through the next 100 laps of the race.
Following a restart on lap 224, several drivers made aggressive moves, trying to gain as many spots as they could as the finish neared. Several drivers entered turn one three- and four-wide, getting the air taken off their smaller rear spoilers. As Matt Kenseth got out of shape in front of Busch’s No. 41 Chevrolet, Busch also got sideways. He was able to keep from making any contact and just needed four new tires to be able to rejoin the field.
Busch restarted 20th on lap 222 but was able to take advantage of his fresh tires to work his way through the field, eventually bringing home a solid ninth-place finish.
“We fought hard,” Busch said. “Driver made a couple of mistakes on a restart and speeding on pit road. We just had to battle, battle, battle and just never got into a good rhythm. We just felt like we were battling from behind. We wanted a better finish with our Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet, but to finish ninth after all of that, we’ll take it.”
There were six caution periods for 36 laps, with three drivers failing to finish the 267-lap race.
With round three of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR in the championship point standings. He is third with 108 points, seven behind first-place Kyle Busch. Kurt Busch is fifth with 103 points, 12 out of first. Patrick is 26th with 47 points, 68 out of first. Vickers is 36th with 20 points, 95 out of first.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Good Sam 500k on Sunday, March 13, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.
