Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet SS in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), lined up second for a lap-372 restart in Sunday’s rain-delayed Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Coming off turn two, he passed Joey Logano for the lead. However, Busch got loose in front of Logano, and contact between the two set off an 11-car incident that would see the 2004 Sprint Cup champion’s historic streak of lead-lap finishes end at 22 races.
Photo: Stewarthaasracing.com
“I think I just missed the bottom groove by a few inches, got loose, and the wreck was on,” Busch said. “The way that our Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet was restarting it felt comfortable, it felt good. That inside with the rosin and the VHT, if you don’t hit it exactly right you lose a lot of time. I tried to make up for it and got loose. I feel really bad for the Monster Energy/Haas Automation guys. We had a win in our sights, and I just drove the car at 101 percent instead of 99.”
Busch started 14th in the 40-car field Saturday night, but after 48 laps, rain forced NASCAR Sprint Cup Series officials to postpone the race to Sunday. Busch would restart 17th Sunday afternoon, but he steadily advanced his position as the laps clicked off. By lap 128 he was scored inside the top-10, and by lap 164 he would be scored fifth. A series of chassis adjustments by crew chief Tony Gibson gave Busch the track position he needed to challenge for the lead.
After the pass of leader Logano and the spin resulting from contact with the No. 22, Busch was collected by Brad Keselowski. From there, drivers Austin Dillon, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Blaney, Logano, Chase Elliott, Paul Menard, Kyle Larson, Brian Scott and Jimmie Johnson were listed as involved in the incident. The damage to the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet was deemed too severe to repair, leaving Busch with a 38th-place result and his first did not finish (DNF) since Kansas Speedway in Kansas City on Oct. 5, 2014.
It was the 34th points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory for SHR since its inception in 2009 and the organization’s fourth this season. It was SHR’s first win at Bristol.
There were nine caution periods for 106 laps, with four drivers failing to finish the 500-lap race.
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. Patrick can also earn a Chase berth by winning a race and staying inside the top-30. Three races remain before the Chase begins Sept. 18 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Pure Michigan 400 on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN.
