Busch Scores Seventh Top-Five of 2015
Kurt Busch rallies to a 5th place finish Sunday at Daytona. Photo credit: Motorsport.com
Kurt Busch drove his No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS to a strong fifth-place finish in the rain-delayed Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola Sunday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the unofficial midpoint of the of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
“An incredible run,” Busch said. “The way the teams put all the effort into restrictor-plate racing it comes down to the crazy finishes, and all in all we finished fifth with the Haas Automation Chevrolet. Thanks to all of our sponsors, Monster Energy, Chevrolet, State Water Heaters, Mobil 1, Rush Truck Centers, and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing that put in a huge effort for these restrictor-plate races. You hope you get to the final caution and you can make a run to the green. It was a difficult finish, that is all I can say.”
The fifth-place finish was Busch’s 12th top-five in 29 career points-paying Sprint Cup starts at Daytona. It was also his seventh top-five finish this season, which elevated him two spots to eighth in the championship standings.
Busch started 28th in the rain-delayed race and relied on spotter Rick Carelli to guide him toward the front of the pack, electing to go for the lead rather than ride at the back of the pack where he would be more likely to be caught in an incident. The strategy appeared to be the right one until lap 17, when younger brother Kyle Busch made contact with the outside retaining wall. The contact forced Denny Hamlin to make an evasive maneuver, diving down to avoid his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. When he made his move, he clipped the nose of the Haas Automation Chevrolet, resulting in damage that would see Kurt Busch make two trips to pit road to be repaired.
Busch quickly climbed from the 35th positon, opting to stick to his strategy of being at the front of the field. The decision proved to be the right one, as he managed to avoid numerous incidents throughout the remainder of the race. He elected to pit under a late-race caution and fell back to 22nd with just nine scheduled laps remaining, but he began a move toward the front as the race neared conclusion.
The intensity began to build and the field raced two- and three-wide as drivers prepared to make their moves. Busch found himself running in the top-10 heading into the final lap. A huge multicar wreck coming to the checkered flag unfolded near the front of the field, but Busch was able to escape the melee with minimal damage compared to some of the other competitors to take the checkered flag fifth.
“It would be cool to see what we could do unrestricted,” Busch said. “Let’s go 230 mph. I guarantee we will all be spread out and put on a good show still.”
Busch’s teammate Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS, led the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent Sunday night at Daytona by finishing fourth.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Ducks Unlimited Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 14th to notch his fourth top-15 result this season.
Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 35th after a late-race accident.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Coke Zero 400 Powered by Coca-Cola to score his 25th career Sprint Cup victory, his second this season and his fourth at Daytona.
Jimmie Johnson finished .122 of a second behind Earnhardt in the runner-up spot, while Denny Hamlin, Harvick and Busch rounded out the top-five. Jeff Gordon, Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman, Trevor Bayne and Clint Bowyer comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were nine caution periods for 43 laps, with seven drivers failing to finish the 161-lap race, which was extended beyond its scheduled 160-lap distance by a green-white-checkered finish.
With round 17 of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR in the championship point standings. He is first with 656 points, 63 ahead of second-place Earnhardt. Busch is eighth with 508 points, 148 out of first. Patrick is 20th with 386 points, 270 out of first. Stewart is 25th with 331 points, 325 out of first.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Kentucky 400 on Saturday, July 11 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC Sports Network.
