Haas Automation Driver Makes Mad Dash To Gain Seven Spots in Final Six Laps
Kurt Busch finishes 2nd place to his brother Kyle Busch on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), was less than a second short from earning his third victory of 2015 on Sunday during the Save Mart 350k at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. Busch showed a strong effort in the 110-lap event, finishing second after leading three times for 43 laps.
Busch started on the outside of row one and quickly rocketed to the lead as he took the first corner of the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course. He led 22 laps before the first caution flag waved and crew chief Tony Gibson called him to pit road. The team changed four tires and added fuel, and Busch restarted 10th on lap 26.
On lap 40 Busch reclaimed the lead and held it until lap 52, when he came to pit road under green-flag conditions for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. He again raced his way to the front and led the 43-car field for 13 more laps before pitting during a caution on lap 75.
During the next 20 laps, Busch’s car began to lose grip. When a caution emerged with 11 laps to go, Gibson called Busch to pit road, knowing he would need fresh tires to contend for the win. The Las Vegas native restarted ninth when the green flag dropped on lap 104, but his four new tires gave him an advantage over the top-five drivers, who opted to stay out during the caution.
With the help of the No. 41 team’s two spotters, Busch was able to weave in and out of traffic during the final six laps and take over the second position with three laps remaining. He followed closely behind brother Kyle Busch in the race to the finish but didn’t have enough time to catch him before the checkered flag waved. It is the first time that the Busch brothers have finished 1-2 in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition.
The runner-up effort was Busch’s sixth top-five finish this season and his seventh top-five in 15 career Sprint Cup starts at Sonoma. He is now scored 10th in the driver point standings, 147 behind series leader and SHR teammate Kevin Harvick.
“There’s so many things that have gone into place for us to be successful, and the number one thing is (crew chief) Tony Gibson,” Busch said. “He builds great racecars and it’s a pleasure to drive for him, and I love the team camaraderie. I haven’t had this type of team chemistry since my championship year. It feels good to have that.”
Kyle Busch won the Save Mart 350k to score his 30th career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the year and his second at Sonoma.
Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano rounded out the top-five, while Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman and Sam Hornish Jr. comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were five caution periods for 21 laps, with six drivers failing to finish the 110-lap race.
With round 16 of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR in the championship point standings. He is first with 616 points, 53 ahead of second-place Martin Truex Jr. Kurt Busch is 10th with 469 points, 147 out of first. Patrick is 19th with 377 points, 239 out of first. Stewart is 26th with 301 points, 315 out of first.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola on Sunday, July 5 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. The race starts at 7:45 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC.
