Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), overcame some early adversity in the Kentucky 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Saturday at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta to score a solid 10th-place finish.
Busch was able to rebound from a midrace spin that dropped him to 23rd in the 43-car field. A focused, determined drive coupled with savvy pit strategy gave Busch his third top-10 in five career Sprint Cup starts at Kentucky and his 10th top-10 this season. 
“We had to battle pretty hard,” Busch said. “Not the result that we wanted, but we can’t be disappointed with 10th. All in all, the car started off loose on the first lap of practice and stayed loose. We never really got the rear end secured. The only thing we could do is make the front end chatter. So it was a tough balance between front and rear. It was fun to drive when we were all on restarts. Overall I’m pleased with the rule package we had tonight. I know we can do a little better job on the Haas Automation Chevy, but thanks to Monster Energy, State Water Heaters, Mobil 1 and Rush Truck Centers. When NASCAR throws new rules at you, you’ve got to adapt. We didn’t quite adapt to the top-five level tonight.”
From the drop of the green flag, Busch struggled with a racecar that was loose entering and exiting the corners while tight in the center. He managed the issue by adjusting the track bar and altering his lines around the racetrack, but as his handling woes worsened, Busch spun off the exit of turn four while running 10th to bring out the caution on lap 99. He was able to avoid any contact but sustained a flat right-front tire. To minimize damage to his racecar, Busch stayed on the apron of the track to reach pit road, where the Haas Automation team changed four tires, added fuel and made chassis adjustments. He restarted the race in 23rd place.
Busch made steady progress to regain his lost ground. When the caution was displayed on lap 206, Busch pitted for the final time to make it to the checkered flag and came off pit road in 15th place with 50 laps remaining. He was able to advance five positions before the end of the race.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the New Hampshire 301 on Sunday, July 19 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race starts at 1:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC Sports Network.
