Kurt Busch Finishes 10th at Loudon

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), experienced an up-and-down day in Sunday’s New Hampshire 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon en route to scoring his second-consecutive 10^th-place NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish.

Busch’s day started strong, as he ran inside the top-five for much of the first half of the 301-lap race. While he maintained a position near the front of the field, he reported that his racecar was loose entering and exiting the turns but tight in the center. Those problems persisted for the entire race but were manageable until lap 185, when Busch radioed the Haas Automation team to let them know how his racecar was handling after a wedge adjustment made on his most-recent pit stop.

When he keyed his microphone, it defeated the radio of spotter Rick Carelli, who was letting him know his position in relation to the No. 88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Slight contact was made between the two racecars, resulting in damage to the rear end of Busch’s No. 41. For the rest of the afternoon Busch battled an ill-handling car that, despite its split personality, he was able to maneuver home with a respectable finish.

“We made a wedge adjustment on our second stop, and from that point on, it was a completely different racecar,” Busch said. “It felt like it worsened after the contact with the 88 car, but I really couldn’t pinpoint what it was that made the car so drastically different. (Crew chief Tony) Gibson undid the adjustment and the guys repaired the damage, but we never could dial it back in like it was to start the race. All in all, to finish 10^th after nearly losing a lap, that’s something that everyone on this Haas Automation team can be proud of.”

Busch’s teammate Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet SS, led the four-car SHR contingent Sunday by finishing third.

Kyle Busch won the New Hampshire 301 to score his 32^nd career Sprint Cup victory, his third this season and his second at New Hampshire.

There were seven caution periods for 34 laps, with only one driver failing to finish the 301-lap race around the 1.058-mile oval.

With round 19 of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR in the championship point standings. He is first with 734 points, 69 ahead of second-place Logano. Busch is eighth with 576 points, 158 out of first. With two wins apiece, teammates Harvick and Busch are locked into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Patrick is 22^nd with 416 points, 84 out of 16^th, the cutoff position to make the 16-driver Chase field on points. Stewart is 26^th with 366 points, 134 out of 16^th.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Jeff Kyle 400 at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 26. The 22^nd running of the event begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC Sports Network.