Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished 19th in the Sylvania 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. Busch was racing in sixth place during the closing laps of the 300-lap event – poised for his second-straight top-10 finish in the 2015 edition of the Chase for the Championship – but ran out of fuel with two laps to go and left New Hampshire seventh in the standings, 26 points out of first place in the Challenger Round.
Photo Credit: stewarthaasracing.com
After starting from third place Busch settled into a comfortable rhythm in the Sylvania 300, running in the top-three through most of the first 75 circuits around the 1.058-mile track. The opening laps were fairly uneventful for the 2004 Sprint Cup champion, who reported that the only concern with his car was that “we’re really loose – that’s where we’re losing time.”
Crew chief Tony Gibson called for wedge and air pressure adjustments to help create rear grip on the Haas Automation Chevy when Busch came to pit road during the fourth caution on lap 119. While handling improved during the next run, the team ultimately went back slightly on the air pressure change during the fifth caution just 40 laps later. It all added up to positive adjustments for Busch, who later reported that he couldn’t think of anything else to change on the car to make it go faster.
The team made its final stop of the race during the sixth caution on lap 191, pitting for four tires and fuel. Busch restarted from ninth place and steadily worked his way back into the top-five by lap 211. As the laps wound down it became clear that fuel mileage would become a factor for the teams that were on the same pit cycle as the No. 41 team. Although Busch feathered the throttle in the closing laps, he ran out of fuel as the race ticked down to two laps to go. He was able to coast around the Magic Mile before coming to a stop on the apron in between turns three and four. Driver David Gilliland in the No. 38 machine gave Busch the push he needed to make it back to pit road for the end of the race, scored in 19th place.
There were nine caution periods for 41 laps.
Busch and Harvick are representing SHR in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, and they entered the second race of the 10-race Chase fifth and 16th, respectively, among the 16 Chase drivers in the Challenger Round. Busch leaves New Hampshire in seventh, 26 points behind Chase leader Kenseth. Harvick leaves New Hampshire in 15th, 65 points out of first. Following the third race of the Chase next Sunday at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, only those Chase drivers who have won a race or are among the top-12 in points will advance to the Contender Round.
With one race remaining before the Contender Round begins, the top-16 drivers competing for the title rank as follows:
- Matt Kenseth (2,099 points)
- Denny Hamlin (2,093 points, -6)
- Carl Edwards (2,089 points, -10)
- Joey Logano (2,089 points, -10)
- Jimmie Johnson (2,083 points, -16)
- Ryan Newman (2,074 points, -25)
- Kurt Busch (2,073 points, -26)
- Brad Keselowski (2,072 points, -27)
- Martin Truex Jr. (2,071 points, -28)
- Jeff Gordon (2,068 points, -31)
- Jamie McMurray (2,058 points, -41)
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2,057 points, -42)
- Kyle Busch (2,056 points, -43)
- Paul Menard (2,056 points, -43)
- Kevin Harvick (2,034 points, -65)
- Clint Bowyer (2,018 points, -81)
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Oct. 4 AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN.
