It’s been established that in the 2015 NASCAR Chase for the Cup, the main headliners are either named Harvick or drive a Toyota owned by Joe Gibbs Racing. Those are the dominant players at the moment, and it’s already a general consensus that the Sprint Cup Championship trophy will go to one of those parties. However, there are still other drivers involved in the hunt for the 2015 title. One such driver is the driver of the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet, Kurt Busch.
More from NASCAR
- NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
- NASCAR: Will Kevin Harvick’s major record ever be broken?
- NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
- NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
- NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
Busch, 37, has always been one of NASCAR’s most polarizing figures largely due to the amount of drama he tends to generate, even if he isn’t guilty of anything. However, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s in the best position he’s been in in years to possibly earn his second Cup championship. Despite missing the first three races of 2015 due to legal matters, Busch now sits fifth in points going into the second race of the second round of this year’s Chase. He ran well at Kansas in May, finishing eighth, and shouldn’t expect to finish outside of the top-10 on Sunday. After that comes Talladega, where although he finished 12th there in May, he did finish fifth at Daytona in July, another restrictor-plate track.
The entire No. 41 crew has been on a rebound from their atrocious and forgettable 2014 season, where they lucked into one win and were eliminated in the first round of the Chase. They’ve been very consistent, and on top of that the No. 41 hasn’t hardly had any trouble this year that they could be blamed for. They haven’t gotten any DNFs, and their worst race was the second Pocono race this year, where a crash left him 37th at the finish. Even then, he had one of the fastest cars of the race. Crashes at the first Bristol and Dover events were also not enough to completely sideline the guy, as he also rebounded and finished the races.
Still, not only has he been consistent, he’s also been very strong (wins at Richmond and Michigan serve to strengthen that claim). Two finishes outside of the top-20 (Dover, Pocono) were his only hiccups during the season, as he’s managed to make his presence known the competitors in the upper half of the field. Granted, not every race has been a top-five (10) or a top-10 (16), but for there to only be two finishes outside of the top-20 in 27 starts says that this team, albeit quiet, is definitely a dangerous group.
Kurt Busch (41) – Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Another factor that could play into his strengths is his relationship with his crew Chief, Tony Gibson. Although it would be a stretch to relate them to Jimmie Johnson and his Crew Chief Chad Knaus, it is a parallel nonetheless. They have managed to mesh in a way that Busch has never meshed before. Although he’s been a lot more mellow this season due to his pre-season issues, another reason he’s so calm this season is because he’s with an individual who is on his level in Gibson. They have chemistry and they do seem to understand each other.
Although it seems otherwise that he’ll fare well in this year’s Chase considering two of his four finishes were 19th and 17th at Loudon and Dover respectively, there isn’t reason to be too worried. He’s been strong this year and he has no reason to keep from running up front. With the exception of Kansas and Talladega, Busch has won at every track left in the Chase. But he’s run well at both tracks, In 2013 he finished second at Kansas while he has four third-place runs at Talladega. He’s great on a variety of tracks and won’t disappoint in the coming weeks.
Maybe it’s helping him that of the four SHR cars, he’s one of the better rides who also happens to be a teammate to Harvick. He’s a tremendous asset to the company, and not only does SHR know that, they’re doing everything they can to make sure he’s got the best equipment. It also helps them, competition-wise, that they’re actually doing more with Hendrick equipment than Hendrick Motorsports themselves.
Whatever the case, Busch is definitely a Chase dark horse and when the rest of the Chase field least expects it, he’ll be in the hunt come Homestead. He’s definitely earned it this season.