Tag Archives: Kurt Busch

Brad Keselowski Pounces on Unexpected Opportunity to Win at Atlanta

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Thanks to the unintentional generosity of the dominant driver in Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, opportunistic Brad Keselowski won the second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season.

Kevin Harvick led 292 of the 325 laps at the 1.54-mile track, but a pit road speeding penalty under caution on lap 311 sent him to the back of the field for the final restart.

That gave Keselowski the chance he needed, and on lap 319 he surged past Kyle Larson for the top spot and pulled away to win by 0.564 seconds. Continue reading →

After Daytona Disappointment, Elliott Still Waiting for his Day to Come

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Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Chevrolet, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 4, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia.
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Chase Elliott had seen that movie before.

Having qualified for the playoff as a Sunoco rookie last year, Elliott was leading the first postseason race at Chicagoland Speedway when Michael McDowell’s spin in turn four brought out the fourth and final caution on lap 263 of a scheduled 267.

Elliott lost the lead on pit road and lost the race in overtime to Martin Truex Jr. Continue reading →

Does Kurt Busch Want Another Shot at the Indy Double?

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Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford, speaks with the media prior to practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuickTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 3, 2017 in Hampton, Georgia.
Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

The club comprised of drivers who have won both the Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500 currently has two members – Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt.

Kurt Busch, who won the Daytona 500 last Sunday, may have his sights set on joining that exclusive clique.

Three of the of the congratulatory texts Busch received after the Daytona win came from the Andretti clan – Mario, Michael and Marco. It was Michael, you’ll recall, who fielded the Andretti Autosport entry Busch drove to a sixth-place finish in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 in his only IndyCar start. Continue reading →

Ryan Blaney has Mixed Feelings about Runner Up Finish

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Ryan Blaney, driver of the #21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford, prepares to practice for the 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 24, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo – Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

Given his running position with two laps left in Sunday’s Daytona 500, Ryan Blaney was pleasantly surprised with his runner-up finish in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ most prestigious race.

On the other hand, there was a tinge of disappointment at coming so close to a victory and falling 0.228 seconds short.

“We all got single-file with 15 (laps) to go, something like that,” Blaney said. “I tried to make a move with 10 to go to see what would happen. No one really went with me. The 22 (Joey Logano) tried too. It really wasn’t happening. I was kind of worried it was just going to end that way.

“Luckily, I got Joey behind me there down the frontstretch, and we were able to lay back to him and get a huge run into (turn) one. At the same moment, the 41 (race winner Kurt Busch) went to go pass the 42 (Kyle Larson), and it kept my run going, all the way up to second.”

But second was also where the run stopped.

“It was a good way to start off the year,” Blaney said. “Stinks to be so close. But I think that’s good momentum for our team, to be good at the beginning of the day, get some damage and be able to rally for a good finish.”

Patient Kurt Busch Wins Wild Daytona 500—Without Looking Back

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His car damaged in a wreck on the backstretch and held together with tape, Kurt Busch grabbed the lead on the final lap of the 59th Daytona 500 on Sunday and took the checkered flag in the Great American Race as a capstone to a checkered career that has trended upward since Busch joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014.

In a race that featured the first test of a new three-stage race format in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series—and featured enough twisted sheet metal to keep fabricators busy for a month—Busch surged to the front with a run around the outside when more than half the vehicles in an 11-car lead draft sputtered and ran short on fuel.

Having pushed other drivers to victory in the 500 on three previous occasions, Busch took the prize himself this time, finishing 0.228 seconds ahead of Ryan Blaney, who came from the rear of the lead pack on the final two laps. Continue reading →