Kyle Busch’s climb toward the top 30 in the Sprint Cup Series standings continued Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway with his second win of the season in just seven starts. Busch led a race-high 163 laps, including the final twenty trips around the 1-1/2 mile oval. The victory lifted him from 37th to 35th in the standings with 8 races left in the regular season.
After missing the first 11 races of the year while recovering from injuries suffered in February at Daytona, Busch needs an average finish of 16th over the final 15 races of the regular season to be eligible for a spot in the post-season Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. In 7 starts since returning, his average finish is now 17th.
Busch led a parade of Joe Gibbs Racing cars into the top 5 at night’s end Saturday. Denny Hamlin finished 3rd, Carl Edwards 4th and Matt Kenseth 5th. Team Penske’s Joey Logano ran 2nd, 1.5 seconds behind Busch at the checkered flag.
Entering the weekend, lead changes in the Sprint Cup Series were down 20% from 2014. Saturday’s race featured a new NASCAR rules package built around a reduction in downforce the sanctioning body hopes will lead to more competitive racing. The new package, featuring aerodynamic modifications, produced 13 lead changes – one more than last year’s race.
With an 8th place finish, regular-season points leader Kevin Harvick became the first driver to officially clinch
his spot on the 2015 Chase Grid.
Next on the schedule, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 19th. Live coverage of the “New Hampshire 301” begins at 11:00 AM on FM 95.
Unofficial Points Standings
DRIVER POINTS BEHIND LEADER
1. Kevin Harvick (2) 692 —
2. Jimmie Johnson (4) 624 | -68
2. Joey Logano (1) 624 | -68
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2) 616 | -76
5. Martin Truex Jr. (1) 596 | -96
6. Brad Keselowski (1) 559 | -133
7. Jamie McMurray 556 | -136
8. Kurt Busch (2) 542 | -150
9. Matt Kenseth (1) 540 | -152
10. Jeff Gordon 537 | -155
– story by John Singler
www.mrn.com
Concord, NC
