Busch Finishes 21st at Phoenix

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):

Kurt Busch started 15th, finished 16th.

Busch noted loose-handling conditions in addition to low right-rear grip during the opening laps.

He continued to battle balance issues for the duration of the stage.

Busch pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and air pressure and chassis adjustments at the conclusion of the stage.

 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-150):

Started 17th, finished 15th.

Loose handling continued to hinder the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford’s speed throughout the stage.

Busch pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments at the end of the stage.

Due to a broken jack during the stop, Busch lost two positions on pit road.

 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 151-312):

Started 17th, finished 21st.

Busch pitted during a lap-239 caution to counter loose-handling conditions. He restarted in the 15th position.

● He opted to stay out during a lap-250 caution to restart ninth.

● Busch battled the Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford in and around the top-10 until a lap-280 caution.

● During the final restart, Busch was caught in traffic, and his car sustained front-end damage that limited driver visibility.

 

Notes:

● There were seven caution periods for a total of 41 laps.

● Eighteen of the 40 drivers in the Can-Am 500k finished on the lead lap.

● Matt Kenseth won the Can-Am 500k to score his 39th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his second at Phoenix. His margin of victory over second-place Chase Elliott was 1.207 seconds.

● The Championship 4 contenders are Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Brad Keselowski. Each enters the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with 5,000 points.

 

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 on Sunday, Nov. 19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The final race of the 10-race playoffs starts at 2:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC beginning at 1:30 p.m.

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