WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Aug. 11, 2013) – Kurt Busch said he didn’t have his “A” game but the Furniture Row Racing driver dug deep and maneuvered his way to a ninth-place finish in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series road race at Watkins Glen International.
The result was the 10th top-10 finish of the season for Busch, who gained two spots in the driver point standings. He currently sits 11th in points, only two markers out of 10th.
There are four races remaining before the start of the 10-race, 12-driver Chase playoffs. The top-10 in points and two wildcard entries qualify for the Chase.
“It wasn’t one of my best efforts – I wasn’t quite on my “A” game today,” said Busch, who notched his fifth career top-10 at Watkins Glen in 13 career starts. “I felt like I was just off rhythm but the team did their job and we had great execution on pit strategy. Overall it was a good points day.”
Busch, driving the No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet SS, started the 90-lap race from the 13th position. He quickly jumped into the top-10 and stayed there for nearly the entire race as he battled the fender-rubbing turns at the central New York track. He ran as high as fifth and was able to avoid the numerous wrecks and spins that took place on the 2.45-mile road circuit.
“There were a few close calls, but we fought hard and stuck in there to get a top-10,” explained Busch, who posted a fourth-place finish in the only other road race of the season in Sonoma, Calif. “If I could have cleared (Clint) Bowyer I could have hung on to a top-five. But if you’re finishing ninth and things weren’t quite right we’ll take it. We just need to be smart as we continue our quest to race our way into the Chase.”
The race winner was Kurt’s brother Kyle. Rounding out the top-10 in order were: Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards, Juan Pablo Montoya, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Busch and AJ Allmendinger.
The race had eight cautions for 21 laps and there was one red flag for approximately 22 minutes. There were five lead changes among five drivers.
The next Sprint Cup Series race is Sunday, Aug. 18 at Michigan International Speedway.
