Driver Kurt Busch keeps focus despite uncertainty over his job status.
Has much at stake as he chases playoff spot with future uncertain
Kurt Busch has welcomed the uncertainty of this season as he chases a playoff berth while pondering his future in NASCAR.
Busch posted the fastest practice time Saturday as NASCAR’S Cup Series returned to Road America for the first time since 1956. His younger brother, Kyle Busch, had the second-fastest practice time but crashed and will have to start Sunday at the back of the pack in a backup car.
There’s plenty at stake for Kurt Busch the rest of the year as he heads into Sunday’s race 14th in the points standings.
“I haven’t really been in this situation much,” Busch said. “Usually there’s a win or really good points that give us a cushion. I’ve embraced this year in a whole different level just because of all the challenges that have come our way.”
Busch’s contract with Chip Ganassi Racing expires at the end of the year, and Ganassi sold his NASCAR team to Trackhouse Racing owner Justin Marks this week and will leave the Cup Series at the end of the season.
Busch said the news broke when he was inside a simulator. He stepped out and saw he had a couple hundred text messages.
“You drive harder and push deeper and push harder when news like that comes out,” Busch said. “It was a surprise to me. All of us at Ganassi looked at each other and said, ‘We’ve got a playoff berth right in front of us. Let’s go get it. Let’s win and let’s push as hard as we can here right now in 2021.’”
Busch prepared for Road America on the simulator for a refresher on a course he last raced 2012 when he finished eighth in an Xfinity Series race.
Road America has hosted an Xfinity Series race each year since 2010.
This is the fourth of seven road-course races on this year’s Cup Series schedule, and redhot Kyle Larson thinks it’s the toughest yet.
“There’s just not much room for error here,” Larson said.
Ryan Preece also will start at the back of the pack Sunday after being forced to go to a backup car.
Austin Cindric posted the third-fastest practice time after winning the Xfinity Series race here last year. AJ Allmendinger, who won here in 2013 and finished second last year, had the seventh-fastest time.
“Beautiful track - very narrow, very fast, very technical, obviously a lot of turns,” Martin Truex Jr. said. “I think the guys with more experience are the faster guys right now.”
Xfinity: Kyle Busch expects that he won’t continue racing NASCAR Xfinity Series events after this year, and he has a chance to finish up with a perfect season. After spinning off course twice, Busch rallied in the final stage to win Saturday at Road America. That gives him four victories in four Xfinity Series races this season. NASCAR only allows Cup Series drivers such as Busch to compete in five Xfinity and five Truck Series races a year. Busch is scheduled to enter his final Xfinity event of the season next week at Atlanta. “Since we’re this close, we might as well go 5 for 5,” Busch said. “That would certainly be nice. That would be special.” Busch edged Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Daniel Hemric by 3.522 seconds, with Michael Annett third, AJ Allmendinger fourth and Harrison Burton fifth. Road America has had a different winner in each of its 12 Xfinity events.
Formula One: As a relentless Max Verstappen clinched his third straight pole position with a commanding drive for Red Bull at the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday, his title rival Lewis Hamilton could only manage fourth place on the day flagging Mercedes announced his two-year contract extension.