Skip to content

KURT BUSCH – 2017 Bristol I Race Report

Event:               Food City 500 (Round 8 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 
Location:          Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval) 
Format:             500 laps, broken into three stages (125 laps/125 laps/250 laps)
Start/Finish:      15th/25th (Running, completed 494 of 500 laps) 
Point Standing: 18th (163 points, 197 out of first)

Race Winner:    Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-125):

  • Kurt Busch started 15th, finished 35th.
  • Battled a tight-handling condition at the beginning of the stage, but got loose as the laps clicked off.
  • Got loose while racing the No. 6 Ford for position and hit the inside wall, resulting in heavy left-side damage to his Ford Fusion.
  • Lost three laps to the leader as repairs were made on pit road under the caution.
  • Visited pit road at the conclusion of Stage 1 to take four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 126-250):

  • Started 35th, finished 33rd.
  • Battled a tight-handling condition throughout the stage.
  • Visited pit road twice during a caution period, the first time for repairs and the second for tires and adjustments.
  • Visited pit road at the conclusion of Stage 2 to take four tires and fuel. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 251-500):

  • Started 33rd, finished 25th.
  • Made multiple chassis and air pressure adjustments, which improved the handling over the course of the segment.
  • Twice took the wave-around, getting two of his laps back.
  • Gained eight positions in the final stage to finish 25th. 

Notes:

  • Busch made his 33rd Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Next Up:                                                                        

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Richmond 400 Sunday, April 30 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The race starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX.