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KURT BUSCH – 2017 Texas II Race Report

Event:               AAA Texas 500 (Round 34 of 36)
Series:               Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location:          Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format:             335 laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/164 laps)
Start/Finish:       1st/9th (Running, completed 334 of 334 laps)
Point Standing: 11th with 2,177 points 

Race Winner:    Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Kyle Larson of Chip Ganassi Racing (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

  • Kurt Busch started first and finished fifth.
  • Early in the run, Busch said his Haas Automation/Monster Energry Ford Fusion was tight on the exit of each turn.
  • On lap 54, Busch pitted for four sticker tires and fuel while in fourth position.
  • Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):
  • Busch started 10th and finished seventh.
  • Busch was fifth when he pitted on lap 88 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.
  • While in fourth-place, Busch pitted for four tires and fuel.
  • Stage 3 Recap (Laps 170-334):
  • Busch started eighth and finished ninth.
  • On lap 173 Busch pits for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.
  • Busch was fifth, when he pitted on lap 226 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment.
  • On lap 231, Busch had to return to pit road because a lugnut was caught between the wheel and the hub, which cuased a vibration. Crew changed four tires.
  • With the caution on lap 269, Busch was 18th, but got his lap back.
  • On lap 272, Busch pitted for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. Was in 18th position.
  • While 13th, Busch pits on lap 285 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. 

Notes:

  • Busch scored his 15th top-10 finish of 2017 and his 17th top-10 in 30 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Texas.
  • Busch finished fifth in Stage 1 to earn six bonus points and seventh in Stage 2 to earn an additional four bonus points.
  • There were eight caution periods for a total of 40 laps.
  • Sixteen of the 40 drivers in the AAA Texas 500 finished on the lead lap.
  • Kevin Harvick won the AAA Texas 500 to score his second NASCAR Cup Series win of 2017, his first at Texas and the 37th of his career.
  • Harvick’s margin of victory over second-place Martin Truex Jr., was 1.580 seconds.

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:

“We had to rebound from when the lugnut got stuck behind the wheel — the right-front wheel to the brake rotor and all that.  Man, We just still want more.  We’re so close to being what we want, but we just still aren’t in that top five group right now.  We’ve just got to find a little more.  I’m real happy with our effort.  We finished in the top-10 after a pit road mishap, so it’s a good day.”

Next Up:

The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Can-Am 500 on Sunday, Nov.12 at Phoenix Raceway. It is the ninth race of the 10-race playoffs and it starts at 2:30 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC.