Imago
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (1) during the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Imago
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (1) during the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Joey Logano was absolutely delighted when he crossed the finish line to win at the Kansas Speedway. However, joy for some meant despair for others, especially the likes of Kurt Busch. The sole Busch driver in the Playoffs endured a torrid time at Kansas because his engine blew up spectacularly.
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He admitted that an engine problem at such a crucial stage ‘acts like a parachute’. However, Busch Sr. insisted, “We’ll pack that parachute up, throw it away and we’ll go to Texas to win.
“We knew we have to win either here or Texas, Martinsville is where we have a shot at it too. We’re in the top-8 for a reason. We’ll bounce back.”
Kurt insisted that the odds may be against them, but he is determined to prove why he is in the Top-8. The 42-year-old insists that they will bounce back from the disappointment of the engine failure.
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 27, 2020; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (1) during the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
What happened to Kurt Busch in the race?
When the engine went ‘Pop!’, all that his spotter could say was that it had detonated. Apparently, the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing driver reported a loss of power in his Chevrolet.
He continued to struggle for much of the race until a handful of laps later when his engine gave up the ghost.
This added to his burden as he had entered the Round of 8 Playoffs dead last and 21 points below the cutline. Owing to this retirement, the gulf increased to 73 points, thus putting him in a hugely vulnerable position.
Only a win can truly save him from elimination as it guarantees automatic qualification to the Championship 4. “When you start the Round of 8 against these guys who have all those points, all those stage points and points in the bank, we knew we needed to do something spectacular,” Busch admitted.
“We just didn’t expect an engine failure. Quality control is very high. The amount of attention to detail, that’s at an all-time high. I mean, I haven’t seen an engine failure in years.
“Whether it’s a Chevy or a Ford or a Toyota, everybody is spot-on. So, it’s one of those fluke things we have to get to the bottom of.”
With two races left, can Kurt Busch make up the deficit and qualify? Even better than that, can he grab a win either at Texas or at Martinsville?
