Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-100):
● Kurt Busch started sixth and finished fifth, scoring six bonus points.
● The State Water Heaters/Haas Automation driver said the car was a little bit loose early on, but he was up to third by lap seven.
● The No. 41 Ford was still loose late in the run, but Busch finished fifth.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 101-200):
● Busch started fifth, finished 14th.
● The State Water Heaters/Haas Automation driver pitted on lap 104 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.
● The No. 41 Ford was “just really loose” through the entire stage.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 201-400):
● Busch started 15th, finished 18th.
● The State Water Heaters/Haas Automation driver pitted on lap 203 for four tires, fuel and a track bar and tire pressure adjustment.
● Busch pitted on lap 268 for four tires, fuel and a tire pressure adjustment. He said the car lacked rear grip early on and now had no drive off.
● On lap 317, Busch pitted for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment while in 12th place.
● Ten laps after Busch pitted, there was an untimely caution for an accident involving Jeffery Earnhardt. Busch was two laps down due to the pit cycles still going on.
● Busch got one lap back, but there were no more cautions, so Busch finished 18th.
Notes:
● Busch finished fifth in Stage 1 to earn six bonus points.
● Kyle Busch won the Federated Auto Parts 400 to score his 50th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his seventh of the season and his sixth at Richmond. His margin of victory over second-place Harvick was .777 of a second.
● There were three caution periods for a total of 23 laps.
● Only 13 of the 40 drivers in the Federated Auto Parts 400 finished on the lead lap.
Playoff Standing (with one race to go before the Round of 12):
1. Martin Truex Jr. (2,141 points) +85 points
2. Kyle Busch (2,125 points) 1 win
3. Kevin Harvick (2,113 points) +57 points
4. Brad Keselowski (2,111) 1 win
5. Joey Logano (2,081 points) +25 points
6. Aric Almirola (2,079 points) +23 points
7. Kyle Larson (2,073 points) +17 points
8. Kurt Busch (2,071 points) +15 points
9. Chase Elliott (2,066 points) +10 points
10. Austin Dillon (2,066 points) +10 points
11. Alex Bowman (2,061 points) +5 points
12. Ryan Blaney (2,060 points) +4 points
13. Clint Bowyer (2,056 points) -4 points
14. Jimmie Johnson (2,054 points) -6 points
15. Erik Jones (2,039 points) -21 points
16. Denny Hamlin (2,031 points) -29 points
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Bank of America Roval 400 on Sunday, Sept. 30 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. It is the third race of the 10-race playoffs and the cutoff race for the Round of 12. It starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC beginning at 1 p.m.
TSC PR/Photo Credit Robert Laberge/Getty Images
