RICHMOND, Va. — Kurt Busch is relishing his role as the driver trying to put a single-car operation into the Chase for the first time.
Behind the wheel of the Denver, Colo.-based Furniture Row Chevrolet, Busch has worked his way into the 10th spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, six points ahead of Jeff Gordon in 11th. If Busch can hold serve Saturday night at Richmond, he’ll make the Chase.
“Here we are on the cusp of doing something very special with a single-car team,” Busch said. “Win, lose or draw, I think it’s been a success. We’re in uncharted territory for a single-car team, and if we don’t win, we know we gave it our best shot, and we know that we were capable of doing it. We just came up shy on some of those bad days, or some of those moments that you wanted back.
“Every team has those, though, but to be in the position we’re in and have a cushion, it’s fun to be here and to feel the energy and to feel the excitement of trying to deliver for the team. I like these pressure-cooker situations. I feel like we’re an underdog, and it’s fine to be that. I enjoy the underdog role — I’m a Chicago Cubs fan for life.”
Of course, Busch hasn’t suffered through a 105-year title drought, as the Cubs have. Busch won the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in 2004, the first year of the Chase format.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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