Kurt Busch’s sixth-place result in Saturday night’s Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway lifted the Furniture Row Racing driver into the top-10 in the point standings.
His ninth-place standing is the highest of the season for Busch, who moved into the Chase picture with eight races remaining before NASCAR’s 10-race playoff format begins. The top-10 drivers in points qualify for the Chase along with two wildcards.
Busch’s Daytona finish was his third straight top-10 and eighth top-10 of the season. The Daytona race marked the halfway point of the 36-race schedule.
“We stayed out of trouble, had smooth pit stops and had a big points night for our Furniture Row team,” said Busch, who gained five positions in the driver standings. ”These Furniture Row Racing guys are working hard and it’s paying off. We made mistakes here and there and everywhere, but we’re putting it together now and it’s starting to bear the fruit. We moved into the top-10 in points, so that’s pretty cool.
“We have a long way to go, and yet we still are getting better. I’m just real proud of these guys and the effort that we’ve put forth and just a big thanks to (team owner) Barney Visser, Furniture Row, Chevy, Denver Mattress, Sealy, Serta and Beautyrest and everybody that’s on board.”
Busch started the scheduled 160-lap, 400-mile race from the 22nd position. He moved into the top-10 early in the race and virtually stayed there for the entire event at the famed 2.5-mile oval.
When the Coke Zero 400 went into overtime with a green-white-checkered finish, Busch’s No. 78 Furniture Row/Beautyrest Chevrolet SS was in sixth place and held his position during the final laps.
“We didn’t quite have the speed and momentum to break through at the end and challenge Jimmie (Johnson),” said Busch. “But it was a solid finish with a lot of high-fives with team members after the race.”
The race winner was Johnson. Rounding out the top-10 in order were: Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip, Busch, Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Casey Mears and Ryan Newman.
The next race is Sunday (July 14) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H.
FRR PR
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