Kyle Busch and the No. 54 Monster Energy team came away from week 28 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with an eighth-place finish at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The 10-time 2013 winning Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team had high expectations on the concrete track appropriately named the ‘Monster Mile,’ after leading the race for 89 of 200 event laps. Fuel strategy and a subsequent long green-flag run, without a caution period, removed the opportunity for the No. 54 to regain their position in the front, placing them eighth at race finish.
In Friday’s one practice session, the No. 54 Monster Energy team was trending fast, fourth-quick in the first 12 laps, then after trying a different setup, sixth-quick on the board as the practice session concluded. At that point, a 10-lap average against his competitors showed Busch and the No. 54 car as fastest in the field. This was not uncommon for Busch on the Monster Mile, as he holds the track record for fastest driver, with a 158.000 mph lap run in 2008.
Busch qualified in fifth place for Saturday’s 200-lap Nationwide Series event, at a speed of 154.407 mph. Upon green-flag start, Busch worked quickly to pursue the cars ahead of him, capturing fourth place on lap two, third on lap four and taking second place by lap 14. At lap 19 the field had a new leader, the No. 54 Monster Energy Camry. However, the three-time ‘Monster Mile’ winning Nationwide Series driver wasn’t completely comfortable with his race car. The first caution period waved on lap 24 and Busch described to the team a tight car condition. “I’m slipping in the rear and the front isn’t turning,” Busch to crew chief Adam Stevens over the radio. Stevens replied, “You were two-tenths faster than everyone after you passed the No. 22. It’s too early for our fuel window to visit pit road, stay out, and we’ll get you fixed up soon.”
The race was resumed on lap 29 but saw a subsequent caution flag on lap 35. “Save fuel,” was heard on the radio by Stevens. The JGR crew chief didn’t want to pit and have 13 cars ahead of the No. 54, and the team wasn’t in their planned fuel window as of yet, so they remained on the race track in the lead.
Without another caution flag but with a need for fuel and tires, Busch brought his black Camry down pit road on lap 87, for what would be the first of only two stops. The team returned their driver to the race track, one lap down in the 23rd position. The air pressure adjustments completed with new tires on the pit stop, felt good to Busch as he relayed to the team “rear of the car is fine, just need a little help still with front balance.” Despite the continual evaluation of the car, Busch made progress through the field, to 20th at lap 101 and by lap 117, had driven his way back into the lead lap.
With only eight drivers on the lead lap, it didn’t take long for Busch to drive to the front and retake the race lead on lap 123. As the No. 54 had pitted alone, though, out of cycle from the remainder of the field, they would need another caution period for the opportunity to replenish fuel and tires once again. That yellow flag would not appear in time and so Busch conducted a second green-flag pit stop to visit his team for adjustments. On lap 176 the Monster Energy Toyota was in his pit box for tires, fuel and this time a track bar adjustment. When he returned to the race track Busch was in 15th, one lap down to the field.
The fuel strategy plan would have played out appropriately if the field saw another caution period. In the June event on this track, with the same amount of distance run, the Nationwide Series competitors saw five caution flags. Saturday’s event was unusual, with only two yellow-flag periods conducted, removing the amount of time the No. 54 team had planned to use on pit road under delayed race conditions. While the race remained ‘green’ to the end, Busch drove hard through the field, again returning his machine to the lead lap and then advancing to his final finishing position of eighth.
“I wouldn’t do it any different,” described crew chief Adam Stevens post-race. “Who would expect the race could go green 160 laps,” continued the disappointed team leader as he summarized his team’s day,
The No. 54 Monster Energy team owned by J.D. Gibbs maintains second place in the Owner’s Point standings, now 34 points behind the leading No. 22 Penske Ford.
Joey Logano won the event, his 21st NASCAR Nationwide Series win in 123 races. Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick finished second and third respectively, with JGR teammates Brian Vickers and Elliott Sadler finishing fourth and fifth respectively. There were two caution periods for eight laps of the race along with six lead changes across four drivers. Busch led two times for 89 laps earning him the 3M Lap Leader Award.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series competes again on October 5 in the Kansas Lottery 250 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, with television broadcast starting at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Kyle Busch will make his 22nd start behind the wheel of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 Monster Energy Camry.
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