Kyle Busch surprised to be top-performing Chevy driver at Richmond
When it was all said and done at Richmond, Kyle Busch came out as the top-performing Chevy in the Cook Out 400. Rowdy was able to earn a P3 finish behind Chris Buescher and Denny Hamlin. Adjustments had to be made, but eventually, the two-time NASCAR champion got his car in a good spot and made the most of it.
Given how poorly Hendrick Motorsports and Chevy performed in general, Busch should be happy with his P3 finish. He is still in the hunt for the regular season championship. While it will be difficult, he is within striking distance if he plays his cards right.
After the race, Kyle Busch was pumped up to be the top performer for his manufacturer.
“Yes! Bonus money, yeah!” Busch exclaimed, via Matt Weaver.
He did find it surprising that Hendrick had so many issues throughout the afternoon.
“Yes actually I thought the 24 the way they ran here in the spring they would have been better. A couple of those guys were decent there that first stage where we were really bad and we were able to adjust on it and get it a lot better.”
Kyle Busch is chasing Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron for the regular season championship. Denny Hamlin is in the mix as well. On the day, Hamlin was P2, Truex P7, while Byron struggled all day for P21.
Both Busch and Hamlin should gain points on the other two drivers in the hunt for the regular season title.
Kyle Busch leads Cup Series in top-10 finishes
With his P3 finish today, Kyle Busch now furthers his lead for the most top-10 finishes in the Cup Series this season. 13 times this season, Busch has found himself in the top-10 by the time the checkered flag waved. It goes to show how strong his record has been this season compared to the rest of the field.
Not only does he have 13 top-10s, eight of those finishes came in the top-5 and three of those were wins. Busch finds himself in a position to compete for the regular season championship, although it will be an uphill battle in the last month of the season.
Besides William Byron, Busch is the best Chevy driver in the standings. That bonus money might be even more by the time the end of the season rolls around.
This was a day that could have gone badly for Kyle Busch and his team. However, they got the right adjustments and were able to turn their day around. Solid qualifying effort, great adjustments in the race, and a strong performance from Busch overall.