Kurt Busch has done everything but win at Kansas. Here’s why he still likes the track
Late last month, Kurt Busch walked into the media center at Kansas Speedway after a testing day on the track. Over the ensuing five minutes, he described the intricate details that comprise the 1 1/2-mile, D-shaped oval — the turns, the straightaways, the surface grip, the effects of the weather.
No driver is better equipped for the historical commentary on the 17-year-old race track. Busch is one of only four drivers to compete in all 25 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, a streak that will grow one more Sunday when he turns the key to the No. 41 car for the Hollywood Casino 400.
Busch has produced five top-10 finishes in his past seven trips to Kansas. But for all of the experience at the site, a critical aspect has remained absent from his resume.
A win.
Busch has never found victory lane at the speedway, despite a collection of otherwise satisfying performances. He’s led nine different races. He’s finished second twice and third another time.
His history at Kansas Speedway can be described in two contradictory sentences.
“This track’s been tough on me,” he said, and without even a pause, he added, “It’s been good to me.”
If he is to finally break through, what a time Sunday would be.
With the Hollywood Casino 400 serving as an elimination race in the playoffs, Busch has not yet clinched a spot in the Round of 8. He has some cushion, but a victory would guarantee his advancement to the playoff round for the first time since 2016.
“It’s one of those tracks that you depend on for a good top-10 finish, but you have to work at it,” Busch said. “Have to work at it really hard.”
Busch, 40, was eighth at the May race in Kansas. He placed second last fall. Since moving to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, he has secured five top-8 finishes on the track.
It’s a history that he says works in his favor, and only hours after the race at Talladega over the weekend, he was already looking at the weather forecast, aware of how cooler temperatures might alter his strategy. Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth are the only drivers besides Busch to never miss a race at Kansas since its inaugural event in September 2001.
Busch says he considers it one of his favorite tracks.
“The momentum at this track — as soon as you crack the throttle just the least little bit, you lose so much speed down the straightaway. It’s amazing,” Busch said. “This track is designed similar to a lot of other tracks, but the corners are so long. If you lose a little bit of speed in one section, it hurts your whole lap time. So if you have to check up or you’re moving a lane and moving to pass a guy and you just crack the throttle too much, you pay a big penalty. So there’s a lot of risk versus reward here at Kansas.”
Sam McDowell
Sam McDowell covers Sporting Kansas City, the Royals, Chiefs and sports enterprise for The Star
