Kurt Busch emphasizes playoff points from NASCAR stage wins as key to making title race
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- At the traditional halfway point of the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series season – Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, Kurt Busch is comfortable but not casual.
As the winner of the season-opening Daytona 500, Busch has an almost-automatic berth in the Cup playoffs. The results of the season have been rather wacky, however, with 11 different winners in the first 16 races, making the race to make the playoffs a jumbled mess. (Joey Logano's win at Richmond doesn't count toward the postseason because of a post-race penalty.)
There is the possibility that more than 16 drivers could score wins, a scenario that would result in point totals being used to determine playoff spots.
“If we end up with more than 16 winners, then you’re in that pool of racing the guys who [also] have one win,” Busch said Thursday. “Our job ultimately is to win the championship. So we don’t need to be looking at what it takes to just get into the playoffs, we need to be accumulating those bonus points that stay with you through the playoffs.”
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Martin Truex Jr. has excelled at piling up playoff points. He has won 11 stages (Busch, for example, has 0 stage wins) and has 21 playoff points. Jimmie Johnson is second in playoff points with 16. Truex has led laps in 12 of the 16 races; Busch has been in front in only four.
The playoff points carry through the 10-race playoff run.
“A guy like Truex, he can almost lollygag all the way to Homestead (the final race) with as many playoff points as he’s accumulated,” Busch said. “Kyle Larson can almost do the same thing. Whoever has those bonus points can just cruise in a small way through some of the rounds of the playoffs.
“We’ll see how it all plays out. We need to accumulate more bonus points to be more competitive to be one of those final four at Homestead.”
Several notable drivers haven’t won this year. That group includes Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer.
Busch led only the final lap in winning the Daytona 500 in February, marking his first victory at DIS. He will be among the favorites Saturday (NBC, 7:30 p.m. ET), although many in the crowd will be cheering for Earnhardt Jr. in his final season and possibly his final Cup race at Daytona, a track that has defined his career.
Although no driver is likely to move over and give Earnhardt Jr. what would be a very popular and emotional victory Saturday, Busch acknowledged that Junior could be a favorite in the garage beyond each driver’s personal favorite – himself or herself.
“Everybody wants to win it,” Busch said. “Yes, this could be Dale’s last time in a top Monster Energy Series car at Daytona. It’s going to be a good battle. I guarantee he’s doing to be elbows up, sleeves up, and he will be the car to beat this weekend.”
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