See what the driver of the No. 18 Toyota needs to make the Chase
RELATED: Updated series standings | Latest Chase Grid
With only five races left until the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, it’s time to check up on Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, as he tries to rebound from early-season injuries and make the Chase.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED: Busch was in position for a runner-up finish to Joey Logano with three laps remaining in the Windows 10 400 at Pocono Raceway when Logano ran out of fuel — putting Busch in position to win his fourth consecutive race and fifth in his last six. Only problem? “Rowdy” was on the same fuel strategy as Logano, and ran out of fuel shortly later himself. Had he finished second or won the race, he’d have been inside the top 30 in points. Instead, his 21st-place finish only netted him 24 points.
WHAT HE NEEDS: With four wins this season, Busch still needs to finish in the top 30 in the standings and be able to start the remaining regular-season races to be eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. With five races to go before Chicagoland, Busch is unofficially 13 points behind David Gilliland, who is in 30th place. Busch needs to average 18.4 points per race, which comes out to an average finish of 25th in the remainder.
WHAT’S NEXT: The Sprint Cup Series heads to Watkins Glen International for the Cheez-It 355 at 2 p.m. ET on Aug. 9 (NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM). Busch has two career wins at The Glen, but finished 40th in last year’s running of the event. It was just the second time in his career that he’s finished worse than ninth at the road course. His average finish of 11.3 there ranks fifth among all current tracks for Busch.