RELATED: Latest on Busch’s Chase position
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — It’s no longer a matter of when will Kyle Busch crack the top 30 in the points standings.
It’s become a matter of whether he can maintain the spot with just four races remaining before the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Chicagoland Speedway.
Sunday’s second-place finish in the Cheez-It 355 at the Glen improved the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s points position by two spots. He now sits 30th in the standings, one of the necessary qualifiers to make the Chase.
Kyle also has four wins. His Chase eligibility waiver required one win for him to earn one of the 16 berths.
But he has to stay in the top 30, and there are no guarantees in NASCAR. Four weeks can be four chances to move even deeper inside the top 30, or four chances to stumble.
“We couldn’t afford running out of gas like we did last week and taking home an even worse finish this week because of how many cars finish on the lead lap typically at a road course,” Busch said after finishing second to Team Penske driver Joey Logano at Watkins Glen International and referencing the fuel gamble that occurred at Pocono Raceway. “We’d be back in the 30s somewhere.”
It happened at Pocono last weekend during the Windows 10 400 as Busch, momentarily in the top 30 with the race lead and a clear path to the checkered flag, ran out of gas. He finished 21st and remained outside of the top 30 in points.
“I’m sure that was weighing on Adam’s mind on being able to save it and make it to the end and just playing it a little bit more cautious, which is fine,” Busch said of crew chief Adam Stevens. “I’m with Adam 100 percent of the way all the time. He’s doing a great job right now.
“We’ve obviously got some things clicking and he knows what he’s doing, so for me to argue that point doesn’t make any sense.”
Sidelined for the first 11 races after breaking his right leg and left foot in a crash during the XFINITY Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Busch and his No. 18 team have performed almost flawlessly since returning at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600.
Forty-first in points after his first start of the season, an 11th-place finish at CMS, Busch eventually reeled off four wins in a span of five races, including three in a row at Kentucky, New Hampshire and Indianapolis.
“For us to be in the top 30 right now, that obviously allows us to change our mindset maybe a little bit here going forward,” said Busch, who led for three consecutive laps on the 2.45-mile road course. “We maybe could have played this race a little bit differently if we were like the No. 4 car (of defending series champion Kevin Harvick) who had absolutely nothing to lose, and lo and behold, they run out (of gas) and come home third.
“We run out and come home 21st last week. Just an overall good day for us, though, with our bunch.”
Busch, a winner of 33 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, has qualified for the Chase for two consecutive years and seven times overall.
An eighth appearance isn’t guaranteed. A good bet perhaps, but not quite a given.