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CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Busch hasn’t lost a race in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series since mid-September, but the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has never won a points-paying race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, so one of those two noteworthy items will no longer be true after this weekend.
Busch is scheduled to start fourth, outside Row 2, when Sunday’s Bank of America 500 takes the green flag at Charlotte (1 p.m. ET, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It’s the opening race of the Round of 12 in NASCAR’s 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Busch, the 2015 series champion, swept the final two races of the Round of 16, winning at Loudon, New Hampshire and Dover, Delaware. Making it three straight, he said, isn’t out of the question.
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“I think we can definitely make it three in a row,” Busch told NASCAR.com on Saturday. “I think the biggest thing for us is just trying to make sure that the car is good for the long run here at Charlotte. You’re really fighting the bumps here that are starting to show back up again … it’s really starting to get pretty choppy out there and bounces you around an awful lot. Your head’s moving all over the headrest.”
There was no track time for teams Saturday as rain washed out two practice sessions.
Busch has won on the 1.5-mile Charlotte track — earlier this season he picked up his first win in the series’ annual All-Star race. He also has an eye-popping eight victories here in NASCAR’s XFINITY Series and seven in the Camping World Truck Series. The way to Victory Lane isn’t unknown to the 32-year-old.
But points-paying Monster Energy Series races? There have been three runners-up and 11 top fives. No wins — the only track on the circuit that he has yet to win a points event at in the sport’s top series.
RELATED: Kyle Busch’s Charlotte results | Track stats for Busch
“It’s definitely a motivation tool,” he said of the Monster Energy Series shutout. “We go out and try to win every single week but being at a track that we’ve been so successful … and haven’t scored a victory, it just kind of lends itself to be a little bit more intriguing to try and go get that checkered flag.”
Along with fellow Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing) and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyle Larson, Busch is among the favored few when considering this season’s title contenders.
It’s been a nice change of pace for the No. 18 driver, who for years seemed to find new ways to unexpectedly exit the playoffs.
“I have no clue,” he said when asked about the turnaround. “Even the year before ’15 I thought we were pretty good and sitting pretty good in the playoff standings. We got KO’d at Talladega and that’s what eliminated us. That was a frustrating one there, being an elimination race and all.
“Since ’15 and ’16 and this year, having some good cars all year long and being up front, Adam (Stevens, crew chief) and myself working on our game plan, sticking to that strategy and doing the things we can do it kind of lends itself to some pretty painless days let’s call it.”
Those early disappointments were harsh lessons, but lessons just the same.
“Any time you go through things, it’s always supposed to be a character building moment and trying to help you become stronger, better and more ready for what can come at you in the future,” he said.
“There still could be some events or some things that could kind of pop up. I remember Watkins Glen earlier this year when we got wrecked … and we had to come from the back. Adam was trying to console me, if you will, over the radio about what our plan was and I was like ‘Just admit it man, we don’t have a plan.’ There are those moments that may still pop up but we hope they don’t.”
JGR teammate Denny Hamlin will start on the pole in Sunday’s race, with Matt Kenseth, also of JGR, starting second. Truex Jr., the points leader and a winner of the Playoff opener in Chicago, will start 17th.