Kurt Busch finds some luck at NHMS

Busch, who started 13th, earned his first top-five finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway since he finished third in the July race in 2010.

“We had everything thrown at us, even the kitchen sink at one point,” Busch said. “I feel like the way that this team and everybody felt like we needed to have a solid finish, but you just can’t ask for it. It felt like we were up against the odds and then the car ran great.”

Busch was running 11th on Lap 239 when Michael Annett hit the wall in Turn 2 to ignite the third caution. Although Busch had pitted on Lap 230, the team elected to pit again for two fresh tires.

“Just go like hell, I know you will,” crew chief Tony Gibson told his driver.

Overheating issues almost derail the day

Busch lined up 16th after the stop but quickly moved up to 12th. He reported the car was overheating before the fourth caution was called on lap 264 when Michael McDowell spun in Turn 3. Once again, Busch pitted but this time the No. 41 Chevy restarted eighth.

Busch expressed concern over his car and Gibson acknowledged the front grille was cracked from earlier contact with Alex Bowman. With nothing to loose, Busch just hit the gas and moved up one position. When Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun to bring out the final caution, Busch lined up seven for the six-lap shootout and gained two additional spots for a fifth-place finish — his eighth at NHMS.

“The car reacted well at the end,” Busch said. “We gain track position at it was good on restarts. That was the biggest difference from when we were here in July — a lot of restarts at the end and we would loose spots. This time we gained spots — and it showed at SHR (Stewart-Haas Racing).

“Kevin (Harvick) won the race and he was really good on restarts. Congrats to them. For us, top five. You need a top five in the first round and that’s what we needed today.”

Escaping elimination 

With his 13th-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway and his fifth-place run at New Hampshire, Busch sits 11th — 20 points behind Brad Keselowski who currently leads the point standings. Next week’s Sprint Cup race is at Dover — the deciding event in the first round of the Chase. Busch won the fall race at the Monster Mile in 2011 and has seven top fives — including last May — and nine top-10 finishes.

“I like Dover,” Busch said. “Recently, we’ve run well there. We had a shot to win there in the spring. It all comes down to track position and restarts. But I think we’ll have the speed next week.”