A mere 11 races after returning from a broken leg and foot suffered in February, #18-Kyle Busch has cracked the top 30 in the points standings and is now eligible for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Busch will qualify for NASCAR’s playoffs if he can remain in the top 30 at the end of next month’s Richmond race. Busch currently mans the 30th spot in the driver standings, six points ahead of 31st-place #35-Cole Whitt and one point behind 29th-place #51-Justin Allgaier. The #18 Toyota driver started off slow with just one top-10 finish in his first four races back (Pocono), but has been on an absolute tear since, winning four of the last seven races along with a runner-up. Over the last seven races Busch has dominated a majority of the statistical categories, leading the series in wins (4), driver rating (116.3), laps led (317) and points (283). No other driver has multiple wins during the span. #2-Brad Keselowski’s 209 laps led marks the next-best total, while #4-Kevin Harvick’s 107.5 driver rating is the second highest. The 283 points are 22 more than #22-Joey Logano’s second-best total (261). Busch’s run of wins has overshadowed the consistency of some other drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Harvick and Joey Logano rank tied with Busch with five top-five finishes over the seven-race span. Furthermore, Harvick and Kurt Busch lead with six top 10s each in the last seven races compared to Busch’s five. Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth also claim five top 10s.(NASCAR)(8-13-2015)
