Pit road snafus derail strong run by polesitter Kyle Busch Kyle Busch can expect some second-guessing after mistakes in Sunday’s Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway relegated the polesitter to a 15th-place finish. Before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff opener, Busch’s #18 Joe Gibbs Racing team swapped his regular-season pit crew for the over-the-wall unit of teammate Daniel Suarez.
After winning the first stage of the race and leading all but two laps, Busch pitted under caution on Lap 83. But eight circuits after the subsequent restart on Lap 88, he brought the No. 18 Toyota to pit road for an unscheduled green-flag stop because of a loose wheel. During the stop, one of Busch’s crewman was hit with a penalty for stepping over pit wall too soon, and after the resultant pass-through penalty, Busch dropped to 30th in the running order, two laps down.
BRAD KESELOWSKI STARTS PLAYOFFS WITH SOLID SIXTH-PLACE RUN For a driver who stirred up controversy before the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Brad Keselowski had a relatively uneventful afternoon in Sunday’s Tales of the Turtles 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Before qualifying on Friday, Keselowski raised the issue of parity in the sport, ascribing to the Toyota camp a significant performance advantage. True enough, Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. ran away with the playoff opener. Keselowski didn’t have the speed to match Truex’s Camry. Then again, no one else did either.
But for Keselowski, the 2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, it was the sort of solid start to the playoff he needed, leaving him fourth in the standings heading to next Sunday’s race at New Hampshire.
NICE RECOVERY KEEPS JAMIE MCMURRAY ABOVE PLAYOFF CUT LINE On Lap 168 of Sunday’s Tales of the Turtles 400, Jamie McMurray had the sort of nerve-wracking experience that could have ruined his chances to advance in the NASCAR Playoffs. Coming off Turn 2 at 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway, McMurray spun, flattened his right rear tire and damaged the right rear quarter of his car. But McMurray persevered, stayed on the lead lap and finished 10th. That and a litany of troubles for other playoff drivers kept him in 11th place in the standings, five points clear of 13th place.(NASCAR Wire Service)[Read More Here]
