KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kurt Busch was dealt a blow -- literally -- to his Chase hopes in Saturday's final practice for Sunday's Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.
With mere seconds left on the clock in the third and final practice session of the weekend, Busch's right front tire blew out, sending his No. 41 Stewart-Haas RacingChevrolet careening into the infield grass. The front end of his entry took significant damage, enough that he'll be forced to drive a backup in the Hollywood Casino 4000 (2:15 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App), the middle race of the Round of 12.
The 2004 Sprint Cup champion qualified 15th for the race, but will start from the rear as a result of moving to a backup.
The car had shown speed in practice, landing second on the leaderboard in the opening session at 194.119 mph and was third in the final go-about at 185.797 mph before settling in the grass.
Busch, fifth in points, is one of the 12 Chase drivers vying for a spot in the next round, set to begin after the elimination race on Oct. 23 at Talladega Superspeedway. Only Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson has secured a spot into the Round of 8, thanks to his win last week at Charlotte.
While it's a disappointing turn of events for the veteran, the team tweeted out a pretty encouraging statistic for him.
Busch's overall history at Kansas isn't favorable, however, as he has just seven top-10 finishes in 21 career starts at the 1.5-mile tri-oval, leading just 20 laps since 2011. That said, he does have three straight top 10s and placed third here in May.The car had shown speed in practice, landing second on the leaderboard in the opening session at 194.119 mph and was third in the final go-about at 185.797 mph before settling in the grass.
Busch, fifth in points, is one of the 12 Chase drivers vying for a spot in the next round, set to begin after the elimination race on Oct. 23 at Talladega Superspeedway. Only Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson has secured a spot into the Round of 8, thanks to his win last week at Charlotte.
While it's a disappointing turn of events for the veteran, the team tweeted out a pretty encouraging statistic for him.
Busch's teammate Kevin Harvick also found trouble during the 50-minute practice session, as his No. 4 Stewart-Haas Chevrolet brushed the wall and brought out the caution. Harvick got back on track after repairs, coming up 13th-fastest in the field
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