Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), finished 14th in the Martinsville 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
Busch started the race from the 26th position but was able to make passes early and often throughout the 500-lap race, despite struggling with handling issues that at times saw his Haas Automation Chevrolet loose entering the corners, tight in the center and loose on exit. He raced his way to the lead on lap 134, and he held the point for 21 laps before fading as his handling woes worsened.
Crew chief Tony Gibson called for wedge, air pressure and shock adjustments throughout the race, which improved the handling characteristics of the car. But Busch continued to struggle as the laps clicked off.
Busch lost a lap to the race leader on lap 332, but he put himself in position to be the first car one lap down and earn the “free pass” back onto the lead lap in the event of a caution. His efforts were rewarded when, on lap 366, a multicar incident brought out the caution period that the No. 41 team needed to return to the lead lap.
Over the closing 125 laps of the event, Busch was able to climb from 24th and bring the Haas Automation Chevrolet home in the 14th position.
Busch’s teammate Danica Patrick, driver of the No. 10 TaxACT Chevrolet SS, led the four-car SHR contingent Sunday at Martinsville by finishing seventh.
It was Patrick’s first top-10 finish of the season and her fifth top-10 in 88 career Sprint Cup starts. Patrick is now tied with Janet Guthrie for the most top-10s by a female driver in the Sprint Cup Series.
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished eighth.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS for SHR, led eight laps before finishing 20th. Stewart bumped his laps-led total at Martinsville to 1,234, fourth-best among active Sprint Cup drivers.
Denny Hamlin won the Martinsville 500 to score his 25th career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his fifth at Martinsville.
Brad Keselowski finished .186 of a second behind Hamlin in the runner-up spot, while Joey Logano, Matt Kenseth and David Ragan rounded out the top-five. Martin Truex Jr., Patrick, Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Jamie McMurray comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were 16 caution periods for 112 laps, with two drivers failing to finish the 500-lap race.
With round six of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR in the championship point standings. He is first with 263 points, 24 ahead of second-place Logano. Patrick is 16th with 148 points, 115 out of first. Busch is 25th with 113 points, 150 out of first. Stewart is 32nd with 87 points, 176 out of first.