Kurt Busch using solid Bristol-Dover chassis in Food City 500

Kurt Busch is 30/1 to win Food City 500.

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing: 

There’s always beating and banging at a short track. What’s acceptable and what isn’t? 

“It depends on who it is. It depends what’s on the line, what time of the race it is. We’ll see. With these new segments this year, you might throw a door ding in there, a donut on somebody trying to get a stage win. But then, you can’t risk too much and you don’t want damage for the rest of the race that will hurt you long term. So, it’s a balance. But, honestly, it’s good old short-track racing. There should be no problem in it.” 

If you inadvertently get into someone, do you try to right that wrong so it doesn’t come back and bite you later? 

“Again, it depends upon the circumstances, but, yes. Usually you’re trying to keep your eye on the main prize, which is victory lane at the end of the day. If you have a run-in early in the race, that guy is going to be trying to find you, or you’re looking over your shoulder. If somebody did me wrong, you’re going to be after that guy. But there are still bigger prizes out there.” 

Talk a little bit about returning to Bristol this weekend driving an SHR-prepared Ford Fusion. 

“To me, getting around Bristol is all about low-end torque and being able to jump out of the corner with a lot of speed. Doug Yates (engine builder) seems to have the right package for that at Bristol. Joey Logano has won a couple of races there recently. Brad Keselowski has been strong, as well. The Roush cars seem to run well every time we go there.” 

Chassis No. 933: Kurt Busch will pilot Chassis No. 933 in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Built new for 2015, Chassis No. 933 debuted at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in May, when Busch finished 10th. It was next raced at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, where Busch again finished 10th. Chassis No. 933 was utilized again at Charlotte in October, when Busch recorded a fifth-place finish. Chassis No. 933 made its first start of the 2016 season at Bristol in April, when Busch scored a third-place finish. It next raced at Dover in May, where Busch finished fifth after a tough day of obstacles. 

It saw its last laps of the 2016 season at Bristol in August, when Busch had overtaken Joey Logano for the lead before getting loose and setting off an 11-car incident that would see Busch’s historic streak of lead-lap finishes end at 22 races. Since then, the car has received chassis updates and the body has been updated for 2017. 

Bristol Motor Speedway Notes of Interest: 

 Kurt Busch has career totals of 29 wins, 21 poles, 126 top-five finishes and 246 top-10s in 583 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts heading into Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. His most recent NASCAR Cup Series win came in February at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in the season-opening Daytona 500. 

 Sunday’s Food City 500 will mark Busch’s 33rd career NASCAR Cup Series start at Bristol. Busch has five wins, nine top-five finishes and 16 top-10s at the .533-mile oval. Additionally, the 38-year-old driver has led 1,062 laps, has an average starting position of 17.5, an average finish of 14.8, and has completed 94.8 percent (15,189 of 16,027) of the laps he’s contested there. 

 Busch scored his first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Bristol in March 2002. He started 27th and led 89 laps en route to his first victory. It was only his third visit to the .533-mile, high-banked oval, making him the only driver to record his first win at Bristol in fewer than four attempts. 

 The Las Vegas native has one pole to his credit (August 2006) at Bristol. Busch has 21 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series poles. 

 Busch’s five Bristol wins (March 2002 and 2003, August 2003, March 2004 and 2006) tie him with his younger brother Kyle Busch as the winningest active NASCAR Cup Series drivers at Bristol. 

 Busch completed the Bristol sweep in 2003, winning both the spring and fall NASCAR Cup Series events. He started ninth and led 116 laps in March while starting fifth and leading 121 laps in August. In March 2004, Busch went on to record his third consecutive win at Bristol when he started 13th and led 119 laps on his way to victory lane. 

 Busch is one of four drivers to win three or more consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races at Bristol. Fred Lorenzen won three in a row starting with the fall race in 1963, followed by a sweep of both 1964 events. Cale Yarborough won four in a row with sweeps in 1976 and 1977. Darrell Waltrip won seven in a row, including sweeps in 1981, 1982 and 1983, then a win at the March 1984 race.  Busch has led laps in 15 of his 32 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol for a combined total of 1,062 laps led. Busch led 278 laps in March 2010 and finished third. He has led more than 100 laps four times, including three consecutive races – March 2003 (116), August 2003 (121) and March 2004 (119).