Kurt Busch still looking for first career Darlington win

Darlington Notes of Interest: 

 The Bojangles’ Southern 500 will mark Kurt Busch’s 637 th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start and his 22nd career NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Busch has three poles, three top-five finishes and seven top-10s at the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval. Additionally, Busch has led 266 laps, has an average starting position of 11.3 and an average finish of 17.4. 

 Busch has career totals of 30 wins, 25 poles, 135 top-fives, 273 top-10s and 9,335 laps led in 636 career starts. 

 His most recent Cup Series win came two weeks ago in the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (Aug. 18, 2018).  His last Cup Series pole came five races ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon (July 20, 2018). 

 Busch’s best finish at Darlington is second in March 2003. In one of the most memorable finishes in NASCAR history, Busch came up .002 of a second shy of victory at the track “Too Tough to Tame” when he was nosed out by Ricky Craven in one of the closest finishes in Cup Series competition since NASCAR instituted electronic timing in 1993. 

Kurt Busch finally grabbed a win in 2018 at Bristol two weeks ago.

 The Las Vegas native has three poles to his credit at Darlington. His first came in September 2001. He won his second in November 2004. His most recent Sprint Cup pole at Darlington was in May 2013. Busch has 25 career Sprint Cup poles.

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

What would a win at Darlington mean? 

“I’ve been close and it would mean the world to me because, when I first went there, I had no idea how difficult that track was going to be. And how narrow it is and how different both ends of the track are. Over the years, I quickly gained an appreciation for the nostalgia and the setting of Darlington, South Carolina and what it means for our sport. With all that mixed in together, I’d love to win that race. It’s a tough track because it changes dramatically with rubber and you have to have tire management there. You have to balance a lot of things over 500 miles.” 

Are these 500 miles at Darlington the most difficult in all of NASCAR? 

“Yeah, it’s flat out the most difficult. I think 500 miles at Darlington is tougher than 600 miles at Charlotte because you are up on the wheel all race long and you’re right on the edge and, when you slip over that edge, you get that Darlington stripe and usually you get a fender rub and then you’re working out of a hole. Attrition usually wipes out a few guys and you don’t want to be one of those, and so you’re just right on that edge all night long.”

What makes Darlington unique? 

“Darlington demands so much attention and respect. It’s similar to a Bristol like that. It’s hard to get the setup perfect because both ends of the racetrack are so different.” 

What do you think of the retro feel of Darlington? 

“It’s really a fun weekend. It feels like a field trip experience when you’re a kid. It’s like when you go out with your friends and you all get dressed up together. The first year, it was about the cars. The second year, it seemed like the crew guys took over and they had all their outfits. There are diecasts that are made just for that race. Chip Wile (former president of Darlington) hit a grand slam with throwback weekend and I think all of us look forward to that. And I think the fans do, as well. It definitely helps bridge the past to the present and overall just creates a fun weekend.” 

Do you remember your first race at Darlington? Your first stripe? 

“My first race and first stripe – that place chewed me up and spit me out. I think I wrecked 20 times, kept bouncing off wall. I wore out the tires but kept going. I probably finished 40th my first time there. It really was an eye-opener on how tough NASCAR was going to be.” 

Other than the finish with Ricky Craven at Darlington, do you have any other memorable moments that stand out? 

“The biggest moment at Darlington I ever had was finishing second to Ricky Craven in 2003 – everyone knows that race. It’s one of the best finishes in NASCAR history. But, probably the next-biggest moment would be during my championship run in 2004. I had an ill-handling car and still managed to finish sixth with it due to good pit stops. That was a perfect moment because it was our championship to lose, with where we finished that day in 2004. That was back when Darlington used to be in the playoffs.”