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| Kurt Busch is 20/1 to win Sunday at Indy. |
What do you think about Indianapolis being the cutoff race for the NASCAR playoffs?
“I was a little bummed out that Indianapolis got moved into the playoff cutoff race. It’s such a marquee event that it can stand alone by itself, and it didn’t need any kind of extra push in my mind to be a cutoff race or any extra part of the tough part of our season. From here on out these are all big marquee races – these final 12. I was maybe hoping or wishing that Talladega was going to be the cutoff race. That way it wasn’t part of the playoffs, and maybe move Indianapolis into the playoffs, but lots of things can happen. We saw a crazy race a couple years back with so many restarts at the end and people staying out on old tires, people coming in on fresh tires, and Indy is a tough place to pass, but at the end everybody is in aggressive mode, moving people, shoving people out of the way, so you just don’t know how many yellows are going to be at the end or if it’s going to be a long green run. Indy is definitely a tough challenge to have as a cutoff race, but, again, it’s such a marquee event that you kind of want it to stand alone.”
You’ve had success at Indianapolis, but not in NASCAR. What makes the track so difficult? “Indianapolis has been tough on me over the years. I don’t know what it is about it. The diamond-cut surface, the way that the asphalt is very fresh when we first get there and then how it glazes over and gets slick at the end – I’ve struggled with that over the years. Just got to pace ourselves and find the right combination on our Haas Automation/Monster Energy Ford that will give us the grip once the track gets rubbered in.”
What makes Indy such an iconic venue?
“Indy is Indy. It’s the coolest racetrack that we get to race on, other than Daytona. The history, the prestige, the value of Indianapolis – it is defined by the number of decades they have produced races there and the atmosphere. It’s very electric at Indianapolis. For me to actually get to run the Indy 500 in the month of May is a little different than when we race there in September because of the fact it is their backyard, it is their stage. Those Indiana natives love their track. What makes Indy special is the people.”
You competed in the Indianapolis 500 once. Any chance you’ll do it again?
“Possibly. I really enjoyed my time there. It was a great challenge personally, and just the overall experience of going 230 mph in an open cockpit car was fun. The fun meter was pegged. The achievement of finishing sixth overall was exciting. But then there’s that 1,100 miles. I didn’t quite finish the Coke 600 that night due to an engine failure. That’s what would draw me back in – to try to get all 1,100 miles in.”
How hard is it to drive a stock car at Indianapolis?
“You’re asking the wrong guy about driving a stock car at Indy. I’ve struggled. I finished fifth my first time there, and I’ve never been able to back that up. Then I go there for the first time in an Indy car and I finish sixth. I’m not really sure. The stock cars are tough in traffic. They always end up on the tight side. And you have to find that right restart lineup lane. Usually, the cars that win there, they’re the dominant type. They lead laps. They’re up front all day. I haven’t quite found that right combination yet, but another Brickyard 400 means another opportunity.”
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