By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Though Kurt Busch was the first Stewart-Haas Racing driver to start the FireKeepers Casino 400, he was the third to finish.
Starting from pole in his No. 41 Ford, Busch fell to the power of teammates Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick, who battled to the end before rain ended Sunday short at Michigan International Speedway. Busch, who led 46 of the 133 laps, ended third to cap off a 1-2-3 finish for the organization.
“I wanted two more laps,” Busch said. “I just cleared Kyle [Busch] and I saw them two [Bowyer and Harvick] side-by-side and I said, ‘Oh, this is like a fishing real.’ I was hoping I could get up in there.”
Despite the day’s early speed, Busch didn’t have enough time to catch those top two. The rain ended what was sure to be a lengthy battle amongst the three but it still cemented what Busch already knew of the team’s Michigan strengths.
“To see the two cars in front of me, the [Nos.] 4 and 14, that’s a big day for Stewart-Haas Racing,” he said. “It’s a big day to finish 1-2-3. I tried to get to Harvick’s outside to maybe get a picture to symbolize such a special day in Michigan. To win for Ford, a huge day in Detroit.”
Busch scored his fifth top-10 finish in the last six races and led more laps Sunday than any other Michigan race since 2010. However, with Harvick’s five wins and Bowyer’s three, Busch wants to be the third to win for the tea in 2018 if Aric Almirola doesn’t do it first.
“We’ve been consistent this year. We haven’t had that perfect, all-star-like day,” he said. “We’ve just chiseled away at being consistent. Our day will come, we just have to put ourselves in position more often.”
With the rain forcing the race to end early, Busch took it as it came in a day that lacked order with Mother Nature.
“You have to make do with how the chips fall,” he said. “Rain-shortened, of course, you always want to go back racing.”
Capping off SHR’s sweep, Busch leaves Michigan happy after doing well in Ford’s backyard.
“It’s a team effort to now have any weaknesses,” he said. “We also come here for bragging rights; I’ve always driven that way. It shines through. We put in a full effort.”