5 Things We Learned from the Quicken Loans 400
With the completion of the Quicken Loans 400, NASCAR moved one step closer to the playoffs. With just 11 races left before the Chase, storylines are opening up and windows of opportunity are closing.
Sunday’s rain-shortened race may have washed away the Chase chances of Kyle Busch and provided a ray of hope for Danica Patrick.
Here are five things we learned from Michigan.
Kurt Busch Has Rejoined the NASCAR Elites
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It’s been 11 years since Kurt Busch won his only Sprint Cup Championship. That title in 2004 remains the highlight to a rocky and up-and-down 16-year career.
Known as “The Outlaw,” Busch has lived up to the moniker with myriad off-the-track issues, including this year’s soap-opera-worthy saga with ex-girlfriend Patricia Driscoll. Busch missed the first three Sprint Cup races this season after NASCAR suspended him following allegations that he abused Driscoll.
Since his reinstatement in March, Busch has been an absolute force on the track.
Busch strung together back-to-back top-fives his first two weeks back and has put together an average finish of 9.9 in his 12 races this season. Busch also became the third driver with multiple wins this season after claiming the rain-shortened Michigan race.
On top of putting together two wins, Busch has been incredibly consistent over his 12 races this season, finishing outside of the top 15 just once.
Busch will look to continue his excellent run this Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, where Busch won in 2011.
Kyle Busch Will Likely Miss the Chase
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Making the Chase was a long shot to begin with after the younger Busch brother suffered multiple injuries in the season-opening XFINITY Series race at Daytona, but now it seems nearly impossible.
NASCAR granted Busch a waiver, stating that if he were to win and finish in the top 30 of the standings, he could participate in NASCAR’s playoffs. With another wreck at Michigan, it’s the top-30-finish aspect that seems unattainable for the No. 18 car.
Kyle Busch’s crew chief, Adam Stevens, told NASCAR Talk after the No. 18’s wreck in Dover that the team needed to be as consistent as possible to have a shot at making the Chase.
“I haven’t done the math to see … but certainly one more (wreck or bad finish), and that will be the end of that,” Stevens said. “You might get one mulligan in a 15-race stretch, and we just used it right there.’’
Busch’s last-place finish at Michigan dropped him even further behind 30th place. Entering Sunday, Busch was 39th and 130 points back of 30th-place Trevor Bayne. Now he sits 173 points behind the 30th place driver with just 11 races to go before the Chase.
Kevin Harvick Might Actually Be a Mortal
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Remember when Kevin Harvick didn’t finish in the top 10? You probably do, because it’s pretty rare. The Hapster just wrapped up an historic streak matched only by Richard Petty, Lee Petty and Martin Truex Jr.
Harvick was often referred to as “snake-bitten” in 2014 after several unlucky breaks, including an odd incident where a beanbag was left in the car, and multiple pit-crew mishaps. The No. 4 team’s luck obviously turned around as Harvick was able to capture his first-ever Sprint Cup title, albeit after a pit-crew swap with boss Tony Stewart prior to the Chase.
This season had been going along swimmingly for Harvick and company, but bad luck reared its head again at Michigan. Harvick led a race-high 63 laps before a right front tire issue put him two laps down.
"Smashed them all day damn proud of my boys. Lug nut knocked the valve stem off and the tire went flat. #dumbluck
— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) June 14, 2015"
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Martin Truex Jr. Is Here to Stay
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Coming into Pocono two weeks ago, Martin Truex Jr. had just as many career wins as Jimmy Spencer, Steve Park and Juan Pablo Montoya. After Truex earned his first victory since 2013, it became clear that the No. 78 has become a powerhouse.
Truex finished Michigan with his 14th top 10 in 15 races this season. His average finish of 7.6 is second only to Kevin Harvick (7.3) and is one of only three average finishes inside the top 10 (Kurt Busch, 9.9) this year.
As NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert pointed out, the third-place finish at Michigan also put Truex in elite company, as he joined Richard Petty as the only drivers to finish in the top 10 in 14 out of a season’s first 15 races.
“The King is pretty special,” Truex told Albert. “So thankful for my team and what they've done this year, and hopefully we'll keep this thing rolling."
Danica Patrick Is Quietly Having Her Best Season
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Haters of Danica Patrick love to point out that NASCAR’s only female driver doesn’t have a single career win. She’s been a lightning rod throughout her career in NASCAR, even drawing the ire of the King himself.
Despite the constant attention, Patrick is somehow flying under the radar. With 11 races to go before the Chase, she sits within striking distance of a playoff berth.
Patrick finished 16th at Michigan, her seventh top-20 finish this season. She already has two top-10s as well, one shy of her career high.
Negative comments about Patrick’s gender being the only reason she has a ride constantly overshadow the fact that this is just her third full season in the Sprint Cup Series. While she’s not exactly taking the sport by storm results-wise, she is improving.
Patrick’s average finishing position of 20.3 is 18th-best among drivers that have raced a full schedule this year. She also sits higher in the standings than drivers like Greg Biffle, Austin Dillon and boss Tony Stewart, and is just 43 points behind former teammate Ryan Newman for the final Chase spot.
The main key to Danica’s success this season seems to be her ability to avoid wrecks and finish races. Her laps completed rating has improved in each of her three full seasons, from 94.2 percent in 2013, to 97 percent last season and an excellent 99.6 percent this season. Patrick has finished every race this season, a stark contrast to her nine DNFs over the last two years.
Stats and info courtesy of Racing-Reference.info unless otherwise noted.
Follow Aaron Brand on Twitter @AaronBrand47
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