Momentum is something that is felt in every sport. In the NFL, it changes the game in an instant when one big play shifts it into the hands of the team trying to make a comeback.
In college football, it can be as simple as the roar of a crowd surpassing six figures roaring to life, making the visiting team rattle under the pressure.
In NASCAR, it’s all about being fast, and if you’re good enough, win…and do so often.
That is exactly what Kyle Busch is doing right now. In Sonoma, he had the task of competing at a track where braking, shifting, and turning are the most challenging, with the braking alone being with a foot that is still just four months removed from being broken. He did so with an unbelievable amount of ability, taking his first win of the season after missing the first 11 races.
Last weekend at Kentucky, his battle alongside Joey Logano for the win was epic, and he would make it to victory lane again, making him even more confident that his quest to make the Chase could be a reality. The momentum was building, and the hot streak looked to be poised to continue.
Then at New Hampshire on Sunday, the right call by his team put him in the right position to get his lap back, and then have a late caution put him in the lead when it mattered the most.
With his win on Sunday, Busch now has three wins in a span of four races. Yet he’s still 58 points outside of the top-30, one of the requirements for making the Chase. Part one of his quest is complete, he has more than enough wins to guarantee he’d make the field. The second part, unlike weeks ago after his wreck at Michigan, is within reach. There’s just over two months left until the Chase, and the tracks left before Richmond mainly are favorable to the No. 18 team.
He could easily win more races to make it into the top-30, meaning that despite missing 11 races, he’d be going after a championship.
Look out, “Rowdy” has momentum, and it will be quite the task to wrestle it away from him.
RESULTS: 1-Kyle Busch 2-Keselowski 3-Harvick 4-Logano 5-Earnhardt Jr. 6-Kenseth 7-Edwards 8-Dillon 9-Gordon 10-Kurt Busch
NOTABLE FINISHES: 12-Truex Jr. 14-Hamlin 22-Johnson
CAUTIONS: 7 for 34 laps. Laps: 23-26 (Debris-T1); 98-107 (Debris-T4); 118-121 (Debris-FS); 189-193 (Debri-T2); 200-203 (#27 stopped on track-T4); 252-257 (Fluid-T3 and T4); 301-301 (Car #7 accident-T2).
LEAD CHANGES: 9 among 7 drivers. C. Edwards 1-19; Kyle Busch 20-66; B. Keselowski 67-88; J. Gordon 89-90; A. Allmendinger 91-103; B. Keselowski 104-178; J. Logano 179-190; B. Keselowski 191-193; K. Harvick 194-252; Kyle Busch 253-301.
TIME OF RACE: 2 Hrs, 56 Mins, 6 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 108.504 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY: Under Caution
CHASE GRID: 1. Johnson-646 (points), 4 (wins); 2. Harvick-734, 2; 3. Earnhardt Jr.-655, 2; 4. Kurt Busch-576, 2; 5. Logano-665, 1; 6. Truex Jr.-628, 1; 7. Keselowski-603, 1; 8. Kenseth-576, 1; 9. Hamlin-552, 1; 10. Edwards-487, 1; 11. McMurray, -160 (Behind 1st); 12. Gordon, -161; 13. Kahne, -196; 14. Newman, -204; 15. Menard, -206; 16. Almirola, -232.
*Kyle Busch sits 33rd, 58 points out of 30th, with 3 wins. Must make top-30 to be in Chase.