CGR rebounds at Sonoma after Coca-Cola 600 woes

A week after Ross Chastain and Kurt Busch posted 37th and 38th-place finishes in the Coca-Cola 600, the Chip Ganassi Racing drivers each posted a Top 10 finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/SaveMart 350 at Sonoma (Cali.) Raceway.

Kurt Busch finished sixth and Ross Chastain finished seventh in Sunday’s race. While Chastain did not lead any laps, Busch led eight laps which was the first time in ten races that he had led a lap.

During the Coca-Cola 600, each driver encountered mechanical issues that Hendrick Motorsports claimed responsibility for.

Busch and Chastain also each earned their third Top 10 finish of the 2021 season Sunday.

Busch has not had a Top 10 finish in nearly four months, dating back to an eighth-place finish in the February 28 Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead. Busch’s other Top 10 was a fourth-place finish in the Feb. 21 O’Reilly Auto Parts 253 at the Daytona road course.

Chastain’s most recent Top 10 finish was a fourth-place finish in the May 23 EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. The fourth-place finish was Chastain’s best career finish in the NASCAR Cup Series.

There are 10 races left until the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs begin. Kurt Busch is currently 19th in the regular-season points standings, 83 points behind Chris Buescher who currently holds the final playoff spot. Ross Chastain is currently 21st in points, 93 points behind Buescher.

SOURCES:
NASCAR
Racing-Reference.Info