CUP: Top 10 run propels Busch into playoff spot
Kurt Busch claimed a de facto playoff spot following a solid Top 10 run in Saturday’s Pocono Organics CBD 325 at Pocono Raceway.
Busch finished sixth in Saturday’s race and moved up to 16th in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings.
The sixth-place finish is Busch’s fifth Top 10 finish of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. It is also his third consecutive Top 10 finish.
In the last three races, Busch has gained 87 points on Chris Buescher for the final playoff spot. Busch was previously 19th in points, 83 points behind Buescher, but is now four points ahead of Buescher for the spot.
Busch also led 12 laps, won Stage Two and finished seventh in Stage One during Saturday’s race.
Buescher finished 20th in Saturday’s race. He has posted two other finishes outside of the Top 15 in the last three races, including a 36th-place crash-related DNF at Nashville.
Buescher will start on the pole for Sunday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 350 (3:30 p.m. ET, TV: NBCSN, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), while Busch will start 14th.
SOURCES:
NASCAR
Racing-Reference.Info
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com