INSIGHT: Kurt Busch on momentum, winning and vacation

"[Michigan is] definitely the most intense for speed and average speed, and the way in which you have to drive around the track because the draft is really intense there on restarts," Busch said. "The way the cars are now, they're very stable, very low to the ground, and very stiff and rigid with suspension. And then when the repaved the racetrack, the track is so smooth that you can really hammer down. Last year I think we saw 214 miles per hour for the top speed going into turn one. And in qualifying a couple of years ago we averaged 204 miles per hour."

The next few weeks will see NASCAR at Michigan's high-speed oval, the road course at Sonoma and the high banks of Daytona – a mix of tracks Busch enjoys.

"I like this portion of the schedule. It really challenges the team on its versatility to prepare cars for all different types of venues. It challenges the driver. And then there are a lot of different changes with the tires this year that the lead engineers and the tire guys have to keep up with all of these different tracks, so it makes the challenges even greater."

Busch currently trails teammate Kevin Harvick in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings by 25 points. His win, helmed by interim crew chief John Klausmeier, was an exercise in fuel saving.

"It was a tough challenge to manage the fuel, and to keep pace with Dale Junior, and then behind him was Brad Keselowski, who had a full tank of gas, so he could our on full steam," he said. "For us, we were two laps shy on gas, so I was trying to manage all the different elements and when it all comes together and you have a perfect day and you win, that was the reason to celebrate. It was just a fantastic effort by the team and what I was able to do in the cockpit to manage the race.

"You can definitely get lost in the emotions and the thoughts going through your head, but I thought to myself, you know what, keep it simple. Stay ahead of Junior and manage your fuel. Yeah, a yellow might come out later, or you're going to run out of gas, but you know what, just run with what you have right now. Check out the mirror and lift off the throttle to save fuel."

Busch has two poles and has led 221 laps over five races this season, and his highest finish prior to winning Pocono was third (twice, at Bristol and Kansas).

"[Not winning] was nagging at me, but at the same time you can't deny the results of a very consistent season, and a very strong season up to this point," he said. "But those wins are very powerful and they're what I live for. It's what I live for, to go out there and win and deliver for the sponsors and the team guys, so we just couldn't force it. We couldn't get down on ourselves or we couldn't get sidetracked. We just kept plugging away. It was a great, genuine, good feeling to win for all the hard work that has gone into this year so far. Things are definitely to plan and it's because of the depth of the team and the notes we have together.

"As far as the amount of races we've done together now, we're getting into two and a half years, and that's when you hope that the relationship is blossoming because that means you've been to all of the tracks a minimum of three times and now it's time to get into that attack mode instead of learning mode.

The Sprint Cup Series will take next week off before returning for the West Coast trip to Sonoma. Busch, who went to Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Cleveland, will spend his time on a "motor racing-themed holiday."

"I always like to find adventure on the NASCAR off-weekends and I think this one is probably going to top the list of them all. I'm going to head through Eastern Europe and to see a friend in Lithuania who used to be a neighbor of mine in the Charlotte area, and then it's down to Baku, down to Azerbaijan for the Formula 1 race to meet up with Gene Haas and the Formula 1 team and to see our friend Lewis Hamilton over at the Mercedes team and to say hi to a fellow Monster athlete and to wish him the best. After that I'm going to fly down to Abu Dhabi and do a track day at the Yas Marina circuit and have some fun before I have to head back and get pumped up for our Sonoma road course race. Hard times ahead, for sure!"