Penalties cost Kyle Busch at New Hampshire

Kyle Busch was on his way to overcoming one speeding penalty when a second one eliminated his chances of winning the Overton's 301 at New Hampshire.

Busch led the race's second-most laps (95), but finished 12th. The first penalty came on a lap 233 stop when Busch pitted from the race lead. After working his way back inside the top 10, Busch was caught again – in the same section – when he pitted for the final time with 38 laps to go.

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The second speeding penalty was the killer as Busch again went to the rear of the field instead of lining up seventh on the restart.

"Our Interstate Batteries Toyota was fast today," Busch said. "I messed up a couple of times getting the speeding penalties, and it pretty much cost us a chance for the win today. It's disappointing, but we'll look forward to getting to Indianapolis next week."

The No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Camry looked to be the second-best car in the field Sunday and could have contended for the organization's first win of the season. Instead, Busch's teammate Denny Hamlin pulled off the victory and locked himself into the playoffs.

Busch is still sitting inside the playoff grid with a 178-point cushion on the 17th-place driver. But his Cup winless streak has now reach one year.

The good news is the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is set to visit the track where Busch last won, Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In fact, Busch has won the last two Cup races there and will look to kiss the bricks for a third consecutive year on July 23.