Opposite of momentum for Kurt Busch

The momentum Kurt Busch thought he was riding into the Playoffs has quickly evaporated.

Busch finished 37th at New Hampshire after being involved in an accident at the halfway mark of the ISM Connect 300. It was an accident Busch was unable to avoid as he drove into a cloud of smoke created by teammate Kevin Harvick, who had been spun by Austin Dillon off Turn 2.

Busch slammed into the right side of Harvick's car and, between the severe damage and both cars becoming lodged together, it brought an end to their respective days.

After ending the regular season with four top-six finishes in the last five races, Busch's finishes in the first two playoff races have been 19th or worse. Last weekend, Busch was in position for a top five, but a late pit stop because of a vibration resulted in a speeding penalty.

Related Stories

"Wow. I mean, I don't know what to say," declared Busch after leaving the infield care center. "It's tough when you're running where we were. We were just trying to limp it to the end of stage 2, and I heard, 'Car spinning off of [Turn] 2' in my ear. I saw smoke up ahead, a lot of times they'll come back up, and I tried to leave the high side or the low side and then, boom, as soon as the smoke cleared I'm looking at Harvick's door, my teammate.

"We're both running for the Playoffs, and it's a shame that the handling is off and we're both running where we were. We were still going to fight all the way to the end, but now we don't have a chance. I cannot understand the bad luck that we're having."

Locked into the postseason since February with his win in the Daytona 500, Busch has only five playoff points in his back pocket. However, after two mediocre weeks, Busch is in a perilous position going into Dover, the first elimination race of the Playoffs. Below the cutline by 17 points, Busch is not in a must-win situation but will need to have a flawless day in the No. 41 Ford.

"It's all-in," Busch said of Dover. "We'll go there with everything we've got like we have been. We've got to find the setup that will make that car cut, that will make it go through the center of the corner and carry that speed on exit and give it our best."

In 34 starts at Dover, Busch has one win and an average finish of 18.6.