As I type this I'm still a bit sopping from a brief sojourn in the rain here at the track, and I hope all the fans were able to get out of the track and home safely and quite an exciting and wet day at the track. They were troopers and stuck out the day in some interesting weather circumstances.
And getting back to the action on track, another BIblical-style happening -- a miracle -- almost happened when Kyle Larson and his crew chief made a bold move trying to stay out front and hope the rain came so he could take the win and earn a spot in the Chase.
Alas, it was not meant to me, but he's still in good shape to contend to qualify on points for the Chase even without a win.
Bad luck Busch
The other Kyle (Mr. Busch) had some tough luck, hitting the wall when a sudden shower came and finishing in 43rd. With his need to climb in points to get to the top 30 if he hopes to make the Chase, this was a pretty hard blow against his efforts to compete for the Cup. He's the biggest loser of the day in this regard, through little to no fault of his own. If he can still make the Chase, it will be quite an accomplishment.
Good luck Busch
In the end, the winner of the day was Kurt Busch. Nobody would have thought, with the way his team started the year with his personal problems and NASCAR suspension, that he would be a multiple-winner and among the top Chase contenders at this point.
"We made it a race winning back-up car. That shows you the depth of Stewart-Haas Racing. ... Everything unfolded perfectly for us," Kurt said after the race. "Our car kept getting better and better as we got closer to the front. Excellent pit stops; excellent team chemistry."
Interestingly, Kurt was 1st today and Kyle was 43rd; probably the first time that has happened.
Harvick stumbles late
Kevin Harvick was the best car hands-down and dominated the race when the cars weren't under tarps, but was snakebit by some bad luck and finished 29th, 1 lap down, when all was said and done. He's well-entrenched in the Chase, so no big deal, but I'm sure he wanted the checkered flag.
Matt Myftiu can be reached on Twitter @Matt Myftiu. Follow AutoTechReviews on Twitter @AutoTechReview.
