South Point champ Kurt Busch resigned to racing for pride

It wasn’t precisely similar going from leader to zero. But going from 12th successful the playoff standings to 19th successful the cutoff contention astatine Bristol, Tennessee, past Saturday nighttime near Kurt Busch with zero accidental to triumph his 2nd NASCAR Cup Series championship.

“That was not a championship-type effort. We missed it large time,” said the reigning South Point 400 champion from Las Vegas astir having to support his rubric arsenic 1 of those connected the extracurricular looking successful connected the playoff Round of 12.

The 43-year-old veteran, who precocious announced he’ll beryllium joining the 23XI Racing squad co-owned by Michael Jordan successful 2022, started the playoffs with a coagulated sixth spot astatine Darlington earlier suffering a level tire, crashing and finishing 37th successful the 2nd Round of 16 contention astatine Richmond.

“We had atrocious luck and we person nary changeable astatine a title this year. We person to contention for pride, dignity and grant for the adjacent fewer weeks,” conceded the operator of Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 1 Chevrolet. “That’s not the mode we wanted this to go.”

Two regular-season wins and a bigger accumulation of playoff points gave younger member Kyle much country for mistake aft crashing retired astatine Darlington. The two-time Cup Series champion finished 21st astatine Bristol but precocious to the 2nd circular with a small country to spare heading into the playoff contention connected his hometown track.

“I utilized to enactment much accent connected myself to triumph there, nary doubt,” said the operator of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, who volition beryllium seeking his archetypal Cup Series triumph astatine LVMS since 2009. “We privation to triumph each azygous 1 of them. That’s a fact. When you travel into your hometown — and we watched this spot get built from thing — it means that other much to you.”

Performing a triumph burnout successful beforehand of their hometown supporters besides would beryllium a imagination travel existent for Las Vegas Xfinity Series drivers Noah Gragson and Riley Herbst and part-time subordinate Matt Jaskol.

Gragson caught occurrence precocious aft it was announced helium would instrumentality for a 4th Xfinity play successful the No. 9 JR Motorsports Camaro, winning his archetypal 2 races of 2021 successful back-to-back starts astatine Darlington and Richmond.

“We didn’t alteration thing really, conscionable been benignant of sticking to our program and doing what we benignant of cognize however to do,” said the 23-year-old, who has 11 apical 10 finishes successful his past 13 races and volition commencement the Xfinity playoffs arsenic the No. 4 effect down Austin Cindric, AJ Allmendinger and teammate Justin Allgaier.

Herbst claimed 1 of the past playoff spots with a season-best third-place decorativeness astatine the chaotic regular-season finale astatine Bristol that saw victor Allmendinger and runner-up Cindric transverse the decorativeness enactment sideways.

“I deliberation we person to execute down the steering wheel, nary mistakes connected pit roadworthy and halt being excessively anxious and driving excessively aggressively,” Herbst said astir what it mightiness instrumentality astatine LVMS to get his archetypal Xfinity win.

Jaskol volition beryllium making LVMS debut down the instrumentality of the No. 66 MBM Motorsports entry.

“Took longer than expected but, hey, things don’t ever hap successful the clip framework you expect,” said the 36-year-old operator astir resurrecting his vocation successful big-time motorsports.

Contact Ron Kantowski astatine rkantowski@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski connected Twitter.