Kyle Busch captures checkered flag at Magic Mile

The victory moved Busch up from 35th position 87 points behind 30th place driver prior to NHMS to 33rd in the standings 58 points behind 30th place David Gilliland. But the victory simply showed Busch’s determination. All this, and he’s still not 100 percent.

That was Edwards’ take on the state of affairs at Joe Gibbs Racing after he put his No. 19 Toyota on the pole for the 5-Hour ENERGY 301 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1:30 p.m. ET Sunday on NBCSN). Kevin Harvick finished third, Joey Logano fourth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fifth. “But when we were rolling down pit road, I missed that he was still going to be out there and be the leader”, he said.

His problem at this point could be more mental than physical, much like the struggles Tiger Woods is experiencing. “You’re mad”. “Fortunately for that situation, it was”.

“We’ve worked extremely hard”, said team owner Joe Gibbs. She has not had a top-10 finish in a points race since Bristol in April.

“Anything can happen in sports”.

“Yeah, it’s not been a good day for us with the No. 24 auto”, Gordon acknowledged.

“When you do press for movies and stuff like that, it’s fun and everything”.

Since that freaky thunderstorm race in mid-June in Michigan where Busch spun when it began raining, he has had a fair share of good fortune.

“This is such an awesome win, such an awesome comeback”, Busch said in victory lane.

Brad Keselowski: Keselowski said the last half-lap wouldn’t have mattered but there is nothing better than “fast cars”.

“We strongly support this initiative for the safety of our guests and for the well-being of minors”, he said.

Gordon intentionally wrecked Bowyer during the November 2012 race at Phoenix global Raceway in retaliation for an incident earlier in the season that cost Gordon a win at Martinsville.

Now it looks like a virtual lock. NASCAR put that restriction on Busch when he returned from injury, creating an exception to the rule that says drivers must compete in every points race while setting the bar pretty high. That came on the heels of his crash in a 2013 dirt-track race that resulted in a broken leg. Upon his return in May, he’s been nothing short of phenomenal in jumping so close to Chase qualification. It’s whether he could win the Chase.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick was second fastest in the rain-affected final practice, 0.154s off Edwards’ time. His best finish here is second, which occurred in July 2006.

I’m proud of the team for the effort, It feels good to have fast cars. “Its kind of a combination of, I guess, both of us could take fault in that”.

That response by Keselowski shouldn’t surprise anyone. Between the two races, only five different drivers led laps.

One more thing before I give you my picks, this is a race that favors track position with 301 miles to the finish line; and weather could play a role. “And to come out the last couple of weeks as strong as we have and not get it done is tough”. Busch won and Hamlin-Edwards-Kenseth went 3-4-5 and a signal that the organization will again field drivers that are a threat to win a championship. “We’re doing the right things at the right times”. And is seizing the opportunity.

“This is cool”, Busch said. “My focus and my goal is in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and I feel like I’m getting comfortable in this, and I think we’re getting better on this”.

“It certainly is nice”.

But Goodyear knew that change was coming months ago.