Toyota_Owners_400_logoKurt Busch has taken home the Toyota Owners 400 in Richmond, Virginia this past weekend in an emotional win that is sure to give him great confidence moving forward in the racing season. After sitting out three races earlier this year from legal troubles, Kurt has returned to the drivers seat with a chip on his shoulder. Despite his absence, Busch has done well enough to likely earn himself a place at the Chase Cup table, pending he can remain in the top 30 for the remainder of the year.

Since a new crew chief has taken to his right hand, Busch has been able to be a major player in every race he starts. Tony Gibson as his chief helped Kurt to tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen with 26 wins in Cup Races.

Leading 294 laps of 400 is about as dominant a performance you can ask for from anyone taking the checkered flag. TAn emotional Busch was able to battle with troubles in his personal life, only to overcome them and find himself in the winners circle. Gibson places the credit solely on Kurt’s shoulders as the crew chief praised him for his attention to detail in car setup. Admitting that his car was “a fifth place car at best”, Gibson pointed out that Kurt has the eye of the tiger when it came to driving a sound, mistake free race.

Busch, ever humble, puts the win on his crack team of engineers Gibson who helped make overnight changes to the car in order to give him the best chances of winning. A total team effort is what it takes to win any Cup Race, and that is exactly what the Number 41 car had this past weekend.

Finishing the race in a one-two punch for Stewart-Haas Racing was Busch (1), Kevin Harvick (2), followed by Jimmie Johnson (3) and Jamie McMurray (4).