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Kyle Busch reflects on hot streak and ‘closing the deal’ at certain tracks

Cheez-It 355 - Practice

Cheez-It 355 - Practice

Getty Images

During a stretch where he’s won four of the last six races, Kyle Busch isn’t sure if he’s been racing harder to get into the Chase for Sprint Cup.

He looks at it as his team “closing the deal” at tracks he hasn’t been able to in the past.

“We won one (Sonoma) and we weren’t necessarily satisfied with that so we went to Kentucky, a place that’s really good for me and we won again,” Busch said Friday at Watkins Glen International. “We went to a place like Loudon (N.H), where I finished second in three of the last four races there, and we won there this time.”

The biggest win came a week later at Indianapolis, where Busch had finish second twice in the last three years.

“I’ve had some really good runs at these places, we just haven’t been able to close the deal and finally closing the deal it just all came together,” said Busch, who is 13 points back from 30th in the driver standings to be Chase eligible.

“I’m not saying that those other teams aren’t trying, we’re all well aware of the (Jimmie Johnson) team strategy every single season, right? They get in the Chase, they lock themselves in and then they go play for however long in order to try to learn some things. They’re very smart in what they do, and I’m not so certain that the way they’re running isn’t fooling anyone right now.”

Busch looks to keep his hot streak going at Watkins Glen, a track he closed the deal at in 2013 and 2008.

“Over the years we’ve run real well here at Watkins Glen,” Busch said. “I think a little more so than Sonoma, but winning at Sonoma and having a really good car out there, I’m really optimistic about being here this weekend and hopefully carrying that road course momentum through to Watkins Glen.”

The Sprint Cup Series has the option of using rain tires this weekend if there is wet weather at the New York road course.

Busch said he’s only raced in the rain twice, in the Xfinity Series at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec and in a Legends race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“It’s really, really difficult to know when to come in and put the slicks on because there could be a path where it’s dry,” Busch said. “But there’s other areas of the race track or spots on the race track that are wet and if you’re running slicks and you hit those wet spots, it’s not going to be good. You really have to manage that separation of dry versus wet.”

The forecast at www.wunderground.com predicts clear skies for Sunday’s race.

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