For the first time since a sixth-place finish in the Indianapolis 500, Kurt Busch is back at the Brickyard.
The last time Kurt Busch rumbled across Indianapolis Motor Speedway's famed bricks was two months ago in the Indianapolis 500.
Busch returns to Indianapolis this weekend, albeit in a much slower car. He will be behind the wheel his customary No. 41 Chevrolet stock car fielded by Stewart-Haas Racing in Sunday's Brickyard 400.
Returning to the 2.5-mile track conjures positive memories for Busch, who in his first IndyCar race finished sixth to claim Rookie of the Year honors. He would then jet to Charlotte Motor Speedway for that evening's Coca-Cola 600 -- NASCAR's longest race -- where Busch became the fourth driver to run the Indy/Charlotte double.
"This feels like an off weekend now, I only have to do 400 miles," Busch said. "The way that the month of May went was a tremendous feeling and a sense of accomplishment. I really enjoyed it ... it's incredible the amount of people that we touched and that reached out to us. So it's a lot of fun to come back to Indianapolis.
"Driving down into Turn 1 won't be the same at 220 mph, it will be around 200 today, but Indianapolis always challenges you no matter what car you're driving and you have to respect the track."
The goal of completing all 1,100 miles never happened, as Busch lost an engine 129 laps shy of the full Charlotte distance. It's been that kind of season for the 2004 Cup champion, who has been hampered by mechanical failures and the assorted gremlins that comes with joining a new team. (Busch drove for Furniture Row Racing last season.)
Through 19 of 26 regular season races Busch sits 25th in points, his only saving grace a March victory at Martinsville Speedway. That win should assure Busch a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
And there has been improvement and increased consistency for the No. 41 team recently. Beginning June 8 at Pocono, Busch has finished third twice and has only one result worse than 12th in the past six races. The expectation is that as the circuit returns to some tracks for a second time more wins could follow.
"When we unloaded at Pocono in June that seemed like we were grabbing another gear and our team has found a good rhythm since then," Busch said. "We're hoping to cash in on some of those set-up notes and procedures that we've been following since the first Pocono where we finished third."
As for next year's Indy 500 and whether Busch will again attempt "the double" no decision has been made. He and Andretti Autosport have not decided anything definitive. But while Busch is open to the possibility, he does have some reservations.
"Every day I wake up and like, ‘Yes, let's do it again,'" Busch said. "Then there are thoughts of I finished sixth, that's pretty special. I don't know if I could achieve that result again."