Lightning doesn't strike good for Kurt Busch at Daytona

Kurt Busch was left to wonder what if after pitting from the lead in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 just before lighting brought the race to a halt.

Busch emerged as the leader following a 17-car accident on lap 118 that eliminated many of the race’s top contenders.

He remained on the track during the yellow with the hope of weather moving in halting the race. NASCAR brought out the one to go signal on Lap 127 and Busch pitted with the thought of the race continuing. That handed the lead over to Justin Haley while Busch dropped to tenth.

Lightning was then detected in the Daytona Beach vicinity which prompted NASCAR to bring out the red flag. A larger storm cell drenched the track in a matter of an hour and the race was called with Haley taking the victory.

The situation left Busch frustrated.

"I feel like we were in a really good position to win the race," Busch said. "It was just a matter of when the one random lightning bolt comes down to decide when you make the call. So, it's a judgment call on their part."

When asked if NASCAR could have acted different - “We could have started the race at 11 am and got a full race in.”

The tenth-place finish ended a hectic day for the 2004 series champion. He tangled with Ricky Stenhouse, Jr while fighting for the lead on Lap 60 and then spun on his own a few laps later on Lap 74. His No. 1 Global Poker Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 suffered minor damage both incidents and he worked back up to third place before “The Big One” broke out on Lap 118.

“Yeah, I think we did pretty good to finish tenth considering everything that went on,” he added.