Kyle Busch loses the race, but eyes the Chase

Kyle Busch has done it - with his second place finish at Watkins Glen, he has busted through the glass ceiling that is the Top 30 in points.

Now we got to stay there. I feel confident we can stay there - that shouldn't be all that hard.

Kyle Busch on reaching the Top 30

As it stands right now, he is in the Chase provisionally, six points to the good with four races remaining in the regular season.

Earning a Chase berth, but losing the race

"Man, I don’t know. I don’t know what my emotions are, I’m just happy for this team and happy with what these guys are doing," said Busch.

"I'm disappointed with where we ended up but I'm happy with where we ended up. Needed that finish in order to get ourselves into the Top 30, but I'm curious to see how much fuel is actually in the tank when it goes over the scales to know if I could have went up there and raced with the 22 (Logano). 

"I had a chance. I could’ve went up there, I could’ve raced the 22, I could’ve passed him," he added in the post-race press conference.

A game of cat and mouse

Just like Pocono, the race came down to fuel mileage. After Logano and Busch ran each other out while battling for the win at the Tricky Triangle, they were the ones the offensive at the Glen and passing all those who were forced to conserve. Kyle admitted that he was shocked at how far Kevin Harvick made it before running out and losing the race in the final corner, costing the No. 4 the race win.

"I can't believe the No. 4 car made it as far as they did. I was basically thinking that they all should have run out sooner than they did. Kenseth even made it and he wasn't supposed to.

"He (crew chief Adam Stevens) was nervous that everybody running out was going to cause a caution and I don't blame him. It just didn't work out in our favor."

The biggest threat come Chase time?

"Now we got to stay there," he said of cracking the Top 30. "I feel confident we can stay there - that shouldn't be all that hard. These guys have been doing a great job for me every week. They just keep showing just how stout we are and what kind of team we are."

With his incredible performance over the last seven races, leading over 300 laps and winning four times. With numbers like that, it's no surprise many are calling the No. 18 the team to beat once the postseason arrives. But does Kyle believe they are indeed the team to beat?

"Yes and no," he told Motorsport.com. "As far as the last five or six weeks have gone (yes). I think you saw (Logano and Harvick) today as the guys we're going to be racing (for the title), but anything can happen.

I've been on a roll where I was top seed, wining eight out of 26 races (in 2008) and then I go into the Chase and have all the bolts fall out. Been there, done that so it's hard to count on that yet."