Updated

The pre-Kurt Busch numbers at Furniture Row Racing weren't pretty: one win, three top-five finishes, eight top-10s and a measly 48 laps led in almost 200 races.

The numbers since Busch climbed into the No. 78 Chevrolet with six races left last season? Six top-five finishes, 14 top-10s and 314 laps led.

One other thing — he also has Furniture Row on the verge of its first berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Busch heads into Saturday night's race at Bristol Motor Speedway ranked ninth in the standings and in position to claim one of the 12 spots in the Chase.

It's an improbable turnaround for Busch, who hit rock bottom in 2011 when he was fired from Penske Racing because of his combustible temper.