the now-defunct Michael Waltrip Racing. In only his sixth race with the team, Busch took the checkered flag at the 2014 STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 30, 2014. Busch fought back from a pit road incident with former teammate Brad Keselowski and held off rival and Martinsville ace Jimmie Johnson for his 25th career victory and his first victory since 2011. The team struggled from a lack of consistency, leading to a crew chief swap with the No. 10 team. Tony Gibson became the No. 41 crew chief. Busch made the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup, but failed to make it past the opening round. Busch started the 2015 season on suspension while he was investigated for allegations of domestic violence. Regan Smith took over the No. 41 car for the first three races of the year, finishing in the top 20 at both of the first two races. Although Smith competed for Xfinity Series points, the No. 41 car remained eligible for the owner's championship. Busch's suspension was lifted on March 11 and he returned to the No. 41 car at Phoenix, with a waiver to remain eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Busch scored his second victory in the No. 41 at Richmond in April. He scored his second win of the season at Michigan in June, in a rain-shortened event. Busch earned a spot in the Chase and made it through the three first rounds, but failed to make it to the final round. Busch finished eighth in the final points standings, with two wins and 21 top-ten finishes. In October 2015, Busch signed a multi-year extension with SHR. For the 2016 season, Monster Energy became a co-primary sponsor of the team along with Haas Automation, after being a personal sponsor of Busch since 2012. Before the Cup series season, Busch and SHR were informed that because the No. 41 team was not formed until 2014, they were not eligible for one of the 36 charters NASCAR granted to teams who participated full-time in Cup. Stewart-Haas Racing managed to secure Busch a spot in every race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season by purchasing a charter from the defunct Michael Waltrip Racing. Busch's lone victory of the 2016 season came at Pocono Raceway on June 6 after preserving enough fuel to hold off Dale Earnhardt Jr., finishing seventh in the final