Busch shows brotherly love

LOUDON, N.H. -- Nostalgia struck Kurt Busch yesterday as he roared around New Hampshire International Speedway, a flat track similar to the one he and his brother used to race on back home at Las Vegas Speedway Park, with a low groove that's tough to pass on, but good passing lanes middle and high. And, just like back home, his little brother, Kyle, raced right alongside him, separating him from leader Tony Stewart.

''All right, Kyle," Kurt Busch thought, his No. 97 Ford's nose nearly knocking on Kyle's tail. ''I know you're going to try to look under Tony. Let's see if mine sticks on the top side."

All that lingo meant he really didn't care about the brotherly bond he shared with the driver in front of him -- Kurt just wanted to pass him. And he did.

That one incisive move on Lap 241 of the New England 300 briefly allowed Busch to jump from third to the lead, and it helped ensure a second-place finish to Stewart. The younger Busch finished fourth behind Bobby Labonte.

''It was fun racing Kyle," Busch said. ''I wish the two of us could have duked it out toward the end."

As for his younger brother? Well, he really didn't let any of those emotions complicate matters.

''It was all good," Kyle said, ''when I was in front of him."

By the time the race had finished, only one car, Stewart's, remained in front of Kurt. The strong finish was anything but a surprise for Busch, who won both Nextel Cup races at NHIS last season.

''I like to make the car very versatile here, where it can go on to the flat part [of the track] where it can race side-by-side, and not just worry about fast lap times," Busch said. ''I think that's the key. You have to have a car that can maneuver underneath somebody."

With the second-place finish, Busch maneuvered past drivers on the most important track -- the Nextel Cup points standings. Busch earned 180 points for being runner-up and six laps led, vaulting off the Chase for the Cup bubble from 10th to fifth place, just about cementing his spot in the Chase with seven races remaining until the field is set.

At the start of the day, none of that seemed feasible. On the 34th lap, Labonte bumped Busch from behind, spinning the No. 97 car and bringing a caution flag. Busch deftly avoided slamming into the wall as he spun, keeping him in the race.

Afterward, with Busch sitting to his right at a press conference, Labonte apologized.

''That will probably be the highlight on all the films tonight," he said. ''I didn't mean to. I made him work hard all day to get to second."

Restarting in 39th place, the very back of the field, Busch fought back and grinded his way through a maze of cars, surfacing in fourth by Lap 189, when he passed Jeff Gordon.

Busch emerged from pit row in third place on Lap 217, just behind his brother. He continued to pressure the leaders until the backstretch of the 241st lap, right after a restart. Using the move he learned at his home track in Vegas, he ducked outside of Kyle when the younger Busch went low, moving by him for second.

Busch expected that.

''I didn't expect to get Tony," Busch said.

But there Busch went, flying by Stewart to grab the lead. Stewart stayed calm, though, comfortable with the knowledge that he possessed a better car. Only six laps later, Stewart trapped Busch against the wall on the back straightaway, nudged him, then passed him.

Busch spent the remaining 54 laps doing the same thing as every other driver -- looking at Stewart's bumper.

When he walked into the postrace press conference, Kurt tapped Kyle on the shoulder and patted him on the head. The gesture seemed part kudos for a job well done, part reassurance Kyle still had something to learn before keeping up with his big brother.

It was fun looking at [Kyle] through the front windshield," Busch said. ''And it was fun looking at him through the rearview mirror."