Busch king of road
Watkins Glen victory historic
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - If Kyle Busch has a weakness, it's apparently going to be awfully difficult to find.
After rivals Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon said during the week they thought he was slipping following two straight lackluster finishes, Busch answered by making NASCAR history yesterday. He led 52 laps from the pole at Watkins Glen International and won the Centurion Boats at The Glen, becoming the first driver in NASCAR's history to win three road-course races in one season.
"That's pretty neat, pretty special to me," said Busch, who finished second Saturday in the Nationwide race here. "To be a force to be reckoned with means a lot. This year has just been phenomenal. It's just crazy."
Busch, who also clinched the top spot in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup title, has won 16 races in NASCAR's top three series this season - eight in Sprint Cup, six in Nationwide and two in trucks. His win completed a trifecta on road courses that included the Nationwide race in Mexico in April and the Cup race at Sonoma in June. Only Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon had swept both Cup road-course events in the same year.
"That kid's awesome," said Steve Addington, Busch's crew chief. "I can't believe we don't win a race in three or four weeks and we're in a slump."
Actually, Busch has won four of the past seven races, and the victory at Watkins Glen gives him 80 bonus points for the Chase, 50 more than Carl Edwards with four races remaining before the postseason. Drivers get 10 bonus points for each victory.
A stunning multicar crash on the final turn of Lap 82 of the 220 1/2-mile race brought out a red flag stoppage that lasted 43 minutes.
The pileup started when Michael McDowell spun David Gilliland, who caromed off the wall and was slammed hard again by Bobby Labonte, with both cars spinning violently around. Max Papis, Dave Blaney, and Sam Hornish also were unable to avoid the carnage, with Hornish slamming hard into the water barrier at the entrance to pit road.
Labonte was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and released. The other drivers involved were taken to the care center and also released.
On the restart, Busch held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Stewart. Stewart settled for his second straight runner-up finish and moved within 10 points of Jeff Gordon for sixth in the standings.
"I never could get the runs in the right spots," said Stewart. "I needed to stay with him to be close enough to try to make a move in a braking zone. We never could get close enough to get an opportunity."
Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has never won a Cup race on a road course, took off to a big lead after passing Busch on the second lap and figured to be a strong contender. But poor pit strategy derailed his effort and he finished 22d after leading 33 laps and fell two slots in the standings.
