On Sunday, Kurt Busch tamed the Monster Mile and beat some of his old demons.
One week after Busch couldn’t find his car on pit road at New Hampshire Motor Speedway because NASCAR detained the No. 22 Shell Dodge in prerace inspection, he found his way to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway.
Busch credited the team with making the necessary changes in the closing laps that enabled him to get a solid jump and “surprise” his foe, five-time champion Jimmie Johnson, on the penultimate restart on Lap 358.
Busch took the lead the next lap. Despite a 10th and final caution triggered by Greg Biffle hitting the wall on the front stretch four laps later, Busch held off a challenge by Johnson and extended his lead by 0.908 of a second at the finish.
“I just wanted to get out in front of Johnson,” Busch said. “The first restart (that the Nos. 22 of Busch and 48 of Johnson were together), I was on the high side. I didn’t know what to choose, low or high. I just wanted to get that jump on him and stretch our lead because I thought that he would reel us back in with about 10 to go.
“We just had to maintain and bring our Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger to Victory Lane.”
Busch started on the front row for the AAA 400, but despite the driver’s qualifying prowess, at times the No. 22 Penske Racing team has wrestled to maintain track position throughout the season. Despite one stretch midway through the Dover event when the track rubbered up and gave several drivers fits, the crew overcame those challenges and kept the car dialed into the top five when Busch needed it most — to battle Johnson and maintain the point.
Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five.
“It was just perfect execution today with making the car better during the race,” Busch said. “Our Dodge Charger was fast. Some of our struggles have been when the track rubbers in; we’re not exactly where we want to be.
“This was an awesome day. I couldn’t be happier right now. To win in a Sprint Cup race in the Chase, this is what it’s all about. This is the playoffs. We had everything go wrong for us last week; we had everything go right for us this week. We just need nice, smooth races from here.”
Busch’s win came after a miserable 22nd-place finish last week at Loudon that knocked him from fourth to ninth in the points standings. Sunday’s victory, Busch’s second of the season, propelled the No. 22 team back to fourth place in the standings (tied in points with third-place Tony Stewart) and back into Chase for the Sprint Cup contention.
“I feel like that we’re right in the mix,” Busch said. “You just have to cover up those bad days. Tony Stewart (25th) struggled today. He’s going to be dropping back. You just have to run consistent.”
And a driver must run smart. Sure, Johnson factored into Busch’s mindset. The pair have had their run-ins this season — and before. But since Busch won his championship in 2004, Johnson has earned five Cup titles.
Wins matter. Johnson has won 19 Chase races compared to Busch’s three. If Busch intends on being a contender, he must put victories ahead of rivalries.
“(The 48) was on my mind, but it wasn’t,” Busch said. “I had tunnel vision for Victory Lane today, and it didn’t matter who we had to drive around, through and out-strategy. Steve (Addington, crew chief) was on it on the pit box. It gave me great confidence grabbing gears and shifting up through the restarts.
“It’s sweet to beat your arch nemesis, but we have such a long way to go on this Chase, that’s what we’re really focused on.”
Speed demon
Carl Edwards had the fastest car on the track at Dover on Sunday — he was just a little too fast on pit road.
After leading 116 laps of the first 176 laps, Edwards went over the speed limit exiting pit road on Lap 246 and was forced to make a pass-through as a penalty four laps later.
“Damn it,” Edwards said. “Was going from first to second (gear) and that 25-foot section got us. ... We will fight to get everything back.”
Edwards and crew chief Bob Osborne had discussed that last stretch of pit road before the race. They talked about how Edwards would run through there. Then the racer got the worst in him and Edwards “just blasted right through it.”
The mistake knocked him out of the top five to 26th, one lap down.
But Edwards vowed to return the No. 99 Aflac Ford to the front pack — and he did.
Edwards gained two positions on the seventh caution and then received the benefit on Lap 305 when the No. 38 of J.J. Yeley hit the Turn 4 wall. Edwards restarted 21st and began charging through the field.
He was up to 10th by the ninth caution on Lap 352, and a two-tire stop allowed the No. 99 to gain four spots.
Edwards passed Kevin Harvick two laps later to move into the top five. Ten laps later he powered around Kasey Kahne and set his sights on Kyle Busch for third. With 25 laps remaining in the race, Edwards sailed by Busch to third, but time ran out before he could catch Jimmie Johnson or winner Kurt Busch.
That’s about as small as you can feel in a race car,” Edwards said. “We were very, very fortunate. As frustrated as I am with myself for messing that up, I’m really, really grateful for the gift that was given to us with that caution and the ability to come back up there.
“The other thing that was really important to me was my guys sticking behind me because they had every right to be really, really upset with me, so it ended up to be a good finish.”
Edwards’ third-place finish allowed him to vault to second in the points standings. He is tied in points with Harvick, who tops Edwards with four wins this season. Harvick finished 10th on Sunday.
Numbers game
Say what?
After Jimmie Johnson finished second for the 12th time in a Chase race and moved up to fifth in the points standings, from 10th last week, he quipped, “Does that mean you’re going to leave me alone? All you media people leave me alone about being down in points?"
