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Busch Does It Again at Darlington

By JENNA FRYER,

Posted: 2008-05-11 07:16:25

Filed Under: NASCAR

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 10) - The crowd booed him. He called his car pathetic. His crew missed a lug nut, and he couldn't stay off Darlington Raceway's wall. Despite it all, Kyle Busch found Victory Lane once again.

Busch Conquers Darlington

They don't call him "Rowdy" for nothing. Kyle Busch shrugs off boos from the crowd, scrapes with the wall, and the advice of his own spotter to surge to his third Sprint Cup Series victory of the year at the Dodge Challenger 500.

Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

The aggressive 23-year-old star has emerged as the hottest driver this season, with eight wins spanning NASCAR's top three series. Busch's victory at Darlington Raceway was delivered in typical convincing fashion, as he led a race-high 169 of the 367 laps.

Chris Trotman, Getty Images

Despite the stellar performance, the unpopular Busch seemed to only anger the crowd more. Fans viciously booed him in prerace introductions and even tossed cans of beer at his car after he took the checkered flag.

Daniel Plassmann, AP

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who saw his winless streak stretch to 73 races, was one of the stars Busch supplanted in his sprint to the finish. Busch became Public Enemy No. 1 when he wrecked Earnhardt as they raced for the win last week in Richmond.

Mary Ann Chastain, AP

Busch sustained heavy damage due to several collisions into the wall, but that didn't keep him from his reckless style. "How many times did I hit the wall? I don't know, one, two, three, four, probably five or six," Busch said.

Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images for NASCAR

Busch, who established his first lead early in the race, was hit with a penalty when his crew left a lug nut off his rear wheel following a pit stop. The gaffe dropped him to 29th, but he battled his way back to the front.

Daniel Plassmann, AP

Tony Stewart, right, wasn't nearly as fortunate as Busch in overcoming early troubles. Elliott Sadler lost control of his car on the second lap of the race and squeezed Stewart into the Turn 1 wall. Smoke was unable to recover from the crash and finished a frustrating 21st.

Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images

Stewart's rough night paled in comparison to what pole-sitter Greg Biffle experienced at Darlington. After leading 95 laps, Biffle's hopes were dashed by a broken timing belt and crew errors which left the the embattled star seething after the race.

Geoff Burke, Getty Images

Seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon, bottom, couldn't keep up with the physical Busch, but managed a third-place finish. "I can't tell you how many times he tried to give the race away by slamming into the wall," Gordon said.

John Harrelson, Getty Images for NASCAR

Overall, the newly repaved surface at Darlington Raceway caused problems for numerous stars. Between the smooth track and narrow racing line, several drivers were forced into the wall for the infamous "Darlington stripe."

Rusty Jarrett, Getty Images

NASCAR's least popular driver raced to his third Sprint Cup Series victory of the season Saturday night, winning a battle of attrition at the track "Too Tough to Tame."

"How many times did I hit the wall? I don't know, one, two, three, four, probably five or six," Busch said. "I've got to thank my team, they build them as strong as they can for me, 'cause I like to knock the walls down with them."

Busch's victory hardly thrilled the crowd, which viciously booed him in prerace introductions and hadn't softened by the time he took the checkered flag. Already loathed by many, he enraged Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s massive fan base by wrecking him as they raced for the win last week in Richmond.

It created a frenzy of hatred toward Busch, but the 23-year-old driver tuned it out and focused on what he does best: winning races.

The win was his eighth of the season spanning NASCAR's top three series, and he has won most of them in very convincing fashion. This one was no different, as Busch led a race-high 169 of the 367 laps in a Toyota he described early in the race as the "most pathetic" he'd ever driven.

He also overcame every speed bump thrown his way to become the youngest winner on NASCAR's oldest superspeedway.

"Darlington showed again tonight it's one of the hardest places. Always has been, always will be," Busch said in Victory Lane. "We're going to go through a lot of Mac tools trying to fix this thing, but that's OK. They gave me such a race car."

An offseason repaving project smoothed the asphalt on the egg-shaped, 1.366-mile superspeedway, and the new surface gave the entire field fits. It made the track extremely fast and grippy, forcing Goodyear to bring a very sturdy tire that could handle the speeds and survive long runs.

Kyle Busch

CONCORD, NC - MAY 25: Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge, leads Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images

CONCORD, NC - MAY 25: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, leads Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, and Sterling Martin, driver of the #40 Wii Fit Dodge, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images

CONCORD, NC - MAY 25: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, and Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Budweiser Dodge, lead the fields to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images

CONCORD, NC - MAY 25: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, leads Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, Kurt Busch, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet,. during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images

CONCORD, NC - MAY 25: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, leads the field during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Getty Images

CONCORD, NC - MAY 25: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, leads Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, and Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Getty Images

CONCORD, NC - MAY 25: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, races during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images

CONCORD, NC - MAY 25: Kyle Busch (C), driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, shakes hands with Yao Ming (R), of the Houston Rockets, and Olympic Gold Medalist Steven Lopez (L) on the track prior to the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 25, 2008 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Justin Heiman/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Getty Images

The combination of the smooth surface, hard tires and narrow racing line put passing at a premium, and forced several drivers into the wall for the infamous "Darlington stripe."

Busch was no exception, bouncing hard off of it at least twice in what was an eventful fight to the finish. He was leading early in the race but was penalized when his crew left a lug nut off his rear wheel following a pit stop, dropping him to 29th.

He battled his way back to the front, patiently picking off Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt and finally seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon to reclaim the top position. From there, the kid who chases the checkered flag every time he's on the track pulled away, forcing spotter Jeff Dickerson to beg him to slow down a mere 50 laps from the finish.

"I know you are digging, dude, but you've got to take care of that thing there," Dickerson radioed. "You're scaring the fans. There's not enough security up the Turn 2 wall. Just nice and easy."

But Busch isn't capable of going slow, and he stayed on the gas until the finish while stretching his Sprint Cup Series lead to 79 points over Jeff Burton.

"I can't tell you how many times he tried to give the race away by slamming into the wall, his right side was destroyed," Gordon said.

Carl Edwards finished second and was pleased with the outcome after initially loathing the new surface.

"Kyle had the best car. He was pretty unbeatable," Edwards said.

He was followed by Gordon, who was happy with the finish but frustrated he's still searching for his first win of the season.

"We know we have some work to do," Gordon said.

Earnhardt finished fourth, David Ragan was fifth and was followed by Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin - Busch's teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing. Travis Kvapil, Dave Blaney and Burton rounded out the top 10.

Almost every driver struggled in some sense, and the problems started early, with Elliott Sadler losing control of his car on the second lap of the race - squeezing Tony Stewart into the Turn 1 wall.

"I just made a huge mistake," Sadler said. "I just went in too low into Turn 1. I was actually trying to give Tony more room and I just got loose under him and spun into him. I know he's pretty mad at me, but nothing I did intentionally. I've never had any problems with him, and don't want to start it tonight."

The incident prevented Stewart, winner of Friday night's Nationwide Series race, from ever running with the leaders and he finished a frustrating 21st.

But Stewart's angst was nothing compared to what pole-sitter Greg Biffle felt after leading 95 laps, only to end his night early with a broken timing belt. The part failed after he'd already overcome two loose wheels, and the crew errors had Biffle seething after his early exit.

"I give 110 percent as a driver all the time and you just want your equipment to last and be able to win these races," said Biffle, a highly sought after free agent who has yet to reach a contract extension with Roush Fenway Racing.

"You can deal with a flat tire or something like that, but when it's self-induced, it makes it even harder. It makes it so hard to swallow."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2008-05-10 13:59:28

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mmfastrabbitdog 06:07:48 PM May 16 2008

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go beat them in the trucks 2 nite kyle. muggs

geotoyou 01:30:24 AM May 14 2008

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I love it, not only do we have a new "bad boy driver'' to bit-h about but all us Ford, Chevy, and Dodge lovers can get together and hate them "jap" made Toyotas!!!(CAN'T WAIT TILL THE NEXT RACE!!!)

whiteley9468 11:19:01 AM May 13 2008

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Everybody hated Kurt a few years ago and now they don't. He has matured and I don't think Jimmy "the bad rug" Spencer had anything to do with it.Same thing will happen with Kyle. In the meantime enjoy the fact there is a driver who is bringing a spark back to NA$CAR.

Sr was just as much of a punk as people like to say this kid is but for some reason it was OK for Sr to run over people. Or "just rattle their cage a little."

Folks, get over Toyota being here.That isn't going to change. I am sure NASCAR took them in to protect themselves when Ford,GM or Chrysler has to drop out due to the corporate losses they are taking.

Things change and not a lot we can do but accept it or change sports. No point watching a race then griping about who won or what kind of car they were in. Move on.

rssridge 10:52:30 AM May 13 2008

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Well Daddywags, Thats what I'm getting at. Americans invent the products and the rest fo the world takes them. Ford invented the frist gas powered car. Were was the first T.V. made here in America. By the way my T.V is a Zeinth which was made in America and then bought by a South Korea company. You know the side that the Americans fought on in the Korean War! Hey while were at it lets let Canada into the NFL and lets let Japan Bring their baseball teams to the MLB. Lets let the Russians play in the NHL. Lets just sell out to who ever pays us the money. Over one third of the country is hispanic now so much for the Mexican American War. Just look a Califorina's Motor speed way in Fontana. Fontana is 70% mexican. By the way in 1988 those mexicans that cross the boarder that work in the fields got drunk on a Sunday afternoon got into a car with do drivers license a drove through a stop sign killing my wife and five year old son. Can you even see what happens when you sell out! I hope the f

philo99 10:31:42 AM May 13 2008

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SSHHIITT

philo99 10:29:54 AM May 13 2008

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MY GOD BUSH'S FACE LOOKS LIKE A PILE OF STEPPED IN ***********. HE IS AS UGLY AS HIS HACK DRIVING ON THE TRACK. LOOK AT HIM CELIBRATE ANOTHER STAGED TOYOTA WIN. WHAT A JOKE. THANK GOD THAT LITTLE GAY JEFFY'S RUN IS OVER. WE NEED SOMONE TO CREATE REAL STOCK CAR RACING LIKE WHAT UFC IS DOING TO PRO BOXING. PEOPLE LIKE TO WATCH REAL SPORTS. NOT STAGED EVENTS.

daddywagsx2 01:36:56 AM May 13 2008

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hicadence

In ten years corporate America will be owned by the Far East!!!!

hicadence 01:26:41 AM May 13 2008

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In ten years is it going to be Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Kia and Hyundai??????
Are we going to have a majority of foreign born drivers, like IRL and CART????
Is corporate America going to eliminate all manufacturing and source it all from the Far East?????

daddywagsx2 12:25:49 AM May 13 2008

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rssridge
You say - Joe Gibbs racing are American traders. Joe Gibbs wants to make the American auto makers look bad. American made cars are second rate now. Japan is number #1. Home Depot, Fed Ex, MM's candy and Nape Auto parts are all American sell outs. Take your crap and sell it in Japan! Traders! I guess all the Americans that Died in World War II was for nothing. So my grandfather fought for nothing and watched his buddies die for Joe Gibbs and the rest of these American sell outs!
I ask you where is the TV made you watched the race on ? How about the microwave you popped popcorn on to watch the race, where was it made?

mchfoun 11:29:12 PM May 12 2008

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Have you heard? Nissan, has a car that is rumored to be pointed in Nascar's direction but just as Toyota, eased in the side door of the theatre, ************* of about 5 years so to is Nissan. Surprising at how the design looks very familiar. i've heard people say it resembles a....let's see...oh yea a COT by Nascar! Hmmm, and all the while this is suppose to be better for"the sport?" The manifolds are what needs to be pulled out of those Toyotas at Toyota Joe's shop and let everybody have a good look, once and for all. Why? Because Nascar's credibility is shot and they've now become Toyota's barmaid....

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