Kyle Busch puts in solid effort on night shift at Lowe's Motor Speedway
By Jared Turner - SceneDaily Staff Writer
Sunday, October 12, 2008
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CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Busch finally put a stop to his Chase For The Sprint Cup blues Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, notching his first top-10 in five playoff races with a fourth-place finish in the Bank of America 500.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver probably could have finished even better without a penalty for speeding entering pit road with 77 laps to go. The mishap required Busch to make a pass-through stop under green that likely cost him a shot at his ninth win of the season as he fell from fifth to 16th, one lap down.
Even though Busch was able get back on the lead lap and rally to fourth after restarting 10th with 33 laps to go, he wasn’t totally pleased with the outcome when pondering what might have been.
“We still had bad luck tonight,” the driver of the No. 18 Toyota said. “I made a mistake and sped on pit road there on the second-to-last stop, and you can’t have that at the end of the race. It was unfortunate there - it was my fault this time. We can’t ever get one straight without it being a problem.”
Before the miscue, Busch had shown enough strength to possibly contend for the win. He moved up quickly from his 12th-place starting position and went on to lead twice for a total of 14 laps.
“It was a hard-fought fourth,” he said. “It was the best the car was there at the end of the race, the last couple runs. We were fortunate enough to bring this car home up front with a good fourth-place finish.”
The result gained Busch two positions in the series standings heading into next weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway. He is now ninth, 326 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson with five races to go.
“I feel [finishing fourth] was pretty respectable considering what happened there at the end of the race. Speeding on pit road - when you get through one of these races without a mistake and tonight it was mine,” said Busch, whose miserable start to the Chase dropped him all the way to 12th in the standings after beginning the playoffs in first. We had a shot for the win tonight - we could contend with those guys up front and race with them.
“Our car was fast there at the end of the race. It was pretty sporty and I have to thank everyone at Toyota and all the guys on the crew. They stuck with me.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Kyle Busch
Comments
4 responses to "Kyle Busch puts in solid effort on night shift at Lowe's Motor Speedway"
Belle Blevins said:
Oct 12, 2008 at 1:32 PMYeah!!for Kasey Kane coming in 2nd.He did a great job getting through two of the bad melee's.He could have wound up a mass of metal, like some of those other good drivers.Great run for Kyle , I'm very happy for him. He did a great job, without anyone getting any damages!!! He want win the chase, but hoping he does well the rest of this season.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportPhil Siders said:
Oct 13, 2008 at 12:04 AMWell, I must say that I eat my own words when I say that this kid is all hype and full of himself. I know he's somewhat arrogant but if one puts himself in his shoes, I guess one could get that way. After all, all these guys want to do is put their hearts out there where they are living their dream and race. Then they are forced into the limelight, scrutinized with a magnifying glass and made a spokesperson for a multi million dollar corporation. These are pressures unheard of in the common mans life. I know the argument is that they know what to expect going in but still, every single move they do, every thing they say, and every emotion is picked apart by the press, you, and me. Still, he has a lot of heart, drive, and pride in his own ability. He is truly a racer. Not taking anything from any of the others he competes with week after week. Constantly on the road, and the great part is, they're doing what they love. I wish I were so fortunate, but I wouldn't want it to come with all that baggage they contend with, money or no money. So I salute you guys, all of you. Although I'm a Tony fan, I am a racecar driver fan first. I thank you all for giving me the emotions, entertainment, and the stories to remember year after year. From Cale, to Ernie, to Bobby L., to Tony. These were the ones I favored and I they have (along with their constituents) given me a lifetime of memories with more to come. Thanks
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» Confirm Abuse Reportdel brown said:
Oct 13, 2008 at 9:03 AMWell said Phil. A lot of fans call Kyle Busch a punk. I gave to respectfully disagree. Punks just talk the talk but Kyle also walks the walk. The guy does have a lot of ability - I like and respect that. Of course that ability means the fans of other drivers don't like it when he beats them. Then there's the make of car he drives. A lot of fans don't like for that lone reason as they perceive Toyota being responsible for the decline in Big Three auto sales. A bit of digression - Toyota sales are also down and by almost exactly the same amount as every other auto maker in the world. Then there's this - like him or hate him he surely has made this an interesting NASCAR season - more than any other driver.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportbeth emerson said:
Oct 15, 2008 at 2:55 PMExcuse me Del.I cant stand Kyle because he is an idiot talks like an a-- and does not care about anyone but himself. I do think he has alot of talent but has nothing else going for him. He is the biggest cry baby in the sport. I thank god everyday he wont win the championship. At least most of the other drivers respect each other very few respect Kyle. I almost feel sorry for him. Not
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