PA SportsTicker Auto Racing Editor
Kurt Busch can look at little brother Kyle’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson for some solace after Sunday’s disappointing finish at New Hampshire International Speedway.
The elder Busch brother plummeted seven places in the standings – from fifth to 12th – after engine problems that began on lap 120 relegated him to 25th in the first race of the “Chase for the Championship.”
The 2004 Nextel Cup Series champion, Kurt Busch entered Loudon 40 points behind Johnson but now sits 102 back, falling to the bottom seed in the Chase.
But he needs to look no farther than Johnson’s 39th-place finish a year ago on the “Magic Mile” in September as reason for optimism. Johnson proved that a poor start to the Chase need not be devastating, as he rebounded to win the title rather handily.
“We survived – it could have been a lot worse,” Busch said. “It’s a bummer what happened (Sunday), but 25th isn’t bad. We had something break in the carburetor that wouldn’t let us get to full throttle.”
Busch’s troubles at New Hampshire snapped a strong stretch leading up to the Chase where finished outside the top 10 just twice – a pair of 11th-places at the Brickyard and Watkins Glen – over the previous nine races.
“It’s kind of a bummer, but we worked hard to get in this Chase and we’ll still work hard,” he said. “This one is a big lump, but it didn’t hurt us so we’ll see what happens.”
On the other hand, Kyle Busch got his Chase off to a solid start by finishing fourth in New Hampshire. That jumped him four spots to fifth place, where he sits just 35 points behind teammates Johnson and Jeff Gordon – who share the lead.
Johnson holds the tiebreaker edge over Gordon by virtue of his six race wins this season.
“It was a good day,” Kyle Busch said. “This bunch of guys did an awesome job for me and gave me an awesome race car to keep up front with these guys.
“We got back a little bit there in the beginning part of the race, which just wasn’t the best thing, but we kept getting better and better and making more and more adjustments to where we could get up front.”
Only race-winner Clint Bowyer, who improved from 12th to fourth, made a bigger upwards move in the standings than the younger Busch.
That’s hardly the look of a supposed lame-duck driver who is leaving Hendrick to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing’s Toyotas, beginning in the 2008 Sprint Cup season.
“To come out of here with a fourth-place effort definitely means a lot to these guys and this team and myself,” Busch said. “Hopefully we’ll go to Dover next week and have another good run, and go on to Kansas and then to Talladega and see what it brings us.”
Perhaps a nice parting gift – another Nextel Cup title for Rick Hendrick.
