KURT BUSCH FINISHES EIGHTH IN USG SHEETROCK 400 AT CHICAGO
-Fifth Straight Top-10 Finish Shows Miller Lite Team Consistent Enough To Challenge For Chase-

JOLIET, Ill. (July 9, 2006) – Although Kurt Busch’s eighth-place finish in today’s USG Sheetrock 400 here at Chicagoland Speedway didn’t give the Miller Lite Dodge Team a boost toward their goal of getting into the top-10 in the point standings, it certainly proved that the Roy McCauley-led group certainly have the consistency necessary to be a Chase contender.

            “It gets frustrating to be out there chasing the car most of the race, trying to get the handling right, but we’re showing that we’re learning,” said Busch, whose eighth-place showing here today was his fifth consecutive top-10 finish.  “We’ve struggled on the intermediate tracks, but we finished ninth at Michigan and eighth here, so we must be getting better at it.

            “We fought it being loose, then way too tight and all the changes we made didn’t make that much difference as for trying to drive the car,” said Busch, who has a 5.4 average finish over the last five races.  “We finally went back to the same air pressures we started the race with, put a half rubber in the right-rear spring and made a minor track bar adjustment.  That was the best the car was all day long.  We stayed out and went for the track position during the last couple of cautions because we were pretty sure we could make it on fuel.  Like I said, it’s frustrating to have to race like that, but I guess we got all we could out of it here today.”

            “We’re getting stronger as a team and I think that really showed in today’s race,” McCauley offered.  “That’s five straight top-10s and I’m proud of that consistency.  I wouldn’t trade Kurt for anybody driving that car.  He showed so much poise out there today and I told him that after the race.  He hung in there with us and just kept after it all race long.  We just have to keep on doing what we’re doing and we’ll get there.

            “We go on to Loudon next week and Kurt is a two-time winner there,” said McCauley.  “Then we head back to Pocono, where we finished second back in June.  We have some good tracks coming up – places where we can continue to make up ground as far as the big picture goes.”

            McCauley’s “big picture” refers to the team’s goal to make it back up into the top 10 in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings and gain eligibility into this year’s “Chase for the Championship.”

            With drivers such as Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch finishing in front of the No. 2 team here today, the deficit to 10th actually grew.  Coming into the race, Kurt trailed 10th-place Denny Hamlin by 103 points.  After 18 races have now been completed during the 2006 season, he now trails 10th-place Gordon by 132 points.

            Gordon came home the winner here today in a race that saved the fireworks for the end.  Matt Kenseth appeared to have the car to beat for the vast majority of the race, but Gordon chased him down in the waning laps.  With only three laps remaining in the race, Gordon made contact from the rear and sent Kenseth into a spin to set up a green-white-checkered finish.

            Gordon held off pole-winner Jeff Burton to take the win, his second in the last three races.  Kyle Busch finished third with Kevin Harvick fourth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fifth.  Jimmie Johnson, Reed Sorenson, KB, Clint Bowyer and J.J. Yeley rounded out today’s top-10 finishers.

            Johnson is the current points leader with 2,651 and he leads Kenseth, who blew a tire and crashed at the end of today’s race, by 51 points.  Gordon holds down the 10th spot with 2,219 points, Greg Biffle is 11th with 2,172, Hamlin 12th with 2,169 and KB 13th with 2,087.

            The NEXTEL Cup tour now heads to New Hampshire International Speedway for next Sunday’s running of the LENOX Industrial Tools 300.This weekend’s schedule at the Loudon, N.H., track calls for Cup practice on Friday from 11:35 p.m. till 1:05 p.m.  Cup qualifying is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Saturday’s schedule calls for Cup practice sessions from 8:40 a.m. till 9:40 a.m. and from 10:05 a.m. till 10:50 a.m.  Sunday’s LENOX Industrial Tools 300 (300 laps, 317.4 miles) has a 2:10 p.m. EDT starting time.  TNT-TV and MRN Radio will provide live coverage.

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