KURT BUSCH STARTING 10TH IN LENOX TOOLS 300 AT NEW HAMPSHIRE
-After Fourth-Fastest Lap In Practice, Miller Lite Dodge Driver “Just Tried Too Hard” In His Run-

LOUDON, N.H. (July 14, 2006) – After turning in the fourth-fastest lap in practice here today at New Hampshire International Speedway, Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch had his eyes focused on winning the pole for Sunday’s LENOX Industrial Tools 300.

            “I guess it’s a case of just where I maybe tried too hard,” KB said of his effort that produced a lap of 29.596 seconds (128.693 mph) and earned him the 10th starting position for Sunday’s battle here on this 1.058-mile flat race track.  “We’d turned in a (29.) 37 in our fast practice lap and I was trying to get all I could out of it in qualifying.  I figured that going out as early as we were in the order (14th of 47 drivers), it’d be a situation where the guys running later on would have an advantage, so I hoped to get all I could while I was out there.

            “To tell the truth, I probably drover her in a little too hard,” said KB.  “I went past my deceleration point I had been using in practice.  This is a track where you can get off the gas earlier and back on the gas sooner and that’s probably where I messed up.  Hopefully, we’ll still get a decent starting spot out of it.  I was just really going for it, wanting to start up front.”

            It will still be a Penske Racing South car starting from the point here on Sunday as KB’s teammate, Ryan Newman, took the pole here this afternoon.  Newman clocked in with a lap of 29.370 seconds (129.683 mph) to claim his 37th career pole and the second for his ALLTEL Dodge Team during the 2006 season.  He edged Jeff Burton, who was fastest in practice but had to go our second in the qualifying order.  Burton turned in a lap of 29.377 seconds (129.651 mph) to claim the outside-front-row starting spot.

            Brian Vickers starts third, with Kyle Busch fourth and Tony Stewart fifth.  Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr., Reed Sorenson and KB rounded out today’s top 10 qualifiers.  Starting spots 11 through 15, in order, went to Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick and Tony Raines.

Saturday’s schedule here at N.H.I.S.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 beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT.

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