POCONO RUNNER-UP FINISH "GREAT STEP" FOR BUSCH & CREW
-Miller Lite Team Trims Deficit To 10th In Points By Almost 100 Points In
Single Race-
LONG POND, Pa. (June 11, 2006) - Kurt Busch and his Roy McCauley-led Miller
Lite Dodge team posted a strong runner-up performance in today's Pocono 500
here at Pocono Raceway and the timing couldn't have been better for such a
great run.
"That right there was just what the doctor ordered," said crew
chief McCauley as he walked down pit road immediately after the race, headed
to congratulate his driver. "We needed a race where everyone performed at
their best and that certainly was the case here today. Kurt was on the
wheel and in championship form, the guys had an absolutely incredible day in
the pits and our communication, strategy and execution were terrific all day
long."
By the time McCauley reached Busch, he was already doing his
first post-race media interview and singing praises for his group's "total
team effort."
"This was a great step here today," Busch said as McCauley gave
his driver a quick hug and looked on. "That rookie out there (race winner
Denny Hamlin) proved that his pole win here on Friday was no fluke. He had
the strongest car and I congratulate him for being able to get all he could
out of it. We had the great kind of day that our team is capable of and I'm
proud of Roy and the entire Miller Lite Dodge team.
"The 11 car had the advantage through the turns, but we had the
great Penske power down the straightaways that kept us in the running,"
Busch continued. "There was no better over-the-wall performance out there
today than what my guys put together. They were second to none. They had
me in and out at the front all day long. That last stop - they said it was
something like a 12.3 (-second stop) - that was pretty spectacular. That
helped us get back up to second when the green flag stops cycled back
around.
"Our goal is to keep on logging those top-fives and top-10s for
the next 13 races and make our way back up there into the top 10 in the
points," said Busch. "What we accomplished here today is a great start to
launch us in that direction."
Busch started his Miller Lite Dodge on the outside of
pole-winner Hamlin here today. Hamlin showed strength early, leading all
but one of the first 50 laps before tire problems sent him into a spin and
to pit road for sheet metal repairs. Busch inherited the lead on Lap 51 and
went on to lead on seven occasions during the race for a total of 31 laps.
Hamlin fought back to regain the lead on Lap 103 and withstood
several challenges from the likes of Busch, Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton to
claim his initial NEXTEL Cup victory. The race featured a five-lap dash to
the finish after a horrifying crash by Jeff Gordon brought out the red flag
late in the race. Luckily, Gordon walked away from the accident uninjured.
At the finish, it was Hamlin taking the win, with Busch second,
Tony Stewart third, Brian Vickers fourth and Matt Kenseth fifth. Biffle,
Kasey Kahne, Scott Riggs, Burton and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top 10
finishers.
Busch entered today's race in the 18th spot in the NEXTEL Cup
point standings with 1,307 points. He trailed 10th-place Kyle Busch, his
brother, by 265 points. With his runner-up finish this afternoon, KB now is
up to 17th with 1,482 points. He is 167 points out of 10th, the spot still
held by his brother.
Johnson continues to hold down the points lead by 48 points over
Kenseth (2,145 to 2,097) after 14 races are now in the 2006 record book.
Mark Martin is third, Stewart fourth and Kahne fifth.
Busch is confident that his team can use the momentum gained
here today and continue to move forward toward their goal of making the cut
for this year's "Chase for the Championship."
"We had a good weekend," KB told the gathering in the Pocono
infield media center. "I really enjoy racing at Pocono. We had solid
practices, and I was bummed we didn't quite get the pole, but now I feel
better about it. Denny definitely had the car that was capable of sitting on
the pole and winning the race, and we were second best to him. That's more
of a win for our group because of our recent struggles up and down. I
finished 16th last week. We struggled at Charlotte with that real hard tire.
This was a nice, solid car. It turned when I needed it to. It stuck with the
rear end when I needed it to. We changed a couple of things in it, and we'll
just take that to Michigan and see how we do. These are two good tracks to
try to get ourselves back on track. I really enjoy running at Sonoma. I
finished third there last year. The 400 at Daytona is any man's race and we
feel like we've got solid restrictor plate cars. We've got a good stretch of
tracks coming up, and I really hope we're able to put some impact in as far
as our finish to gain some points."
The NEXTEL Cup circuit now moves on to the 2.0-mile Michigan
International Speedway for next weekend's 3M Performance 400. Next Sunday's
400-mile, 200-lap race features live coverage by FOX-TV and MRN Radio and
has a 1:40 p.m. EDT starting time.
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