MILLER LITE TEAM FINISHES 16TH AT LAS VEGAS; KURT BUSCH UP THREE SPOTS IN NASCAR NEXTEL CUP POINT STANDINGS

LAS VEGAS (March 12, 2006) – After starting sixth in today’s UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it didn’t take long for Kurt Busch and his Roy McCauley-led Miller Lite Dodge team to deduce that they hadn’t hit on the optimum race setup that they were looking for.  However, Busch and crew were able to withstand the continuous handling problems and a late-race pit road infraction to finish 16th and advance three positions in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.

            “It was very frustrating, I’ll admit, to have struggled out there like we did today,” Busch said, shortly after climbing from his Dodge in the garage area after the race.  “This wasn’t anything like we’d hoped for, that’s for sure.  We just missed the handle on it again. It was just way too loose off the corners.”

            Busch was able to run among the top 10 competitors until the first caution flag flew on Lap 40 for Reed Sorenson’s brush with the wall.  Fighting ill handling conditions that saw his car tight in the center of the turns and loose off, the crew immediately started trying to remedy the situation with wedge and air pressure adjustments.

            Busch ran in the 11th spot until Penske Racing teammate Ryan Newman had a tire go down on Lap 89, sending his No. 12 Dodge into the outside wall.  Additional adjustments during the ensuing yellow flag pit stop produced only temporary improvement.

            McCauley called for a two-tire stop under the third yellow of the race, which came out on Lap 105 for a Michael Waltrip spin.  That action advanced Busch all the way back up to fourth for the restart.  Fresher tires on the competitors behind him and a long stint of green-flag racing led to the handling woes relegating the No. 2 car all the way back to 20th when the fourth caution flag finally flew on Lap 156.

            “Man, this thing is just so tight in and super loose off that I can’t drive it,” Busch radioed in as the crew prepared to pit their driver.  “We really missed it (on the setup) here again today.  It’s the springs…especially the right front.”

            “Just hang in there, Kurt,” McCauley radioed back.  “We’ll keep on working on it.  You just keep on doing the great job you’re doing.  We’ll do what we can and make the best of it.”

            Great pit work by the “two crew” and savvy driving by Busch kept the team in the top 15 until the sixth yellow flag of the day flew on Lap 233 for debris in Turn 2.

            A four-tire stop under the yellow on Lap 234 saw the team service Busch in 12.265 seconds, which had him in 14th spot back on the track.  However, NASCAR officials penalized Busch for speeding as he exited pit road and he was relegated to the 31st spot for the Lap 238 restart.

            A determined Busch was back up to 21st when the final caution period of the day came out on Lap 264 and created a green-white-checkered finish.  McCauley called his driver back down pit road for four fresh tires and Busch was 25th in the running order for the single-file restart.

            Busch drove his heart out the final two circuits, passing nine cars in the process to come home with a 16th-place finish.

            Up front, the final caution period doomed a dominant Matt Kenseth as Jimmie Johnson was able to catch and pass Kenseth on the final lap to take his second consecutive win here at LVMS.  Kyle Busch was third, with Kasey Kahne fourth and Jeff Gordon fifth.  Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Greg Biffle, Casey Mears and Denny Hamlin rounded out today’s top 10 finishers.

            After three races have been completed, Johnson leads the NEXTEL Cup points by 52 over Kenseth (540 to 488).  Kahne is third with 455, Mears fourth with 454 and Martin fifth with 430.  Busch advanced three spots up to 22nd and has 289 points.

            “We got tagged with that speeding penalty late in the race and went from 14th to 31st,” Busch explained after the race.  “We must have passed 30 cars out there in the last 25 laps. We learned from California and we’ll learn from today. We’re testing at Kentucky before we head to Atlanta, so we’ll just keep getting after it. I’m really proud of my little brother today. He had a strong finish, and I’m sure he’s pumped up about it.”

The NEXTEL Cup tour now heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for next weekend’s Golden Corral 500.  Qualifying for the race is scheduled next Friday night at 7:10 p.m.  Sunday’s 500-mile race has a 1:30 p.m. EDT starting time and features live coverage by FOX-TV and PRN Radio.

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