AFTER LENGTHY SCORING REVIEW, KURT BUSCH FINISHES 12TH AT INDY
-Starting From Rear Of Field, Miller Lite Dodge Driver Almost Pulls Out A Top-10 Finish-

INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 6, 2006) – After starting from the rear of the field in today’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch almost pulled off an incredible accomplishment…recording his ninth top-10 finish of the season and seventh top-10 in the last eight races.  As a matter of fact, he left Indianapolis Motor Speedway thinking he had done just that.

            Last-lap incidents involving the cars of Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Tony Raines Greg Biffle, Robby Gordon and Carl Edwards, created a scoring controversy which was debated for more than two hours after the race before a final finishing order was released by NASCAR officials.

            KB was listed as finishing 10th in the original finish scored at the conclusion of the race.  But up further review, officials moved Hamlin and Raines in front of the No. 2 car, dropping the Miller Lite Dodge team back to a 12th-place finish.

            “We were listed as 10th at the end, but man we had to struggle today,” KB said back in the garage immediately after the race was over.  “The backup car gave us some signs of hope, but it was real tight at times and loose at others. We just couldn’t quite nail it down. Jimmie (race-winner and points-leader Jimmie Johnson) has been great every year. He’s a solid guy.”

            KB’s Saturday practice crash moved him to a backup Miller Lite Dodge and, although he qualified third for today’s race, he was forced to the rear for the start and took the green flag running in the 41st position.  He took off and made steady progress up to the 19th spot after NASCAR’s “competition yellow” to check tire wear on Lap 15.  However, experiencing a vibration and suspecting loose lugnuts after that pit stop, KB was contemplating stopping under the green before Boris Said and Reed Sorenson crashed on Lap 20 to bring out the third caution period of the race.

            Crew Chief Roy McCauley called his driver back down pit road under the ensuing yellow and KB was relegated to 38th for the Lap 24 restart.  The crew then continuously fought a tight handling condition for the remainder of the race.  Air pressure adjustments, wedge changes and track bar alterations provided only temporary benefits.

            The total complexion of the race changed on Lap 141, when the eight yellow flag of the race flew…this for debris on the track.  The race for the lead up to that point had been a battle between the cars of Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards.  With almost 20 laps remaining, the strategy was divided between hitting pit road for fresh tires and staying out for the valuable track position.

            Drivers who had never been a factor all day long, including Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Newman and Joe Nemechek suddenly found themselves occupying the top four spot on the Lap 146 restart.  KB was among the group who pitted for tires and was 24th when the field was brought back to green flag conditions.

            KB had cleared teammate Newman on the next-to-last lap before pandemonium broke out during the final circuit around this 2.5-mile mammoth facility.  Racing to the finish on the final lap, Biffle and Robby Gordon wrecked in Turn 2, but no caution was displayed.  As the race leaders moved into Turn 3, Kahne and Tony Stewart were racing hard for position and Kahne hit the wall, while a piece of his car also struck Hamlin's.

            This time, caution was displayed, freezing the field and handing the victory to Johnson.

            “We were fast at times today, especially early on but when the track got rubbered in our car got tight and we had to hang on,” KB said.  “It was a good finish, but we really need to crack the top five if we want to make this Chase easier on ourselves. Tenth is good and we’ll take it, especially with a backup car, but on pit road is where we made up most of our spots. We’ve just got to make the car a little better. A top-10 was all we had in mind today. About halfway we were pleased with the progress we had made. We even had to go back to the back again after a left front was loose. We had a hard-fought day. Indy challenges you in so many ways. It’s good to have The Captain (car owner Roger Penske) on my side.  We got the most points out of today possible, more than we deserved actually.”

            The final finishing order showed Johnson as the winner, with Kenseth second, Harvick third, Clint Bowyer fourth and Mark Martin fifth.  Earnhardt, Kyle Busch, Stewart Edwards and Denny Hamlin were scored as the drivers rounding out today’s top10.  Raines, KB, Newman, Ken Schrader and Burton completed the top-15 finishers.

            With several other drivers involved in the heated battle for the final spot in the Chase for 2006 finishing in front of KB, he actually lost a little ground in his deficit to 10th in the NEXTEL Cup points.  He entered the race 13th in the standings and trailing 10th-place Tony Stewart by 166 points.  With five races remaining to determine the Chase competitors, he now trails 10th-place Earnhardt by 174 points.

            The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup tour now heads to Watkins Glen International for next weekend’s final road course event of the year.  KB will also be participating in Saturday’s Zippo 200 NBS race, hoping to get more track time in preparation for Sunday’s Cup battle.

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