BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 20, 2006) -- Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch had a strong car in the early going of today’s GFS Marketplace 400 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race here at Michigan International Speedway, but after contact with the wall for the third time of the day, he was relegated to the garage after completing 129 laps.
“It’s evident that we have a lot of work to do and a lot of catching up in order to compete on these one-and-a-half and two-mile banked oval tracks,” Busch said after cooling off in his team transporter. “I’m really confused right now, to tell you the truth. How we can have such strong cars at the beginning of the race and see them go away like that is pretty baffling.”
Busch started today’s race in the 16th spot, but made steady progress toward the front. He was credited with leading Lap 57, as he battled three abreast with Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards.
Addressing an early handling condition of extreme tightness in the middle of the turns and “super loose” conditions exiting the turns, Busch’s Roy McCauley-led Penske South team attempted to make their car better through track bar and air pressure adjustments. The end result saw Busch having to manhandle his Dodge on fresh tires lap after lap and wait for the car’s optimum strength to kick in during the final 10 laps of a run.
“It was just plain out of control on new tires and it was all I could do to keep it going,” KB explained. “I had already hit the wall twice before the third time knocked us out for good. We made changes and then tried to get back to where we started. We’d hope that the track was going to tighten up as the race progressed and that we could stay on top of that and have a great car for the end of the race. That was just not to be here today.
After bringing out the eighth yellow of the race on Lap 129, KB drove his battered Miller Lite Dodge to the garage area and parked it for the day. “That last impact just damaged the car too bad to get it back out there,” car chief Corey Tucker explained. “It’s one thing when you’ve maybe messed up the front suspension. You can fix that. But this time, even the motor mounts were bent and there was such substantial damage that it couldn’t be repaired right there in the garage.”
Busch was credited with a 40th-place finishing position and fell to 14th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup point standings.
Up front, it was Matt Kenseth holding off a hard-charging Jeff Gordon to claim his third win of the 2006 season. Tony Stewart finished third, with Kasey Kahne fourth, Mark Martin fifth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. sixth, Greg Biffle seventh, Reed Sorenson eighth, Denny Hamlin ninth and Elliott Sadler 10th.
“I was just trying to drive too hard I guess,” KB continued to explain. “We had a car that was close enough. We actually led one lap. Then on that same set of tires we went to wrecking loose.
“Next week is Bristol, and it’s a good track for us, but we’re running out of time.” KB said. “It helps a little that we’re going to Bristol, though. This year has been a long run trying to get in The Chase. We’ve been in it the past two years, but we’re not disappointed in how we’ve run lately. I’m confused a little. Like I said we’ve been struggling on the mile-and-a-half and two-mile tracks. We’ll bounce back next week and try to win another one at Bristol. I had a fender rub after I brushed the wall, and that’s what cut the tire today. We just got off on the setup and couldn’t quite get it back underneath us.”
The NEXTEL Cup tour returns to Bristol next weekend for the Sharpie 500. KB might be considered the “new King of Bristol” after posting his fifth career win there last March.
“It’s my favorite track and I’m quick to tell people that,” KB offered. “The way that we have to look at it is that there are 13 races remaining this year and we can win several before the season is over. Bristol offers us a great opportunity to put the Miller Lite Dodge back in Victory Lane.
Saturday night’s Sharpie 500 has a scheduled 7:30 p.m. EDT starting time and features live coverage by TNT-TV and PRN Radio.
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