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BRANT JAMESKurt Busch does just enough to win the closest points race in NASCAR history. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon threaten the leader right down to the checkered flag.
HOMESTEAD - It looked as if it was going to be too much for Kurt Busch to bear. He struggled under its weight. He nearly dropped it.
The Nextel Cup trophy was very much an allegory for Busch's chase for a first NASCAR driver championship. A 96-point lead on Oct. 25 had withered under blistering last-ditch pressure from Jimmie Johnson and his Hendrick Motorsports mentor and teammate, four-time champion Jeff Gordon.
"I had the whole world on my shoulders today," said Busch, who earned $5.2-million for winning the championship.
He held it high. Standing atop his No.97 Ford at the finish line of Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Busch pushed with wobbling arms and smiled through a spent expression, hoisting the Nextel Cup trophy after persevering in the closest points finish in the history of NASCAR's premier series.
By finishing fifth in the Ford 400, Busch stayed close enough to runnerup Johnson and third-place Gordon to hold on to a slim points lead that expanded, shrank and at one point evaporated during a tumultuous season finale. Busch beat Johnson by eight points and Gordon by 16.
"Over this 10-race stretch he didn't buckle," Johnson said. "Those guys were strong."
Gordon or Johnson could have overtaken Busch for the title had either won the race, but neither could get past winner Greg Biffle after a manic green-white-checker finish.
That Busch was even in a position to defend his points lead was a testament to the tenacity of his team and the mettle of crew chief Jimmy Fennig, who finished second in points three times with Mark Martin.
On Lap 91 of 271, the center hub of Busch's right front tire failed, sending it rolling down the frontstretch as Busch hurriedly returned to his pit stall. Busch barely missed a large barrier at the end of pit road but he hit the interior retaining wall, causing minor body damage. Busch went from the top five to 28th, a psychological blow considering he started on the pole.
"Kurt has done an awesome job these last 10 races of keeping his cool," Fennig said. "It's a big team effort. One guy makes a mistake, we go help that guy. We all stand behind. Nobody points fingers."
Well, sometimes. After his next pit stop went laboriously because of a communication problem, Busch began to vent on Fennig, whose no-nonsense Wisconsin personality has served to temper Busch's occasional volatility.
Busch was still so keyed up on the stop he vented his frustration on front tire changer Scott Ward.
"Not knowing the center of the wheel came out, I pointed at (Ward) during that pit stop," Busch said. "He was like, "What are you talking about? Do you need something?' I'm like, "No.' This is a moment in my life and a moment in your life we're not agreeing on."
Busch began to methodically pick through the field over the next 70 laps, slowing regaining his points lead with each position he gained on Johnson and Gordon.
"I knew if I could find (Gordon) and (Johnson) that we could have an opportunity to race those guys for the championship," Busch said. "Things at the end of the race came into play for us in a positive way."
The race for the title moved toward its end game with 24 laps left, when Busch snuggled close enough behind the fast-advancing Gordon and Johnson to avoid their amassing enough points to take his lead. With six laps remaining, Busch knew he was in good shape if he held on to his seventh place. He got a clean restart on the green-white-checker finish after the final caution and held on to finish fifth in the race.
Busch was booed roundly in prerace introductions but received, at worst, polite applause when he finished his victory lap. Maybe it was the first glimpse of unfiltered joy many had seen from the scripted 26-year-old. A sunburned man in a Dale Earnhardt Jr. hard hat punctuated fist bumps with a passerby by saying, "Kurt!"
Progress, at the very least. So now it's up to Busch to build on it. As a young, new champion, Busch faces the same test of maturity as when he won races and lost friends in his second full Cup season in 2002.
But there's still plenty of the demanding perfectionist rattling around inside Busch. Noticing that two yellow slivers from a confetti cannon had settled on the pedestal holding the trophy on the awards stage, he swooped his hand across and brushed them away.
This moment had to be perfect.
"It took some time for me to understand the bigger picture and know there was no real level higher than this," he said, "and there never will be in my life."