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Motorsports

Busch loses three-peat bid to Stewart

Associated Press
Published July 18, 2005

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LOUDON, N.H. - Kurt Busch was trying to become the first driver to win three consecutive races at New Hampshire International Speedway, but Tony Stewart relegated him to second Sunday in the New England 300.

Still, Busch enjoyed his late-race battle with Stewart.

"If we ran up front for most of the race, the two of us probably would have wore each other out for quite some time, and who knows what would have happened," Busch said.

It was a great day for him, however. The reigning Nextel Cup champion moved from 10th to fifth in the standings. In September, in the first event of the 10-race Chase for the Championship, Busch moved from seventh to second in the points by winning here.

"I like to make the car versatile here," Busch said of his formula for success on the Magic Mile. "You have to have a car that can maneuver underneath in the center of the corners, and it's fun to race like that."

Busch realizes Stewart, who had bad luck early in last year's NASCAR playoffs, probably will be a major factor at the end.

"They've run into something as of late," he said after Stewart's third victory in four races. "He's on a roll, and it's hard to beat a guy when he's in that zone."

THE OTHER BUSCH: Rookie Kyle Busch was hoping to get the first victory of his Nextel Cup career, but had to settle for a fourth-place finish.

He nearly passed Stewart at one point, but wasn't up to the task.

But it wasn't the give and take with the race winner that Busch will remember. It was the beating and banging with Greg Biffle .

"He knocked me up the racetrack a little bit," Busch said. "Coming down the straightaway, I'm not normally a dirty driver, but I decided to be that time.

"I don't think Biffle raced me as clean as I want to be raced. I hit him in the door going back down the front straight."

But Busch said he won't hold a grudge against Biffle.

"He's going for a championship, and I don't want to screw him up," Busch said.

ANGRY McMURRAY: Jamie McMurray had some angry words for Matt Kenseth , claiming the former Cup champion spun him into the wall between the third and fourth turns on the 27th lap.

"Where he wrecked me was pretty deliberate," McMurray said. "Matt must have been mad about something earlier in the year."

McMurray said his Dodge was considerably faster and that Kenseth should have conceded the position. McMurray said he was nearly clear of Kenseth and on the inside when contact was made.

The carbon-fiber seat and huge headrest developed by Hendrick Motorsports drew praise from McMurray, who said the hard hit hurt but that he was not injured.

FLASHLESS GORDON: After running in the top five for much of the race, four-time series champion Jeff Gordon lost his brakes in the closing laps and wound up 25th.

It was his ninth finish of 25th or worse in 19 races.

Gordon is 15th in points and his chances of joining the Chase for the Championship are practically nil.

[Last modified July 18, 2005, 01:38:10]

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