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Finesse over fire: competitiveness still burns in Kurt Busch, but his keen sense of racing tough and a newfound maturity have put him ahead of the Chase

Sporting News, The, Oct 25, 2004 by Matt Crossman

It's Lap 152 at Kansas Speedway, and Kurt Busch's car is loose, fishtailing in the corners. He's trying to keep control and maintain track position amid the pressure of the fourth race of the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup. He loses control and spins out. The tires scream in protest, billowing hot, white breath. But Busch, eves closed as he clings to the wheel, gets lucky and doesn't hit the wall or any cars.

The spin and others like it at Michigan, California and last week at Charlotte--on the first lap!--reveal a problem Busch has faced throughout his career: impatience. What has changed for Busch, and why he's leading the points race, is what happens after he gets in a mess. In other seasons, he would have overdriven the car, trying to make up for the mistake. He's smarter now. Busch kept his cool and recovered at Kansas to finish sixth, and at Charlotte he picked his way through the field and finished fourth.

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With five races left, Busch is the surprise leader. Before this year, he had shown neither the consistency nor the patience necessary to contend over a long season. But maturity behind the wheel, strong engines and a precise feel for what his car is doing have Busch within reach of his first championship.

Growing up

"He has learned from his own mistakes; he has learned from the success his peers have had," says Jack Roush, owner of Busch's No. 97 Ford. Roush adds that even though Busch had a "great effort" last season in terms of wins, with four, he sometimes failed to make the best of bad outings. This year, Roush says, Busch has incorporated more of the strategies used by Roush driver Matt Kenseth, the 2003 champion, and Kenseth's crew chiet; Robbie Reiser.

"(It's) winning when you can, not trying to win at any cost," Roush says.

Proof of Busch's new approach can be found in how much better he's finishing when his car is off. The car he had at Kansas wasn't good enough to be a sixth-place car for the majority of the race, but that's where it ended up. "Our team rebounded the proper way," Busch says. "My crew chief said, 'Come in here, kid. I'm going to fix your car, and then you can do drive it.'"

Generally, Busch, 26, has had the best cars of his career, in its fourth full year. Roush Racing and Robert Yates Racing joined forces to build engines this season, and the results have been excellent. Busch, Kenseth and teammate Mark Martin, plus Yates' Elliott Sadler, qualified for the Chase using the new engines.

Busch says the new engines allow his team to be more aggressive and more consistent. Last season, he left five races because of engine problems and three because of accidents. This year, he has left just two, one because of an accident and one because of a transmission failure. Add better driver to the better engines, and Busch is having his best season.

"I think maybe he was guilty of trying a little bit too hard at times" says Ricky Rudd, driver of the No. 21 Ford. "I think he's learned that fine balance--when it's time to run and when it's not. He's gained the respect of his competitors. He thinks ahead now."

Busch has been doing just that most of the season, saving his tests so he would be ready for the final 10 races. As the Chase has worn on, the one-mulligan theory has emerged: Every team can afford to blow one race and still have a shot at the title. If a team doesn't need a mulligan, it probably will win the championship. Busch hasn't needed a mulligan yet--he saved pars, so to speak, at Kansas and Charlotte. He also tested 15 out of 16 days in one stretch, trying to learn everything he could to avoid any pitfalls.

He tested extensively at Martinsville, the sixth track in the Chase and site of Sunday's race. Busch gained a good feel for the track, which was repaved after the spring race.

"The surface is so different, we think we benefited quite heavily from that test, where other teams are going to be all over the map with the limited track time they get," Busch says.

NASCAR's best short-track racer, Busch delights in whipping his car around like a tennis ball in a washing machine. Martmsville is the only short track in the Chase, so Busch must excel there.

"The length of the racetrack is so small, you have to find finer details of the racetrack to focus on," he says. "You have to be that much more precise with your inputs on steering and throttle. The communication level between the crew chief and driver picks up at those races, as well."

Touchy-feely

Busch has changed the way he races, but he hasn't changed the way he works inside the car. He still has a terrific ability to feel what the car is doing, where it's strong and weak and what it needs to be better.

"He's just a wheel man," says Benny Parsons, a former Cup champion who analyzes races for NBC. "He's so talented, it's unbelievable."

Busch honed that skill on tracks in Las Vegas, his hometown, racing with and against his father. That ability dates to when he was 5, running laps in a go-kart as his dad timed him.

Finesse over fire: competitiveness still burns in Kurt Busch, but his keen sense of racing tough and a newfound maturity have put him ahead of the Chase

Sporting News, The, Oct 25, 2004 by Matt Crossman

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