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Three's a charm
Kyle Busch dominates at Darlington, wins 3rd Cup race of '08
Complete results | Race chat | Standings | Starting lineup
Pit picks | Photos | Ask the Pros! | Viewer's Guide
Kyle Busch won the battle of attrition Saturday night as NASCAR's least popular driver overcame a pit-road penalty and several scrapes with the wall to win at Darlington Raceway.
Busch's third Sprint Cup Series victory of the season hardly thrilled the crowd, which viciously booed him in prerace introductions and hadn't softened by the time he took the checkered flag. Already loathed by many, he enraged Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s massive fan base by wrecking him as they raced for the win last week in Richmond.
It created a frenzy of hatred toward Busch, but the 23-year-old driver tuned it out and focused on what he does best: winning races.
His win at Darlington was his eighth of the season spanning NASCAR's top three series, and he has won most of them in very convincing fashion. This one was no different, as Busch led a race-high 169 of the 367 laps in a Toyota he described early in the race as the "most pathetic" he'd ever driven.
He also overcame every speed bump thrown his way on the track "Too Tough to Tame" en route to the win.
An offseason repaving project smoothed the asphalt on the egg-shaped, 1.366-mile superspeedway, and the new surface gave the entire field fits. It made the track extremely fast and grippy, forcing Goodyear to bring a very sturdy tire that could handle the speeds and survive long runs.
The combination of the smooth surface, hard tires and narrow racing line put passing at a premium, and forced several drivers into the wall for the infamous "Darlington stripe."
Busch was no exception, bouncing hard off of it at least twice in what was an eventful fight to the finish. He was leading early in the race but was penalized when his crew left a lug nut off his rear wheel following a pit stop, dropping him to 29th.
He battled his way back to the front, patiently picking off Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt and finally seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon to reclaim the top position. From there, the kid who chases the checkered flag every time he's on the track pulled away, forcing his spotter to beg him to slow down a mere 50 laps from the finish.
But Busch isn't capable of going slow, and he stayed on the gas until the finish while stretching his Sprint Cup Series lead to 79 points over Jeff Burton.
Complete story
Race coverage
Cautions: 8 for 31 laps
Caution 1 / Laps 3-5: Tony Stewart and Elliott Sadler crash in Turn 1. Sadler came up the hill in Turn 1 and got into Stewart. There appeared to be something wrong with Sadler's car before the incident.
"It was a rookie mistake I shouldn't have made" said Sadler.
Free pass: None.
Caution 2 / Laps 13-15: Sam Hornish Jr. gets into the wall in Turn 3. There is extensive damage to Hornish's No. 77 Dodge.
"I think we blew out a right tire," said Hornish.
Caution 3 / Laps 141-144: Debris on frontstretch.
Free pass: Clint Bowyer (25th).
Caution 4 / Laps 149-151: Kevin Harvick slammed the wall hard on the backstretch, dropping a lot of debris to bring out the caution. It didn't appear Harvick did anything wrong, his car just went out of control and hit the wall to create damage to the rear end.
Free pass: Paul Menard (24th).
Caution 5 / Laps 236-240: Debris from Greg Biffle's car brings out the caution. Whoa, a freak accident happened during the caution as Ryan Newman hit Brian Vickers as they were entering the pits.
"Something mechanical, I guess," said Biffle.
Free pass: Bobby Labonte (20th).
Caution 6 / Laps 249-252: Brian Vickers gets squirrely in Turn 4 and spins on the frontstretch, bringing out the caution.
Caution 7 / Laps 281-284: Debris on the backstretch after AJ Allmendinger hits the wall.
Free pass: Kasey Kahne (20th).
Caution 8 / Laps 303-307: Denny Hamlin gets spun out by Martin Truex Jr.
Free pass: David Gilliland (21st).
Leaders: 35 lead changes among 15 drivers Greg Biffle (pole, 1), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2-16), Kyle Busch (17-39), Greg Biffle (40-59), Kurt Busch (60), Travis Kvapil (61-62), Matt Kenseth (63-64), Kasey Kahne (65), J.J. Yeley (66), Patrick Carpentier (67-69), David Gilliland (70), Kyle Busch (71-109), Greg Biffle (110-121), Jeff Gordon (122), Denny Hamlin (123), Patrick Carpentier (124), Kyle Busch (125), Greg Biffle (126-127), Kyle Busch (128-140), Greg Biffle (141), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (142-159), Greg Biffle (160-193), Martin Truex Jr. (194-201), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (202), Matt Kenseth (203), David Ragan (204-205), Jamie McMurray (206-208), Greg Biffle (209-233), Martin Truex Jr. (234-236), Denny Hamlin (237-250), Jeff Gordon (251-269), Kyle Busch (270-280), Jeff Gordon (281-284), Kyle Busch (285-302), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (303), Kyle Busch (304-367)
Off the track: Greg Biffle (engine), Patrick Carpentier (engine)
Starting in the back: Robby Gordon (switched to backup car), Kasey Kahne (switched to backup car)
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Fast Biffle claims pole
Qualifying results | Lineup
On a fast new surface, 41 of 44 drivers broke the qualifying record at Darlington Raceway.
But it was Greg Biffle who set the pace, turning a blistering lap of 179.442 mph Friday night to win the pole at Darlington. He shattered the previous record of 173.797 mph set by Ward Burton in 1996.
"Everybody has talked about how the track is really fast, but it's the same old Darlington," Biffle said. "It will bite you as soon as you let your guard down, especially with the speeds now. You can get in trouble in a hurry, and I've been close to getting that (Darlington) stripe."
Biffle's lap in a Ford beat Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, who qualified second and third for Saturday night's race in their Chevrolets. Earnhardt ran a lap at 179.357, while Johnson clocked in at 179.206.
It marked a comeback for the two-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion, who crashed two cars during Friday's practice sessions. He wrecked his primary on the third lap of the first practice, then had to replace the splitter on his backup when he wrecked in the second practice.
"I'm just glad I didn't hit anything on that last run," Johnson joked. "I'm very proud of my guys. I worked them real hard on two cars, and almost needed a third."
Track officials repaved the surface over the winter, spending $7 million to smooth out the surface while maintaining the integrity of the quirky, egg-shaped, 1.366-mile superspeedway. Although the new asphalt smoothed out the trademark bumps that drove drivers nuts and gave all of them their fair share of "Darlington Stripes," it created tremendous grip that's made the cars reach eye-popping speeds.
Biffle, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman all hit speeds faster than 200 mph along the backstretch during a March tire test, forcing Goodyear to bring a very hard compound that it believes will withstand the speeds.
Complete story
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JGR tops Happy Hour
Practice Speeds: First | Second | Third | Final
Joe Gibbs Racing flexed their muscles in the final practice session for Saturday night's Dodge Challenger 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race as Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch jumped to the top of the charts.
With a best lap of 179.651 mph, the fastest of the weekend so far, Hamlin edged out his teammate. For his best lap, Kyle Busch ran a top lap of 179.174 mph.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top five speeds in the session.
The practice was marred by several incidents, including one late in the session which saw Paul Menard and Robby Gordon incur heavy damage in seperate accidents. Also, Jimmie Johnson ripped the splitter off the back of his backup car in the practice.
Check back beginning at 5:15 p.m. ET for live coverage of qualifying for Saturday's 500-mil event.
Practice 3 recap: Mears shows his speed
Casey Mears opened as Friday's fastest driver during the third Sprint Cup practice session of the weekend, running a fast lap of 177.685 mph.
Martin Truex Jr., Robby Gordon, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five.
Not all was good for Johnson, as he wrecked during the session and switched to a backup car.
Check back for coverage of final practice beginning at 2 p.m. ET.
Practice 2 recap: Allmendinger finds his wings
AJ Allmendinger made noise late Thursday afternoon at Darlington Raceway, jumping to the top of the charts during the second Sprint Cup practice session for Saturday night's Dodge Challenger 500.
The Team Red Bull driver jumped to the top of the charts at the newly repaved 1.366-mile venue, setting a blistering lap of 178.679 mph, a mark that would best the qualifying record of 173.797 mph.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. climbed to second quick in the session with his best of 178.640 mph.
Dave Blaney, Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle completed the top five in the session.
A total of 31 drivers eclipsed the Ward Burton's 1996 qualifying record.
Practice 1 recap: Shrub starts fast
Kyle Busch was the center of attention since Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Richmond, and he doesn't appear ready to let somebody else take his spot.
With a fast lap of 175.522 mph, the driver of the No. 18 Toyota Camry established the fastest lap of the first of four practice sessions this weekend at Darlington Raceway.
NASCAR established two extra sessions for teams on Thursday so they could adapt to the new racing surface at Darlington this weekend.
Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, was second fastest with a lap of 174.885 mph, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Travis Kvapil and Tony Stewart rounded out the top five in the 60-minute session.
Ryan Newman was the fastest Dodge driver in the session, 12th best overall, while Sam Hornish Jr. claimed top rookie honors.
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Darrell Waltrip
One tough lady
There is a reason that Darlington is the Track Too Tough to Tame, but some drivers were able to leave their mark.
Lee Spencer
Forgotten Darling
NASCAR has talked big about getting "back to basics." Lee Spencer says there's no better place to do that than Darlington Raceway.
Jeff Hammond
Pit bulls
Speed, conditioning, focus — pit crews nowadays have to have it all. Jeff Hammond says he's impressed, even a little envious.
Larry McReynolds
Family affair
NASCAR comes home to Charlotte this week with festivities for everyone from shop crews to race families, Larry McReynolds says.
Mike Joy
Ticking away
NASCAR on FOX unveiled its new "Ticker" at Richmond, one which will help viewers stay on top of the race.
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FedEx Recap: Darlington
Love him or hate him, Kyle Busch is good. Watch as as Wild Thing storms back from a lap down to capture the Dodge Challenger 500 in Darlington.
| SAT 5/10 |
7:30 p.m. ET |
On FOX |
| OWNER POINT STANDINGS |
| Pos |
+/- |
Driver |
Car |
Points |
| 31 |
+49 |
David Reutimann |
Toyota |
873 |
| 32 |
+48 |
Reed Sorenson |
Dodge |
872 |
| 33 |
+27 |
Michael Waltrip |
Toyota |
851 |
| 34 |
+11 |
Regan Smith |
Chevrolet |
835 |
| 35 |
-- |
Dave Blaney |
Toyota |
824 |
| 36 |
-18 |
Sam Hornish Jr. |
Dodge |
806 |
| 37 |
-94 |
J.J. Yeley |
Toyota |
730 |
| 38 |
-134 |
Sterling Marlin |
Dodge |
690 |
| 39 |
-145 |
Johnny Sauter |
Chevrolet |
679 |
| 40 |
-170 |
AJ Allmendinger |
Toyota |
654 |
| Complete Owner Standings |
| Track Information |
| On Track With Larry Mac |
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Larry McReynolds, NASCAR on FOX analyst, scouts the track
Read his full analysis. |
| Track Vitals |
Location:
Darlington, SC |
Distance/Track Type:
1.366 Mile Oval 23-25 degree bank |
Nextel Cup Top Race Speed:
140.35 by Kyle Busch on 5/10/2008 |
Nextel Cup Top Qualifying Speed:
179.442 by Greg Biffle on 5/9/2008 |
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