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DAYTONA BEACH, Florida.
Jeff Gordon grabbed the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr., then held off Kurt Busch and Earnhardt in extra laps to win his third Daytona 500 on Sunday. |
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Kurt Busch Driver Profile
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 Born: August 4,1978, in Las Vegas Lives in: Concord, N.C. Height, weight: 5-11,150 Car: No. 97 Ford Car owner: Jack Roush Crew chief: Jimmy Fennig Engine builder: Roush/Yates First NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race:
September 24, 2000, at Dover; started
10th, finished 18th
Career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup wins: 11 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup wins: 3 First NASCAR NEXTEL Cup win: March 24,
2002, at Bristol; started 27th Career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup poles: 3 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup poles: 1 First NASCAR NEXTEL Cup pole: September 1,
2001, at Darlington; finished 39th Best points finish: 1st (2004)
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WHERE HE'S FAST: Smaller tracks suit Busch's style. He swept the races at New Hampshire and won a third consecutive race at Bristol in the spring. On the tracks at which he struggled in the spring, Busch picked up the pace in the second half, especially at Martinsville, Charlotte and Dover.
WHERE HE'S SLOW: Restrictor-plate tracks have been hit-or-miss for Busch. Although he posted top fives in the second Daytona and Talladega races last season, he finished 16th in the Daytona 500 and wrecked in the spring at Talladega. Although Busch has been solid at Bristol and Martinsville, Richmond has given him fits. His average finish at Richmond last season was 23rd.
STRENGTHS: Leading laps-especially when it counts. Busch led in nine of the 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup for a total of 322 laps and 60 bonus points (for winning, leading the most laps in two races and leading laps in nine races). Busch lost an engine in the final Atlanta race but completed every lap in the other nine races. Although Busch had a minor meltdown at Phoenix when things did not go his way, he rallied his team around him at Homestead-Miami to clinch the championship.
WEAKNESSES: With an average starting position of 15th, Busch needs to improve in qualifying. He led laps in fewer than half of the first 26 races, and the lack of track position cost him the opportunity to post more wins. Though that was a weakness overall, Busch did a good job of navigating race traffic and staying out of accidents.
IN THE PITS: Veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig's role in the No. 97 team's rise to the top should not be overlooked. Fennig was instrumental in molding the team he inherited three years ago after Busch's rookie season. The crew members fought hard under pressure late last season and seldom cost Busch track position because of problems on pit road. The team's confusion during a pit stop in the final race was magnified, but generally the crew helped Busch move to the front with quick stops during the Chase.
BOTTOM LINE: Busch's performance didn't stand out during the first 26 races last season. Then he won the first race of the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, and everything started to click. The No. 97 team stepped up its execution, and Busch got on a roll that no one matched. The consistency he enjoyed during the final 10 races was paramount to his first championship. He drove through or around adversity time and again, and he took everyone's best shot and survived. Repeating as a champion will be difficult-Jeff Gordon was the last to do it in 1997 and 1998-but Busch has the talent and team to make a run at it. Busch might never match his magical, 10-race ride that ended 2004-but he might not have to. |
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Crew chief Jimmy Fennig has proved to
be the perfect match for Kurt Busch,
who had to learn how to channel his aggressiveness on the track into positive
finishes even when his cars weren't
what he wanted them to be. Fennig did
a masterful job setting up the flat-track
cars that swept New Hampshire in 2004. The second win put the team on a roll in
the Chase for the NASCARNEXTEL Cup
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