European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 27, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday March 27 2007 stars and stripes 29 Busch wins first car of tomorrow race by Jenna Fryer the associated press Bristol term Kyle Busch held off teammate Jeff Gordon on a restart then beat Jeff Burton in a drag race to the finish line to win the first car of tomorrow race sunday at Bristol motor Speedway Busch took the Lead with 16 laps to go on a smooth pass around Denny Hamlin in thick traffic and stayed there through a pair of cautions Busch had driven away from the Competition when the 15th and final caution set up overtime with Busch and Gordon running 12 at the restart the two plotted their own strategy with their respective Crew chiefs Well Good Job Guys Busch sighed at the final caution Well do what we can i cant Promise you anything hell be Nice Crew chief Alan Gustafsun said hell play Nice it didst sound that Way on Gordons Channel Tell that 5 if i get a fender underneath him he better think about the fact that were teammates Gordon said if i dont get a fender underneath him i wont move him out of the Way it never mattered though As Burton jumped past Gordon on the restart and quickly pulled onto bus chs rear bumper Burton looked Low and Busch threw a Block then he went High and Busch blocked that too Burton finally pulled alongside Busch As they closed in on the finish line but Busch nipped him at the Flag for his first Sextel cup Victory on a Short track both Drivers could have spun Busch to get past him and the 21 year old appreciated the veterans for racing him clean without Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton be Hind me i never would have won this race Busch said Burton owed it to Busch especially after John Kyle Busch celebrates at the finish line sunday after winning the Lascar Sextel cup food City 500 in Bristol Tenn it was the first race featuring the car of tomorrow their stirring finish two weeks ago in Las vegas the two were battling for the win in the closing laps and Busch could have wrecked Burton to get it but Busch kept it clean ultimately los ing the fight As the cars touched and Busch spun backward across the finish line just a tick behind Burton i could have used the bumper to move him out of the Way and win the race but i didst want to Burton said i can Lay in bed tonight and wonder what if but that what i chose to do if you cant pass him without knocking him out of the Way do the Best you can Hes driven me clean and that what i did with him Gordon the pole Sitter wound up third and was thrilled with the Effort after Strug gling for most of the race we struggled yesterday in practice and we fought really hard today Gordon said were fortunate we stayed on the Lead Lap in really Happy for Kyle bus chs win was the third straight for Hendrick motor sports Jimmie Johnson won the past two cup events and was the 200th Overall win for car owner Rick Hendrick it also was the 600th for manufacturer Chevrolet which introduced the Impala is this weekend to coincide with Nastars debut of the car of tomorrow the cot spent seven years in develop ment As Lascar tried to build a uniform car that would Cut costs improve safety and even the Competition it will be used in 16 races this season As Lascar phases it in through the 2009 season its introduction had teams fretting for months Over performance and the Many unknowns the cot created but when the race finally began every thing seemed pretty Normal except for the design of the cars which have a front split Ter and a detachable rear Wing nothing was out of the Ordinary and the worst fears that the track would be littered with parts and pieces eve Ery time one of them wrecked never developed but the Drivers said its too Early to pass judgment the car races again next week at Martinsville Speedway another Short track before getting its first True test next month in Phoenix if the car is safer and races better then i am All for it Gordon said but we cant answer that question this weekend Kevin Harvick finished fourth and was followed by Greg Biffle Jeff Green and Dale Earnhardt or Clint Bowyer finished eighth and Jamie Mcmurray and Casey Mears rounded out the top 10 Gordon took Over the Points Lead As Mark Martin who came into the race on top skipped the event and turned his keys Over to Rookie Regan Smith Smith finished 25th and Martin dropped to eighth in the standings Gordon has a 36 Point Lead Over Burton As expected Juan Pablo Montoya struggled at his first Short track finishing 32nd after an Early spin dropped him several laps Down same for a Allmendinger the former Champ car Star who was 40th in his Sextel cup debut Wheldon takes third straight race at Homestead the associated press Homestead Fla win Ning three in a Row at Home Stead Miami Speedway is Fine but Dan Wheldon was barely out of the cockpit after his sea so opening Victory saturday night before he was thinking about another race he wants More this is step one toward the Indianapolis 500 said Wheldon who won the 500 and the indy car series championship in 2005 in All about the Indianapolis racing Roundup 500 nothing else matters to me but to get three consecutive wins on the same Speedway is a big Deal too the englishman who started from the pole fought off an Early Challenge from Sam Hornish or another three time Homestead Winner and overcame a bad pit Stop to drive away with the 12th Victory of his career Wheldon has led 345 of the last proudly serving the military for Over 10 years if you can dream it we can build it 800hightechcom j Pat England Dan Wheldon celebrates saturday in Victory Lane after win Ning the girls pm satellite radio indy 300 in Homestead Fla 600 laps on the 15mile Home Stead Oval its the first time in the 12year history of the indy car series that a Driver has won three straight races at a track Wheldon who led All but 21 laps pulled away to beat team mate Scott Dixon by 6499 seconds about a Quarter of a Lap it was the biggest margin of Victory in two years Hornish the reigning series Champion finished third Marco Andretti last years top Rookie finished last after his car had a mysterious mechanical problem teammate Dario Franchitti quite run with the Lead ers finishing a Lap Down in seventh and Danica Patrick in her first Start with agr was running eighth before she spun and hit the Wall while entering the pits for what was supposed to be her final Stop she wound up 14th Busch series at Bristol Tenn Carl Edwards held off hard charging teammate Matt Kenseth Over the final dozen laps to win the Sharpie mini 300 at Bristol motor Speedway it was a typical crash filled Bristol race with 12 cautions for 103 laps and one re Flag Stop Page Lascar also confused things with a miscue on pit Road that confused most of the Field and gave Edwards Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman a second Chance Edwards used that free pit Stop to get fresh tires and drive away to his first Victory of the season Kenseth get close enough to move him and Edwards beat him to the line by 0260 seconds a caution came out with 117 laps to go and Lascar told its officials to open pit Road but pit Road was closed when Busch and Edwards the leaders passed the Entrance they didst Stop but pit Road opened seconds later and the rest of the Field did Stop Lascar blamed that on a delay in changing the lights on pit Road and quickly reviewed it officials then allowed Busch Edwards and Newman to pit and line up where they were originally running when the caution came out
