European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 28, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 0 stars and stripes wednesday March 28 2007 Kyle Busch wins cots debut at Bristol car of tomorrow race draws mixed reactions by Jenna Fryer the associated press Bristol Tenn the first car of tomorrow race is in the books and Nastars stars were divided of their assessment of it Kyle Busch hated it and he won sundays race at Bristol motor Speedway veterans Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon cautioned that it was too Early to make any sort of decision on the cot Lascar though was pleased with the debut from the Tower i thought it was a Good race Competition director Robin Pemberton said i think you saw there were More competitors up front teams that Arent used to running in the top 10 or 15 and there were people concerned with the splitter hitting the race track and All kinds of nightmarish things you saw there were no problems with that we were pleased Lascar is taking two of the cars Back to North Carolina for further inspection fifth place Fin Isher Greg Biffle was too Low in pos Trace inspection so his car is going to the Center As is bus chs race winning Chevrolet Busch disliked the car so much that he probably wont mind los ing it to Lascar but As the nex Tel cup series Rolls into Martins Ville Speedway where the cot will be used again this week his Hendrick motor sports team needs the car Back Pemberton said the teams would have the cars Back before they miss them much to bus chs Chagrin in still not a fan of these things they Busch said i didst see any real highlights out there it was just Tough to pass it was kind of Boring not the end of the race Busch held off teammate Gor Don on a restart then beat Burton in a drag race to the finish line Busch took the Lead with 16 laps to go on a smooth pass around Denny Hamlin in thick traffic and stayed there through two cautions Busch had driven away from the Competition when the 15th and final caution set up overtime with Busch and Gordon run Ning 12 at the restart they plot Ted 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 Gustafson said hell play Nice it didst sound that Way on Gor dons Channel Tell that 5 if i get a fender underneath him he better think about the fact that were team mates Gordon said if i dont get a fender underneath him i wont move him out of the Way it didst matter though As Bur ton jumped past Gordon on the re Start and quickly pulled onto bus chs rear bumper Burton looked Low and Busch threw a Block then went High and Busch blocked that too Burton finally pulled alongside Busch As they closed in on the Fin ish 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 21yearold appreciated the Veter ans for racing him cleanly without Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton behind me i never would have won this race Busch said Burton owed it to Busch especially after their stirring finish two weeks ago in Las vegas in a Busch series race the two were battling in the closing laps and Busch could have wrecked Bur ton to get it but Busch kept it clean ultimately losing the fight As the cars touched and Busch spun Back Ward across the finish line 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 to night 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 bus chs Victory was the third straight for Hendrick motor sports Jimmie Johnson won the previous two cup events and was the 200th Victory for car owner Rick Hendrick it also was the 600th for manufacturer Chev Rolet which introduced the Impala is this weekend to coincide with Nastars debut of the car of tomorrow the cot spent seven years in development 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 fret Ting for months Over performance and the Many unknowns the cot created but when the race finally began everything 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 every time one of them wrecked never developed but Many Drivers said its too Early to pass judgment the car races again next week at Martins Ville another Short track before getting its first True test next month in Phoenix if the car is safer and races John Kyle Busch celebrates at the finish line after winning the Lascar Sextel Pup food City 500 on sunday in Bristol Tenn better then i am All for it Gor Don said but we cant answer that question this weekend Kevin Harvick was fourth Fol Lowed by Biffle Jeff Green and Dale Earnhardt or Clint Bowyer finished eighth and Jamie my Murray 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 stand Ings 162 Back Gordon leads Bur ton by three Points Juan Pablo Montoya struggled in his first Short track race finish ing 32nd after an Early spin dropped him several laps Down he still considered the Day a Suc Cess we got the car Home and scored some More Points and just go on to the next one he said it was pretty easy to be honest a Almendinger the former Champ car Star also struggled he was 40th in his Sextel cup debut you know i used to think Champ car was Tough to drive Almendinger said but do 500 laps around this place that a lot of work Woods warms up for masters with win at doral the associated press Miami by the time Brett Wetterich put the slightest pressure on Tiger Woods in the Ca championship it was too late and As he walked to the 18th Green wet Terich knew it too finishing second he said is not such a bad thing especially not when youre finishing second to Woods in an event he dominates on a course that ranks As one of his favourites and when he says his game makes him very pleased Augusta National you Are on Alert Woods is ready for the masters stating so with an emphatic Victory at doral on sunday when he shot a 1over 73 and finished two strokes ahead of Wetterich for his 56th career title one that earned him million and pushed his career winnings to More than million the two stroke margin Doest properly illustrate the Startt finish control Woods Golf Roundup had in the final round he led by six shots after making birdies at the ninth and 10th took a three shot Lead Over Wetterich to the last Hole and hit a conservative Iron off the tee on the par4 Hole i make five he cant win the tournament Woods said so i Laid up hit 3iron off the tee and 8iron and a wedge and just two putted and tournament was Over indeed Woods two putted from 50 feet for his bogey Wetterich made Par and the Deal was sealed Woods is believed to be the first player to win a pea tour event six times on six courses is 13for24 in world Golf championship events and llfor16 when the wac is a stroke play format and if you listened to some of his competitors sunday most of the Field knew what was coming Ernie Els Hes always Tough but give him a four shot Lead then its really Tough Robert Allenby i didst see anyone Ever catching Tiger Geoff Ogilvy Hes just better than us i think Mark Calcavecchia unless he pulls a Calcavecchia on 18 hell win by several that last line deserves an explanation Calcavecchia made a quadruple bogey 8 on the final Hole hitting his second into the water then actually putting into the drink later in the adventure filled sequence Woods had no Way of knowing what Cal Cavecchia did when he reached the last tee but in the end he also was smart enough to avoid even flirting with a disaster like that today conditions it was a Little Tough out there and i stayed pretty patient All Day Woods said the whole idea today was to shoot under Par and i figured if i shot under Par it would be Over didst quite get it done but ended up winning the tournament anyway Sergio Garcia was the Only player to break Par All four Days at doral but his week will almost certainly be remembered More for the incident saturday when he spit into the 13th Hole after three putting but As the Sun went Down All the talk was about Woods and the masters its no secret that the Pursuit of winning addition Al major championships drives him More than anything else in the game and Woods often his own harshest critic says his game is in the right form Woods got the Best preparation of All this week for the masters you cant have any better Way getting a w right before you go he said Lyga tour at superstition Mountain Ariz Lorena Ochoa blew a four stroke Lead to Suzann Pettersen then birdied four of the last five holes for a two stroke Victory in the Safeway International Ochoa shot a 4under 68 to rally past pet Tersen Ochoa blew a four shot Lead in the final round for the second time in three years at superstition Mountain Golf and country club but this time she survived overtaking no ways Pettersen with birdies on the 14th 15th 17th and 18th holes two years ago Ochoa blew a four stroke Lead with three holes to play and lost to an Nika Morenstam in a playoff