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A Coke And A Smile For Busch

Tribune photo by JAY CONNER

Kyle Busch celebrates winning Saturday night's caution-delayed race at Daytona International Speedway.

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By TONY FABRIZIO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 6, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH - Joe Gibbs Racing's Toyotas dominated the Daytona 500 in February but didn't win the race.

In Saturday night's return to Daytona International Speedway, they didn't dominate, but Kyle Busch got the victory in a crash-filled Coke Zero 400.

Busch was running side-by-side with Carl Edwards during a green-white-checkered overtime finish when a multi-car crash broke out behind them. After a few tense minutes while NASCAR reviewed its scoring data, Busch was declared the winner because he was ahead at the time of the caution.

As boos rained down from the crowd of about 90,000, Busch parked his car in front of the start-finish line, walked up to the flag stand and took the checkered flag, then walked back to his car and waved the flag and took a bow.

"I can't believe we're here right now," Busch said moments later in Victory Lane. "We didn't have the best car tonight. But these guys never gave up, and we never gave up on the racetrack. We just had to get up there to the front. Luckily we were leading there when the caution came out."

Edwards finished second, Matt Kenseth third, and Kurt Busch, last week's winner at New Hampshire, fourth.

"I was driving as hard as I could, man," Edwards said. "I hate to lose the thing like that."

The green-white-checkered was necessary because Jimmie Johnson got turned in traffic on the 156th of a scheduled 160 laps. Busch had just taken the lead in a drag race with Jeff Gordon.

Gordon had led on a Lap 152 restart after Boris Said and Lakeland's Joe Nemechek crashed to bring out a caution.

Paul Menard, the surprise pole winner for Dale Earnhardt Inc., led the first 19 laps - 11 more than his Sprint Cup career total coming in. He gave way to Dale Earnhardt Jr. just before A.J. Allmendinger blew a right-front tire to bring out the first caution flag.

The caution brought virtually everyone down pit road, and Earnhardt lost several spots after pulling in too close to the wall. Kyle Busch won the race off pit road and led the field on the Lap 24 restart, followed by Menard and Regan Smith.

Earnhardt, whose National Guard-sponsored Chevy was dressed in a hand-painted camouflage paint scheme, worked his way up from 14th in no time and blew by Busch for the lead on Lap 37.

Every time Earnhardt took the lead - he faded late and finished ninth - the reaction from the crowd was such that a blind person would know what just happened.

Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, in the midst of an otherwise frustrating season, brought out the second caution on Lap 44 when he spun out with a flat tire. Busch again won the race off pit road.

Busch stayed up front for seven laps. Earnhardt went by on Lap 54 was still leading on Lap 71 when Greg Biffle and Juan Montoya got together in Turn 4 to bring out the third caution.

Biffle accepted blame, saying his car was tight and he drifted up the track into Montoya's path.

The break allowed two-time 400 winner Tony Stewart, who was suffering from flu-like symptoms, to surrender the No. 20 driver to J.J. Yeley. The pit stop took about a minute and a half, and Yeley took the track in 33rd place.

"It's a shame," crew chief Greg Zipadelli said about losing Stewart for the rest of the race. "Tony didn't feel good this morning. Hats off to him for getting in and doing what he did."

Earnhardt led on the restart, but one lap later, Johnson went to the point with drafting help from Busch. Gordon became the third Hendrick Motorsports driver to lead the race on Lap 79.

Busch's hopes of getting his second restrictor-plate track victory of the year - he won at Talladega in April and led a race-high 86 laps in the Daytona 500 - took a hit on the 82nd of 160 laps when he got hooked by teammate Denny Hamlin and made a great save, but dropped all the way to 37th.

But Busch battled his way back, showing the strength he has displayed everywhere this season except on "flat" tracks.

Elliott Sadler, possibly having the worst luck of any driver in 2008, blew a tire on Lap 109 and crashed hard. The resulting caution brought the entire field down pit road.

Earnhardt led on the restart, and some of the best racing of the night followed. Hamlin went to the front on Lap 115, but Earnhardt, with an aggressive push from David Ragan, retook the lead on Lap 124.

Four quick caution flags followed. David Gilliland, who ran as high as second, got lose and slid up into Newman, collecting Jeff Burton on Lap 124. Defending 400 champion Jamie McMurray spun out on Lap 131 without hitting anything, and Hamlin and Newman crashed on Lap 136.

On Lap 140, Ragan got Yeley loose and triggered a crash that also involved Burton and Casey Mears. Burton, who was second in the Sprint Cup standings, took substantial damage and suffered his first finish outside the top 15 all season.

McMurray wound up 22nd without leading a lap. Since getting his second career victory by winning last year's race, he hasn't had a top-five finish for Roush Fenway Racing.

Newman, who had his early spin and two subsequent crashes, finished 36th.

Reporter Tony Fabrizio can be reached at (813) 259-7994 or afabrizio@tampatrib.com.

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