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Wreck During Practice Sends Kyle Busch To Rear

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By TONY FABRIZIO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 8, 2008

LONG POND, Pa. - Points leader Kyle Busch's bid to win his fifth Sprint Cup race of the year took a hit Saturday when he crashed during the final two minutes of Pocono 500 practice.

He'll have to go to a backup car, give up the 10th spot and start from the rear of the field today. At some tracks that wouldn't matter much, but track position is important at Pocono because passing is difficult and the cars get strung out.

Busch was coming off a patch of new asphalt in Turn 3 when he spun onto a service road and tagged an inside retaining wall. While his Joe Gibbs Racing crew was getting a backup No. 18 Toyota ready, Busch left for Nashville, Tenn., to compete in Saturday night's Nationwide Series race.

"He just kept apologizing," crew chief Steve Addington said. "I told him, 'We're in this together. We win and lose together.' That's why we bring a backup car."

Busch also competed in Friday night's Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas (he finished second) and is trying to become the first driver to compete in NASCAR's three national series at three sites in one weekend.

Rookie Sam Hornish Jr. also will have to drive a backup car after spinning his No. 77 Dodge through the infield and damaging the front end.

LONE THREAT: The oddest thing about Kasey Kahne suddenly being a force is that his No. 9 team is the only Dodge running competitively.

Since Ryan Newman's victory in the Daytona 500, there has been little for the Dodge camp to brag about other than Kahne's victories in the all-star race and Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

"Mark McArdle Gillett Evernham Motorsports' director of competition said from the start of the season we were going to get better as the season goes," Kahne said. "He's put emphasis on certain things, and as the season goes on, our cars will get better and faster."

TRICKY PATCH: The new patch of asphalt halfway up the track in Turn 3 has more grip than the rest of the track's worn surface, so drivers will be tempted to use it rather than their usual lower line through the corner.

But the patch will carry them on a line that's precariously close to the outside wall, meaning the right sides of some cars could get flattened.

"Getting off of Turn 3 you're on the patch, and then when you transition off the corner to go out to the wall, you have all this grip," Jeff Burton said. "When you get on the old asphalt, you don't have that grip anymore."

HOT LAPS: Dario Franchitti will make his first Sprint Cup start since breaking his ankle at Talladega on April 26. He finished 15th in last week's Nationwide race at Dover. ... Kurt Busch also spun in practice Saturday but did only cosmetic damage to the No. 2 Dodge.

Tony Fabrizio

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