Kurt Busch Starting FOURTH In Sunday's Battle At Pocono

July 31, 2009

LONG POND, Pa. (July 31, 2009) – Miller Lite Dodge driver Kurt Busch will start fourth in Sunday’s 500-mile battle at the picturesque 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway after rain washed out Coors Lite Pole Qualifying for the fifth time this season and the second time this year here on the “Tricky Triangle.”

“We probably benefitted from Mother Nature here today,” said Busch, currently fourth in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings.  “We weren’t all that sporty in practice, especially compared to the Hendrick cars.  We were supposed to be fifth out in the qualifying order, so with all that in mind, we have to be happy starting fourth here on Sunday.

“Six of the top seven in practice were Hendrick cars, of course throwing the 14 car (Tony Stewart) and the 39 (Ryan Newman) into that group,” said Busch, who was 28th on the practice speed chart before the rain came.  “The weather is supposed to be really nice here tomorrow, so we’ll be able to get in some practice and try to catch up to those guys.  The rain worked to give us another good spot on pit road for Sunday, so we have to be really pleased about that.

“Hopefully we can get our Miller Lite Dodge dialed in well enough to hold our own here for 200 laps on Sunday,” said Busch.  “That’s the big goal for this weekend; run competitive and get a good enough finish to help us in our bid to make the Chase again this year.”

Here is the starting lineup for Sunday’s Pocono race:

1 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice Swagger Chevy 1st in Owners Points
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevy 2nd in Owners Points
3 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevy 3rd in Owners Points
4 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge 4th in Owners Points
5 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford 5th in Owners Points
6 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 6th in Owners Points
7 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevy 7th in Owners Points
8 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Dodge 8th in Owners Points
9 5 Mark Martin Cheez-It/CARQUEST Chevy 9th in Owners Points
10 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevy 10th in Owners Points
11 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford 11th in Owners Points
12 17 Matt Kenseth DeWalt Ford 12th in Owners Points
13 00 David Reutimann Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota 13th in Owners Points
14 18 Kyle Busch M&Ms Toyota 14th in Owners Points
15 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota 15th in Owners Points
16 33 Clint Bowyer The Hartford Chevy 16th in Owners Points
17 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevy 17th in Owners Points
18 47 Marcos Ambrose iRacing.com/Kingsford/Clorox Toyota 18th in Owners Points
19 20 Joey Logano # The Home Depot Toyota 19th in Owners Points
20 26 Jamie McMurray Crown Royal Ford 20th in Owners Points
21 07 Casey Mears Jack Daniel's Chevy 21st in Owners Points
22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP ENERGY / National Guard Chevy 22nd in Owners Points
23 29 Kevin Harvick Shell/Pennzoil Chevy 23rd in Owners Points
24 1 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevy 24th in Owners Points
25 19 Elliott Sadler Stanley Tools Dodge 25th in Owners Points
26 96 Bobby Labonte DLP Ford 26th in Owners Points
27 43 Reed Sorenson Air Force Dodge 27th in Owners Points
28 44 A J Allmendinger Valvoline Dodge 28th in Owners Points
29 77 Sam Hornish Jr. PPG Dodge 29th in Owners Points
30 6 David Ragan UPS Ford 30th in Owners Points
31 55 Michael Waltrip NAPA Toyota 31st in Owners Points
32 12 David Stremme No. 12 Penske Dodge Dodge 32nd in Owners Points
33 98 Paul Menard Moen/Menards Ford 33rd in Owners Points
34 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota 34th in Owners Points
35 34 John Andretti Taco Bell Chevy 35th in Owners Points
36 09 Sterling Marlin Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort  2009 Owner Win
37 82 Scott Speed # Red Bull Toyota 20 attempts, 36th in owners pts
38 71 David Gilliland TRG Motorsports Chevy 20, 37th
39 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 20, 40th
40 66 Dave Blaney PRISM Motorsports Toyota 20, 41st
41 36 Patrick Carpentier Guy Fieri Knuckle Sandwich Toyota 20, 42nd
42 64 Mike Wallace Air Combat USA/Fred's Toyota 13, 50th
43 37 Tony Raines Long John Silver's Dodge 12, 49th

Saturday’s schedule here at Pocono Raceway calls for practice from 10:00 a.m. till 10:45 a.m. (live on Speed-TV) and from 11:20 a.m. till 12:20 p.m. (live on Speed-TV).  Sunday’s Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 (200 laps, 500 miles) on the “Tricky Triangle” is scheduled to get the green flag at approximately 2:15 p.m.  Race No. 21 of 36 points-paying events on the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will feature live coverage by ESPN-TV and MRN Radio.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM TODAY’S KURT BUSCH TOP-12 PRESS CONFERENCE

IT MUST BE NICE TO COME BACK TO A TRACK WHERE YOU’VE WON BEFORE AND HAVE HAD MUCH SUCCESS?  “I’ve always looked forward to coming to Pocono.  It’s definitely a unique race track.  It’s a track that challenges you in many different ways.  It’s overall speed, whether it’s handling in one specific corner versus another.  Just over the years, it seems like when you come back, you want to say that Turn 2 is more important than Turn 3.  Or, Turn 1 is more important than the other corners.  You’re always battling yourself trying to decide which corner is the most important.  It’s a challenge.  It leaves itself wide open and usually a car that can maneuver through the corners the best obviously has a shot at victory lane.  You give and take and you hope that you have the best package possible when the green flag drops Sunday.”

ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR NASCAR ON THE PIT ROAD SPEED ISSUE LIKE WAS SEEN AT INDY LAST WEEK?  “I’ve been caught speeding hundreds of times on pit road and never got asked about it.  I don’t know why it’s such a big issue right now for some other guy.  There’s a pit road speed.  You’re supposed to stay under it, don’t go over it.  There’s a huge consequence when you’re caught speeding on pit road.  It’s not worth it.  There’s a five-mile per hour grace window and you’re supposed to use that at your discretion.  It’s tough because we can’t pass on the race track, so we’re trying to go as fast as we can on pit road.  I was just talking to my PR rep TR (Tom Roberts).  He said that (Juan Pablo) Montoya had a five-second lead or had a big lead when he hit pit road.  There’s no sense of pushing it that close if you have that big of a cushion on the track.”

HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR CAR IN ALL THREE CORNERS AT POCONO?  “It’s a tough Turn 1 because of how rough it is and the bumps that are in the lower section of the race track.  (Turns) 2 and 3 seem to be a bit more similar to each other, but Turn 1 is surrounded by the two longest straightaways.  It’s really a unique challenge to try and find the right combination.  If your car is good in Turn 1, you might not be so hot in 2 and 3.  If your car is good in (Turns) 2 and 3, Turn 1 is going to be a struggle.  With double-file restarts, I feel that Turn 1 is a little bit more important now because that can help you get a run down the Long Pond straightaway to try and gain positions when everyone is bunched up together.  It’s not necessarily working on the long run anymore; you have to have that short run balance as well with double-file restarts.”

DO YOU LIKE HOW YOUR TEAM IS PERFORMING RIGHT NOW?  “I feel like we can always make improvements.  Whether it’s finding some small secrets with downforce or the engine department bringing a little bit more power, I have to look at all areas and continue to get stronger.  You can’t get complacent in this deal because guys will just drive right by you if you feel like you have a good package.  We’re definitely looking for more speed.  Mainly, just the handling of the car is where I feel like we need to stay sharp on.  We’ve had some good runs this year.  We’ve led some laps.  We have some good tracks coming up and so who knows.  It would be great to win before the Chase starts to get those bonus points, but at the same time, consistency still pays dividends once you get into the final 10 races.  When you’re consistent, those finishes will add up for you.”