M&M'S® News
August 17, 2008
Kyle Busch earns runner-up finish in Michigan
BROOKLYN, MI (August 17, 2008)- Kyle Busch nearly pulled off his ninth win of the season Sunday afternoon in the 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway. After grabbing the lead for the first time on lap 142, Busch battled with Carl Edwards late in the 200-lap race to earn a runner-up finish. It was another strong performance by Busch, who is already guaranteed to take his Sprint Cup Series points lead into the Chase.
“It was a decent run for us,” said Busch of his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Team. “I felt like it was way better and far better than what it was here in the spring. You know, we just were running up front today, so that was nice to see. We made a gain, and we got a lot better there. But just, you know, didn't have enough for the 99 (Carl Edwards) there at the end. We had a special set of tires for some reason that were just great on that thing and made the car really, really hook up, and then we took those off and the car wasn't as good until the end of the race, and we weren't able to get through the corners as fast as Carl (Edwards) was. He really had something for us that was able to get through the center of the corner and then still get good bite up off of where we kind of struggled all day.”
Busch started the race just outside the top-10 in the 11th position. Throughout the early stages of the race Busch struggled with a loose race car but steadily fought his way up through the top-10. The first pit stop saw adjustments to the track bar and air pressure. The No. 18 crew also added a spring rubber to the right rear.
The changes made were clear improvements, as Busch made his way into the top-five where he would remain for the rest of the race. Busch eventually grabbed the lead on lap 142 and held on to lead twice for a total of 34 laps.
Busch was leading as he came down pit road for his final stop of the day but was beat off pit road by eventual winner Carl Edwards and his No. 99 team. Busch made several charges on Edwards during late-race restarts, but could not quite catch him. He settled for a second-place finish, a result that helped him officially clinch a spot in the Chase.
“We just didn’t quite have the car capable enough of being able to beat those guys today,” explained Busch. “We were good there on that one run, on that one set of tires, and then that was pretty much all we had. Great calls by Steve Addington (crew chief) all day long and a great car to be able to come home second to where we were here in the spring. We weren’t that competitive like that so to come out of here with that we’re happy with that at least we’ve got something to build on.”
Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin found mixed results in Sunday’s 400-mile race. Stewart took a 21st-place starting position to a 12th-place result. Hamlin started back in 37th and worked his way into the top-10, where he was running late in the race. Unfortunately, a blown engine with just five laps remaining dropped him and his No. 11 team to a 39th-place finish.
Carl Edwards earned his fifth win of the season in dominating fashion. Kyle Busch’s second-place finish was his career-best finish at Michigan and also his series-leading 14th top-five of the 2008 season. The remainder of the top five were all Roush Fenway Racing teammates to Edwards. David Ragan finished in third, while Greg Biffle finished in fourth and Matt Kenseth in fifth.
Teams will take their second trip to Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend for the Sharpie 500. The Saturday night shootout is scheduled to start at 8:00pm EDT. ESPN will provide live television coverage beginning at 7:00pm, while the Performance Racing Network (PRN) will provide live radio coverage.
