Kyle Busch will always be recognized as the first driver to win a race in the Car Of Tomorrow after holding off the faster Jeff Burton to win the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
After Tony Stewart, who led a race-high 257 laps, suffered a fuel pump malfunction, the checkered flag appeared to be up for grabs. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch took advantage of Stewart’s troubles as they held the top two spots for the majority of the second-half of the race.
Hamlin led 177 laps, but with 15 laps to go, Kyle Busch took advantage when Hamlin checked up because Jimmie Johnson’s car appeared to be off the pace after slapping the outside wall.
With roughly seventy laps on their tires, Busch, Hamlin, and three other drivers stayed on the track while the remainder of the lead lap cars pitted for four fresh tires. Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton were the first two drivers with fresh tires, and as soon as the green flag waved, the two veterans made their move.
After a caution flag waved with less than three laps remaining, a green-white-checkered finish would determine the outcome of the Food City 500 at Bristol, and Busch’s fate appeared to be sealed. On the final restart, Gordon made a move to the bottom, but Busch closed the door. Burton jumped to the outside and passed Gordon, and stuck a fender underneath Busch but was unable to complete the pass despite having the fresher tires.
"Jeff Burton easily could have dumped me there in [Turns] 3 and 4, but I think our Vegas finish helped me out a little bit with that," Busch said in victory lane. "I think I had some brownie points to use up."
Is Jeff Burton too nice? With the exception of Mark Martin and Bobby Labonte, any other driver would have utilized the old bump-n-run maneuver. Burton is a class-act, and is widely respected in the garage because of his reputation as a clean driver, but there comes a time when you got to do what you got to do.
Burton certainly did not have to spin Busch to win the race, but a little tap would have done the trick. No one would have blamed Burton if he had used the chrome horn. This is why the old adage ‘nice guys finish last’ rings so true. Burton may have a few more wins under his belt if he would use a little more aggression. Remember the 1997 Southern 500 at Darlington? Burton clearly had the faster car, but he backed off and Jeff Gordon won the Winston Million.
Still, you have to respect Burton, he is the guy behind the wheel, and he is the guy that races the way he sees fit.
"My mother always told me to do onto other people the way you want them to do you," Burton recalled. "That's the only thing I know to do. I've always tried to let the guy I am racing with set the rules. ... Kyle drives hard. He drives really hard. But he's always raced me with respect."
Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Greg Biffle rounded out the top five.
The Car Of Tomorrow did not receive rave reviews from the drivers as most complained of a tight condition in the car’s steering.
"I didn't feel like my car handled as good as what we've had here in the past.” Jeff Gordon
"Passing was tougher because nobody's cars handled quite as good.” Dale Earnhardt Jr
"I’m still not a very big fan of these things (Car of Tomorrow). I can’t stand them…They suck.’’ Kyle Busch
NASCAR officials seized the Ford of Greg Biffle after failing post-race inspection when his car measured too low.
Contract talks are on hold for Dale Earnhardt Jr and Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as Earnhardt Jr's sister Kelley recovers from surgery. Kelley handles Earnhardt Jr's business affairs.
Top Five NASCAR Nextel Cup Standings
1. Jeff Gordon, 791
2. Jeff Burton, 788
3. Jimmie Johnson, 716
4. Matt Kenseth, 697
5. Kevin Harvick, 647
Quote of the week
Dale Jarrett on Matt Kenseth
“Everybody has this great vision that Matt Kenseth is this nice guy on the race track. He is a nice guy away from the track, but he’s a rough driver on the track when he doesn’t have to be…We’ll have a discussion.”
