Nothing like a short-track to get back to some real racing, eh? #97-Kurt Busch fought a dying alternator (two batteries?….whatcha wanna bet we’re gonna see that become the norm real soon?) and held on to beat #29-Kevin Harvick to the finish of tonight’s Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. But how about the welcome he got in Victory Lane? The last time we heard a Bristol crowd react like that was August 28, 1999 when Dale Earnhardt drop-kicked Terry Labonte out of the way on the last lap to take the win. Then, that classic “What’s wrong with ya’ll?” look on his face in Victory Lane was forever etched in our minds. Busch claimed the wreckfest (we tied a Cup record with 20 cautions) for his 4th win of 2003 and the 8th of his career. He’s now tied for 50th on the all-time win list with Dale Earnhardt Jr & Kyle Petty. He’s credited with the 66th win for Roush Industries….they’re just two behind the legendary car owner Bud Moore [records I have show Moore with 63 wins as an owner ]. And now a word about Wally’s attempt at waxing eloquent on the pre-race show. His comments about the privacy of driver communication with his crew would have played well a couple years ago….but that was before NASCAR decided that they could sell those conversations to the fans! When NASCAR found the cash cow in Trackpass and In Demand, they invited us to “get into their heads”. So why should we care if they don’t like us in their house? And, Busch also becomes a sweeper as he’s taken both Bristol events this season. Anybody else wonder if Jimmy was watching and what he was thinking tonight? #32-Ricky Craven (8th) had his best finish since he was 8th at Dover in June. #23-Kenny Wallace (15th) had his best finish since he was 15th at Daytona in July. #01-Mike Skinner (18th) had his best finish since he was 11th at Darlington in March. #0-Jason Leffler (26th) had his best finish since he was 10th at Homestead in October of 2001 (only 6 races). STREAKIN….Kevin Harvick has 5 Top-5’s in the last 6 races. Ryan Newman has 6 Top-10’s in the last 7 races. Matt Kenseth has 5 Top-10’s in the last 6 races. The Rookie Report: Jamie McMurray (3rd) jumps into the lead in this category with his 10th top-finish this season. He was followed by: Tony Raines (20th), Casey Mears (21st), Greg Biffle (22nd), and Larry Foyt (39th). This Week’s Elevator…UP: Jamie McMurray (+28) becomes the leader of the pack as this is his third Operator award of the season. He was followed by Kevin Harvick (+21), Dale Jarrett (+20), and Casey Mears (+20). DOWN: The Big Dropper was Michael Waltrip (-39), followed by Mark Martin (-34), Jeff Gordon (-27), Ricky Rudd (-25), Ted Musgrave (-24), Rusty Wallace (-23), and Elliott Sadler (-21). Some big names on the down side of the “shaft” this week. Matt Kenseth tacks 22 markers onto his lead….it’s now 351 over Little E. Jeff Gordon’s “Magic Number” has now ballooned to 8th [which means if Kenseth finishes 8th or better in the last 12 races, Gordon cannot catch him], Dale Jr’s number is 4. Kurt Busch’s win translates to a 3-spot advance in the points (9th to 6th), while Michael Waltrip’s crash gave him the same ride in the opposite direction (5th to 8th).( Stock Car Fans Winston Cup Newsletter )(8-23-2003)
