Hamlin ready to share spotlight with JGR teammate

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Denny Hamlin is so hungry for a victory that, if given the chance at Bristol Motor Speedway, he most certainly would have moved teammate Kyle Busch out of his way.

"For sure," Hamlin said. "He's won too much."

He wasn't kidding, either.

Alas, he never had the opportunity to use Bristol's legendary "bump-and-run" on Busch because Hamlin couldn't get close enough to catch his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. He had to settle for a second-place finish Sunday that stretched his winless streak to a frustrating 35 races.

So Busch left Bristol with his second win in three races, 10th overall since joining Joe Gibbs Racing last season. Hamlin, meanwhile, has won just once over the same span and can't help but wonder why his No. 11 team can't contend with Busch's bunch.

"Those guys are solid. They qualify well and as a result get a good pit stall," Hamlin said. "Their pit crew is always consistent, and they work really hard at it. And on the short runs, Kyle has a way of taking off really, really good. He's got that car. He's got that raw speed that I just don't have for 20 laps. And it pays big dividends to that race team.

"Luckily, we're in the same stable, so we know everything he has. If there's anything we need to work on, it's me."

That admission is proof just how far Hamlin has come after three full seasons with JGR. In the past, the problem would have been anyone's fault but Hamlin's, and he would have publicly placed the blame on his team.

But Hamlin came into this season determined to do things differently. Tired of being known as a driver with a ton of potential, Hamlin wants to finally start living up to his lofty expectations.

Although he's got four career victories, 61 top-10 finishes and a coveted spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in all three of his seasons, he's yet to consistently contend for the title. He was a career-best third in the final 2006 standings but dropped off to 12th and eighth the next two seasons.

He spoke often during the offseason about his desire to become a champion, a goal that would require much more maturity from the 28-year-old Virginian. His awakening coincided with two-time champion Tony Stewart's departure from JGR, leaving the organization in need of a team leader.

Hamlin wants to step up, and team owner Joe Gibbs has noticed the shift in attitude, the renewed commitment to his race team and the better communication with crew chief Mike Ford.

"Denny did really set his jaw. He's been on it. He's been after it hard," Gibbs said. "As much as anything, it's your attitude. We talked quite a bit before the year. I think he spent a lot of time with Mike. I think you can tell the way he reacts when something does happen to the race team, he's very strong about it.

"They're not going to leave anything unturned around our place to try and keep from getting everything we can for the 11 car."

It didn't work out Sunday, though, when Hamlin needed a flawless final pit stop to get him out first ahead of Busch. Although he did gain one spot on pit road, Busch beat him out and Hamlin was stuck in second the rest of the way. Any chance he had of chasing down his teammate was lost when Jimmie Johnson moved onto Hamlin's bumper, and Hamlin had to fight to hold onto his season-best second-place finish.

"I knew unless we got out ahead of him on that last pit stop, it was going to be tough," he said. "We were able to stay within two or three car lengths, but that's as close as we'd been all day on the short runs. Our car takes so long to get going. If we get out in pit road in front of him, he was going to have a time getting around me, I can assure you of that."

In the past, Hamlin's disappointment would have been overwhelming. Remember, he once publicly blasted his pit crew after they botched a late stop at Darlington, and it triggered a team shakeup the next week.

Then last August in Michigan, after his motor failed with six laps to go to put his berth in the Chase field in jeopardy, he openly criticized JGR's engine department and crew.

This time, he was able to see the positives. It was his second top-10 finish of the season, and it moved him up six spots in the standings to eighth. It also gave him some momentum heading into Martinsville Speedway, where Hamlin won his only race last season in a breakthrough victory in his home state of Virginia.

"You take (it)," he said. "It puts us in the Chase right now. So that's a good day for us."

Busch dominates at Bristol for 2nd win of season

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Kyle Busch was furious when his pit crew cost him a win at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he angrily ditched his car on the race track and headed to his motorhome on foot.

A day later, he drove it to Victory Lane.

Busch bounced back from one of his many Bristol heartbreaks with a dominating win Sunday, leading 378 of 503 laps for his second Sprint Cup Series victory of the season. Ironically, it was his crew that deserved much of the credit.

His Joe Gibbs Racing team got him out front ahead of teammate Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson on the final pit stop -- critical track position that helped him hang on for the win.

"I told the ladies to "Man up, get the job done on the last stop,' which they did," Busch said. "I'm proud of them for doing that. When the time mattered most, they got the job done."

Many of those team members were on his crew Saturday in the Nationwide Series race, which Busch also dominated before a pit road miscue took him out of contention. He led a race-high 157 laps and went into the pits on the final stop, only to be penalized by NASCAR when his crew let a tire slip away. He wound up sixth and showed his displeasure by refusing to drive his car back to his team truck after the race.

His crew had to retrieve it themselves from Turn 3. But if there were any lingering hard feelings, no one noticed.

"They appreciate what I do behind the wheel. I appreciate what they do on pit road. That's a given in any team," Busch said. "Those guys should hang their head for (Saturday), but then wake up the next morning rejuvenated and ready to go.

"There's ways to get better in this sport, and the only way to do that is to jump back out there. It's basically reviewing your fear. You just get back out there and do it over again."

The win also was rewarding for Busch because he's had so many slip away on the .533-mile bullring. Two of his near misses were last season, when he lost his power steering while leading last spring and was bumped from the front in August by Carl Edwards after leading 415 laps.

"We should have won here last fall, we should have won here yesterday," Busch said. "This place probably owes me a few. But you can never ask a race track to pay you back. You just have to just keep working on it."

Busch has now won a race in at least one of NASCAR's top three series every weekend this season. It started with a victory in the non-points qualifying race at Daytona and followed with wins in the Truck and Nationwide Series at California, the Cup race at Las Vegas, and the Nationwide race at Atlanta.

Track position was critical as the race wound down, and Hamlin knew his best chance at catching his teammate was on pit road. Although his crew moved him from third to second on the final stop, it wasn't enough and he had to settle for a second-place finish.

"He just has a way of taking off really, really good on the short run," Hamlin said. "I knew unless we got out on pit road ahead of him on that last pit stop, it was going to be tough."

Hamlin has had his own heartbreak at Bristol -- he led 98 laps last spring and was headed to the win when a fuel pickup problem cost him the victory. In August he finished third, again behind Busch.

Defending three-time series champion Jimmie Johnson was third in a Chevrolet to tie his career-best Bristol finish, back in 2004. Johnson had devoted a good deal of time to figuring out why he's struggled at Bristol, and the homework with crew chief Chad Knaus clearly paid off.

"What a day for us. I wish we had 500 more laps to go," he said. "I have to thank Chad and the engineering staff for sitting me down a couple weeks ago to look at this race track and what I need here. I made my wish list and they gave me what I needed."

Jeff Gordon, his teammate at Hendrick Motorsports, was fourth.

Kasey Kahne was fifth in a Dodge and followed by polesitter Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, defending race winner Jeff Burton and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Marcos Ambrose, in the spotlight after his gas man chased a tire across pit road two weeks ago at Atlanta, finished 10th.

A Busch brother has won the past three races. Kyle Busch won at Las Vegas earlier this month, and Kurt followed it with a win at Atlanta. Kurt Busch, a five-time Bristol winner, finished 11th on Sunday.

Travis Kvapil finished 18th in what was likely his final race for Yates Racing. The No. 28 team probably will be closed down on Monday morning due to a lack of sponsorship, making it the first casualty this year of the weakened economy. Several teams were shuttered last season as sponsorship became difficult to find during the economic crisis.

Yates racing general manager Max Jones said before the race he'd bring the No. 28 team back to the track if funding came through, but the team had paid out of pocket for the first five races this season and couldn't afford to do so any longer. Bobby Labonte and Paul Menard also drive for Yates, but have full sponsorship.

Yates to close Kvapil's unsponsored race team

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Travis Kvapil had a decent day at Bristol Motor Speedway, but it might have been his final event for Yates Racing.

A lack of sponsorship is forcing the team to suspend operations Monday morning on the No. 28 Ford, team general manager Max Jones said before Sunday's race. Kvapil finished 18th and his team is 39th in the owner standings.

"It's not exactly a surprise," Jones said. "We said all along we'd do five races and try to find something, and we just haven't found anything yet to run another five. We've got some things in the works, but nothing has come together fast enough."

Jones did not rule out reviving the race team if funding eventually comes through.

"If we get something, we'll bring it back," he said. "But we just don't have anything right now."

Kvapil has been without proper funding for more than a year. Yates and partner Roush Fenway Racing had to piece sponsorship together on a race-by-race basis, and the team finished a commendable 23rd in the standings without ever having full funding.

But the decent season wasn't enough to attract sponsors, and the team was overhauled during the offseason when Paul Menard signed on to expand the team to three cars and then Bobby Labonte came aboard in a partnership between Yates and Hall of Fame Racing.

Labonte received the points Kvapil earned last year, and Kvapil was forced to qualify on speed for the first five events of this season. He missed the field at Las Vegas, then blew a motor at Atlanta to fall into a deep hole in the points.

It's not immediately decided what will happen to the crew members who work on Kvapil's team. Many could simply be shuffled into new roles with Yates or Roush.

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MORE ENGINE WOES: Greg Biffle, already nursing bruised ribs all weekend, couldn't do the same with his motor.

Biffle's car suffered its second engine failure this season and exited Sunday's race after 326 of the 500 laps. He finished 39th.

"I would have never thought you'd have engine trouble at Bristol. It never crossed my mind," he said. "We were running along and I think we were 11th, but we had a top 10 sewn up, easy. I was kind of riding around waiting to get to the end."

Biffle also had an engine failure at Las Vegas in the third race of the season. The pair of DNF's have dropped him to 18th in the points.

He came to Bristol with bruised ribs sustained when he slipped earlier this week on a dock while jumping into a boat, and the soreness caused him to pull out of the Nationwide Series race on Saturday. He said he felt OK after the Cup race, but wasn't sure there was more pain to come.

"I'm sure if you ask me tomorrow, I'm going to be in a tremendous amout of pain, I promise you," he said. "But there's no problem at all driving the car."

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BACK ON TOP: Robbie Loomis returned to the top of the pit box for the first time since 2005 when he filled in as crew chief for Elliott Sadler.

Loomis stepped in for Kevin Buskirk, who was feeling ill all weekend and left Bristol on Saturday night. Loomis, vice president of Richard Petty Motorsports, last worked as a crew chief for Jeff Gordon in 2005.

"I hope I remember what to do," he joked before the pre-race driver meeting.

His temporary assignment took NASCAR by surprise: Race director David Hoots called for "the crew chief of the (No.) 19" as he took role at the driver meeting, and seemed surprised when Loomis raised his hand.

"I'm not going to say a word," Hoots replied to a scattering of chuckles.

Buskirk returned to North Carolina to be checked out, and Loomis had been involved with Sadler's team all weekend just in case he had to step in. Although he led radio communication with Sadler, pit strategy was done by committee.

Sadler finished 20th.

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OFF THE BUBBLE: Ryan Newman and Mark Martin both used strong runs Sunday to move off the bubble for the all-important top-35 mark.

Martin finished sixth and Newman was seventh, assuring both of them spots in the field for next weekend's race at Martinsville Speedway. Only drivers locked inside the top 35 in owner points are assured a spot in the race: everyone else must qualify on speed.

"I had fun today," said Martin, who moved up four spots in the owner standings to 31st. "It is just great for this team to get some forward momentum. But it was pretty awesome, that car was rolling on those long greens."

Martin has had horrendous luck in his first month with Hendrick Motorsports. Two blown motors and a cut tire derailed the start of his season, putting him in a deep hole in what many had thought would be a championship-contending season. But he won the pole at Bristol, his second straight race in the top starting spot, and parlayed it into a solid finish.

Newman's luck hasn't been much better, and he came to Bristol 32nd in owner points. But his Stewart-Haas Racing team worked hard to give him a solid car this week, and he responded with a second-place qualifying effort and a solid run.

"I'm happy for all the guys on the (No.) 39," team owner Tony Stewart said. "They've all been working hard, and it's hard to not let your morale get beat up having the kind of bad luck they've had. It was good to see them get a good run like they deserved."

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IN TROUBLE: Scott Speed has his work cut out for him next week at Martinsville: The rookie finished 28th on Sunday, is outside the top 35 in owner points and will have to qualify on speed at a very challenging race track.

"I tried not to hit anything," Speed joked of his first Cup race at Bristol.

At just 21 points outside of 34th place, Speed needs one solid run to get his Red Bull Racing car locked into the field.

Also outside the top-35 going into Martinsville, the first race where this season's points count, is Aric Almirola and Paul Menard.

Almirola doesn't have the sponsorship to guarantee a full season, but Menard is racing in a fully funded car for Yates Racing.

Harvick drives his own car to Bristol victory

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Kevin Harvick proved just how strong his organization is Saturday by winning the Nationwide Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway in his own race car.

Harvick led 44 laps in his Kevin Harvick Inc.-owned Chevrolet, his first victory in a car fielded by the race team he built with his wife.

"It is very emotional, he's tried so hard, so long in his own stuff," Delana Harvick said in Victory Lane. "Today was his day."

Although Harvick has won three times in a KHI-owned Truck -- in 2002, '03 and '08 -- he'd yet to win a race in the more prestigious Nationwide Series. Tony Stewart won twice for him in that series, and Bobby Labonte once.

At Bristol, though, it was finally Harvick's turn and he had a clear shot at the win after Kyle Busch was taken out of contention by a penalty on the final pit stop.

"It feels pretty good to get our car into Victory Lane," Harvick said. "Finally we got this out of the way. Delana and I built this company from basically dirt. It started as a hobby. It's been a tremendous amount of pressure that I've put on myself ... but it was well worth the reward today."

Harvick said his alternator failed during the race, making his cockpit almost unbearably hot as he rolled to the checkered flag.

Carl Edwards finished second and Clint Bowyer was third, and both credited Harvick for winning in his own car.

"To win in something that you build, I can only imagine what that feels like. That's pretty special," Edwards said.

Bowyer congratulated his Sprint Cup Series teammate, but also took a playful jab at the accomplishment.

"It's been a long time coming," Bowyer said. "Obviously, Kevin is qualified to win races. I knew it was only a matter of time. But forget him, I'm bummed I didn't win."

So was Busch, who led a race-high 157 laps but was taken out of contention when his crew let a tire slip away during the final pit stop. NASCAR sent Busch to the tail end of the longest line as punishment, and he was 14th on the restart with 41 laps to go.

"Ahhh, man, that's frustrating," Edwards said of Busch's penalty.

"Was he mad?" Bowyer deadpanned.

Was he ever.

Although he rallied to finish sixth, he appeared furious after the race when he stopped his car in Turn 3 and walked directly to the pedestrian tunnel to leave the track.

"We just got a gift with Kyle getting that penalty," Edwards said. "That's a great points day for us."

Edwards' lead in the Nationwide Standings was stretched to 114 points over Harvick and 124 over Busch, who still gained two spots in the standings despite the setback.

Marlin wins legends race in Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Sterling Marlin won the "Saturday Night Special" legends race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday.

Marlin led all 35 laps of the charity race and beat Rusty Wallace and 70-year-old L.D. Ottinger to the finish line. Terry Labonte was fourth and Jimmy Spencer fifth.

Marlin collected $25,000 with the win to donate to charity. He also will race in the Sprint Cup Series event Sunday.

The event teamed past winners at Bristol with a "celebrity." The celebrities ran an earlier heat race that set the starting field for the main event.

Marlin's partner was ESPN analyst and former crew chief Andy Petree, who won his heat to give Marlin the pole.

Philadelphia Eagles kicker David Akers won his heat to give Harry Gant an upfront starting spot, but Gant had early car damage and ran most of the race without a hood on his car.

Wallace was teamed with Ray Evernham, who wrecked when he spun trying to pass Petree in their heat.

Other former NASCAR greats in the race were Cale Yarborough and Junior Johnson.

NASCAR drivers don't want F1's proposed pts system

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- As Formula One's ruling body debates a new points system, NASCAR's top drivers almost unanimously agree a similar format would not work in their series.

The FIA said this week it would award the championship to the driver with the most race wins instead of highest points. The rule was vehemently opposed by teams and drivers, and the governing body agreed Friday to postpone its implementation until 2010.

NASCAR's system rewards consistency. The highest 12 drivers after 26 races are eligible to run for the Sprint Cup title over the final 10 events of the year, and winning does not necessarily crown a champion.

"I think if you determine your champion just based on wins, you're taking a huge gamble of having the wrong champion," Carl Edwards said.

And that's coming from the guy who would have won the title last year under F1's proposal. Edwards won a series-best nine races last year, but finished second in the final standings to Jimmie Johnson.

"If one guy wins one race and runs 20th in the rest of them, and another guy finishes second in every single race, (the first guy is) not the right guy for a champion," Edwards said.

His competitors agreed, noting that F1 uses a 17-race schedule and usually only three or four teams are competitive enough to challenge for victories. NASCAR has 36 points races and almost half of the 43-car field is capable of winning.

"When you look at how our series is, it's a marathon," Jeff Burton said. "The races are marathons. We run some of the longest races in the longest year compared to other forms of motorsports. So that means you need a different type of points system. I believe consistency matters."

Kevin Harvick called the F1 proposal "the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard," because a winner-take-all mentality erases the element of drivers battling back from adversity over the course of a 500-mile race.

"It is all about the guy who can fix his car, and it is about the guy who can come back and make something out of a loose wheel and make up two laps," he said. "If you aren't going to win and you are having a bad day, what are the consequences of just pulling in?"

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WATCHING THE LEGENDS: Many of NASCAR's stars had a keen interest in the Saturday night legends race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where a handful of their heroes were running a 35-lap charity event.

Harry Gant, Junior Johnson and Jack Ingram were among the old-timers entered, as were more recent retirees Rusty Wallace and Jimmy Spencer.

Jeff Burton believed the event would give younger fans their first opportunity to see NASCAR's early starts, particularly the 72-year-old Ingram, who won 31 races in the now-Nationwide Series from 1982-91.

"I told somebody Jack Ingram was in it and he said, 'The country music singer?"' Burton said. "He's a huge part of making the Nationwide Series what it is. There are a lot of people who don't know who he is.

"They will know who he is after Saturday, and I think that's cool."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a bit of a sport historian, and would cherish one day having an opportunity to race against NASCAR's former stars.

"I would be very proud to race against Jack Ingram and Junior Johnson and other people I didn't get the chance to race against," he said. "For the historians of the sport, it is a lot of fun. For people who have never seen Junior Johnson or L.D. Ottinger run a lap, it is just neat to see them out on the racetrack and compete because you do see some of the competitive fire and spirit, and you imagine what kind of driver they were back when they were at their peak.

"It is a great, great idea, I would be excited to see it more often."

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NEWMAN'S LIFT: Tony Stewart was pleased with teammate Ryan Newman's progress after just one practice session at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Then Newman narrowly missed winning the pole, qualifying second in the best showing to date for the Stewart-Haas Racing entry.

"It's nice to see Ryan having a good weekend," Stewart said. "After the first four weeks, that's the one thing I desperately wanted to see happen."

Newman heads into Sunday's race ranked 32nd in the driver standings and in danger of falling below the important top-35 mark. But Stewart said the struggles have not been indicative of the team's performance.

"Everything that they've had has seemed to be bad luck so far," Stewart said. "Nobody has been in crisis mode over there. It's just a matter of them getting things starting to click. I think their confidence is good. I think if we were running bad, they'd need a confidence builder."

Stewart says the team has been buoyed by his strong start to the season -- he's sixth in the standings with three top-10 finishes.

"One thing that has been good for them is the fact that we're running good, so they know that they've got the same stuff that we have," Stewart said. "All they need to do is get the monkey off their back, and they can be right there where we are."

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UNWIND LAP: Kurt Busch received more than 10,000 suggestions as to what he should call the unique victory lap he concocted following his win at Atlanta two weeks ago.

The lap driven in reverse elicited 61 suggestions with the word "unwind" in it, so Busch will call his new signature celebratory move the "Unwind Lap."

"Hopefully I will get the chance to tear up reverse gears in cars all over the country this season," Busch said.

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KING'S CUP: The Paralyzed Veterans of America will team with Richard Petty to host an endurance go-kart race in May in Mooresville, N.C.

"King's Cup Karting for a Cause" will be a four-hour endurance go-kart race, and Petty will be the honorary chairman.

"I've seen firsthand the sacrifices that our troops make so that we can enjoy our freedom," Petty said. "It has been a real eye-opening experience to learn that there are still places around the country that are not wheelchair accessible and that there are some veterans that are not getting the care that they need. Paralyzed Veterans of America works round the clock to change this situation."

Money raised at the event will go to the 34 chapters of the Paralyzed Veterans located across the country.


Montreal to keep its Nationwide race
Diarra - Title race still on
Former NASCAR stars on track, in booth at Bristol

Burton criticizes Congress over AIG bonuses

BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- NASCAR driver Jeff Burton criticized Congress on Friday over employee bonuses paid by troubled insurance giant AIG.

Asked about the bonuses before practice for Sunday's race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the politically engaged driver faulted Congress for not placing tighter restrictions on the $182.5 billion in bailout money the U.S. government has given AIG.

"I think that Congress screwed it up, and it sure would be nice to have somebody stand up and say "You know what? I screwed up and supported sending tax dollars to a company to bail them out and didn't put more stipulations in there,"' Burton said.

"Congress is ripping all the lenders for screwing the country up -- guess what they are? They're a lender that screwed that up. So how are they any different? So it sure would be nice to see one of them stand up and say "We should have done something different rather than just point the finger at each other."'

AIG has handed out $165 million in employee bonuses, a move that has touched off a national firestorm.

Lawmakers voted Thursday to impose a 90 percent tax, and in some cases a 100 percent tax, on the employee bonuses. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate and President Barack Obama quickly signaled general support for the concept.

But Burton said AIG employees never should have accepted the bonuses, and the company never should have paid them out.

"The people at AIG should have enough sense not to take the bonus," he said. "But the people who gave the money to them ought to have had enough sense not to do that, either."

Burton, who grew up in Virginia but lives in North Carolina, has said he's interested in running for office when his NASCAR career is over. Many people have speculated he'll run for Senate in Virginia.