Hard Charger: Kurt Busch

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- He's come close enough this season to smell victory, nabbing two top-five finishes, and chasing the leaders late.

But getting your first Winston Cup win at Bristol Motor Speedway, the short track where race conditions mimic a blender?

"The line in Vegas was probably 50-to-1," admitted native son Kurt Busch.

Yet Jack Roush's second-year driver beat them all in Sunday's Food City 500. And he did it with two significant handicaps: not only did he engender a feud with veteran Jimmy Spencer in the final laps, he fought his way from a 27th starting spot to put himself in that position.

"There's nothing better than the first one," Busch said. "You never expect to win at Bristol for your first one, anyhow."

He made the most of it, leaping atop his black-and-blue Taurus to salute fans at the finish line, then sprinting up the frontstretch to take the checkered flag from NASCAR official Jimmy Howell. The scene was a complete reversal of Busch's pre-race state; he and girlfriend Melissa Schaper perched alone on his pit wall, undisturbed as hundreds of fans milled past.

"I've only run here three times," Busch said. "This is my third trip. Jack Roush told me it takes three times to learn a place, so we were able to grant him that wish today."

The youngest member of the Roush Racing stable (he's fourth in line behind Mark Martin, Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth), the 23-year-old Busch had wormed his way into the top 10 by the day's 10 caution on lap 282. He jumped to second after the 12th caution -- there were 14 on the day -- and put himself in position for the battle with Spencer.

It happened on lap 444, when Spencer passed Busch for the lead. Busch returned the favor on lap 445, with a metal-on-metal calling card that precipitated a Spencer spin. He led the final 56 laps, becoming the youngest winner since Jeff Gordon won the 1994 Coca-Cola 600 at age 22. Afterwards, Spencer groused about Busch's lack of respect. In response, Busch recalled an incident late last season at Phoenix, claiming a then-lapped Spencer knocked him out of eighth place in that race, and ultimately the top 25 in points.

"I didn't want to just kind of lay over like a puppy and let him take it," Busch said of Spencer's lap 444 pass on Sunday.

Controversy aside, both Roush and Busch heaped praise on crew chief Jimmy Fennig, Martin's longtime chief who swapped roles with Ben Leslie during the off-season. It was Fennig who made the call for Busch to avoid pit stops during the final 157 laps, and Fennig who calmly counted down the laps in Busch's radio earpiece during the final moments.

"Kurt did an awesome job," Fennig said. "He's the man."

"Jimmy has adopted Kurt and Kurt says he works with him just like his dad," Roush said. "And life's good. I can sit back and not have to be a referee."