Busch, Newman serve notice with top finishes

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It’s highly unlikely the word "boring" will be used to describe the 2002 Daytona 500.

			Kurt Busch

Instead, most of the young guns in the race might call it "awesome."

Two- and three-wide racing, multiple lead changes and constant challenges for positions culminated in Ward Burton winning his first Daytona 500.

It may have also served as an indicator for the future stars in the Winston Cup cars, especially for Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman.

Busch led twice for 16 laps in the No. 97 Rubbermaid Ford and finished fourth. Newman brought the No. 12 Alltel Ford home seventh in his first Daytona 500.

In 2001, the 23-year-old Busch had three top fives and six top-10 finishes, but did not finish seven times.

“It was quite an experience just to be up front, leading the Daytona 500 there,” Busch said. “I thought about that for a brief moment, but you have to throw all that behind you because you have all those guys breathing down your neck.

“Maybe I didn’t get aggressive enough blocking, but a lot of guys were blocking and getting some positions that way. I know what it’s going to say in the record books with our fourth-place finish. I know we really didn’t race that well, but to get that finish is what it’s all about.”

Busch knows a good day at Daytona can be just the ticket for a good season.

“I keep trying, anyhow,” Busch said. “It’s just a matter of time before things develop. We had a lot of good runs last year they just never finished the way we wanted.”

			Ryan Newman

Newman started 23rd and showed veteran poise on Sunday, earning rookie of the race honors.

“It was pretty exciting on certain laps, ride-along program on the others,” Newman said. “We started out and got shuffled back, hooked up with Rusty (Wallace) and drove up through.

“I think we drove fourth or fifth there for quite awhile. I mean, it was hairy out there at times.

Newman's biggest scare of the day came on lap 146, when Kevin Harvick was tapped by Jeff Gordon and spun, causing an 18-car pileup on the backstretch.

“That big wreck in Turns 1 and 2, I had to go down through the grass," Newman said. "I was telling some guys earlier, I actually turned the thing to the right going through there. You’re not supposed to do that.

“I cut back into the banking and the car took off. I looked back in the mirror and said, ‘Man, I don’t know how we made it.’”