Another race, another leader in Busch Series

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- The Busch Series points standings changed again after Saturday's Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix, but that's like saying Ryan Newman won a pole.

	Scott Riggs finished sixth Saturday at Phoenix. Credit: Autostock

The lead has changed hands after six of the last eight races, and for the third consecutive week, a different driver is atop the standings.

This week, it's Scott Riggs, whose sixth-place finish in the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway moved him to first, 17 points ahead of the new second-place driver, Ron Hornaday.

All of the top five points positions changed hands Saturday, with previous leader David Green dropping to fourth. But he's still within striking distance, 22 points behind Riggs.

In third is Brian Vickers, the leader two weeks ago, who moved up two spots and is 21 points out of the lead.

Jason Keller, who slipped two positions, is 60 points behind with two races remaining.

And don't forget about race-winner Bobby Hamilton Jr., who has an outside chance at the championship since he's 125 points behind.

A run down of the top six in the points:

1. SCOTT RIGGS, 4,373 points

Riggs led for five consecutive races earlier this year but dropped to fifth in points after three finishes out of the top 10. He's worked his way back up front with a pair of sixth-place finishes.

He battled Hornaday for fifth place at Phoenix but came up short.

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"Thank goodness," Riggs said. "Got close a lot of times. We got spread (out) pretty good a lot of those green-flag runs. Where we finished is about the car we had. We made adjustments before the race that was probably a little too much. That was something we couldn't adjust back out.

"Me and Hornaday's had our struggles in the past. We're going to race each other hard and clean all the rest of the races."

Now, Riggs is the target.

"Well, not really," Riggs said. "If you want to get real technical about it, Kevin Harvick is the points leader. If it's a curse, I just traded it over to Kevin."

Harvick and the No. 21 team lead the owners' points standings and have for some time. Meanwhile, the drivers' standings change about every week.

"We want to lead the points after the checkered flag falls at Homestead," Riggs said. "We're going to keep digging. Anything can still happen from here. We're going to keep working hard and get where we need to be."

2. RON HORNADAY, minus-17

Hornaday hasn't been this close to the leader since he was second in points after the California race in April. That's OK with him, because he wants to avoid the Points Leader Jinx

BASHAS' SUPERMARKETS 200  Bobby Hamilton Jr. got his series-leading fourth win of the season after he was declared the winner of Saturday's Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix. The race was halted by rain after 181 of 200 scheduled laps.  •  Complete story, click here  •  Results  •  Standings

"Second in points. I don't want to get out of here leading, because everybody who's leading has had problems," Hornaday said. "It was a good race. ... We tested at Rockingham, and it's an open game at Homestead."

Hornaday was apologetic to his crew after Saturday's race for a poor qualifying run that forced Hornaday to start 15th.

"I didn't even know the points," Hornaday said. "It doesn't really matter. I just wanted to win to win this race so bad. I really blew it with the way I qualified. I wanted to free the car up, and they didn't exactly what I wanted to do, but it just got way too free on me when I qualified to put us that far back.

"I just had to drive my guts out all day. This car, I abused it all day, and that was a problem."

A bigger problem seemed to be Joe Nemechek, at least from Hornaday's perspective.

"The only one I had a problem with all day was Nemechek," Hornaday said. "I love to drive with him and all that, and he was a little faster, but you've got to understand, we're points racing. I've got Scott Riggs between me and him, and he turned me sideways through the tri-oval.

"Towards the end, I got him on a restart, and he moved me sideways in 3 and 4. I'll remember that.

"It's a tough deal. Racing is racing, but going for a points deal this close with three races to go and having a Cup guy come and do that, it's pretty disheartening."

3. BRIAN VICKERS, minus-21

Vickers has felt the Points Leader Jinx twice this season. He's led twice but immediately lost the lead the following week, so he understands it.

	Brian Vickers knows all about the Points Leader Jinx in the Busch Series. Credit: Autostock

"I don't think it ever went away," Vickers said. "It just keeps changing from whoever the points leader is. I don't know what it is. I can't explain it."

Vickers and his team have tried to achieve simple goals: stay out of trouble and be there and the end of the race. It worked Saturday, as Vickers came through with a third-place finish.

"Well, I want to be in the points lead before then end of Miami, but I don't know if I want to be there before," Vickers said. "I'm not going to say I don't, because you might get your wish. Be careful what you ask for. I would rather not have it now, because it seems like whoever has it now has just horrible luck."

With five drivers within 60 points of each other, the points battle can make a driver crazy.

"It's a little nerve-wracking," Vickers said. "It's great for the fans, it's great for the sport. This is entertainment. I used to be a fan every Sunday -- I guess I can't see that side any more -- so I know how it is. I'm happy for the sport, but at the same time, from our point of view, it's definitely nerve-wracking.

"With a points battle with five people so close, you can't have a good day and win it, but you can have a bad day and lose it. ... When you're racing five guys, somebody's going to have a good day."

4. DAVID GREEN, minus-22

Green wasn't one of the guys who had a good day. He struggled with handling all race long and ended up 16th.

	David Green's team just couldn't find the right combination at PIR. Credit: Autostock

"It was like Santa Claus' setup," Green said. "Not sure what happened. The old car didn't do what we thought it should have done. It was a little bit possessed today. Out of 32 races, to have one bad race is nothing to be ashamed of. Just had an off day."

On a caution late in the race, some of the cars on the end of the lead lap pitted, including Jason Keller. Green wasn't one of them, and if the rain had stayed away, Green might have lost a few more spots.

"I would have liked to have had tires, but track position is more important.," Green said. "I got passed by one, and one tried to drive though me. We made it better (during the race). ... As a driver, this is the one thing you want the most. We'll be back next year, but we want to do it right now. We had it, we gave it up, we'll get better next week."

5. JASON KELLER, minus-60

It was a miserable day for Keller, who is 60 points behind Riggs after finishing 17th at Phoenix.

	It seemed like Jason Keller and his No. 57 team couldn't do anything right Saturday.

Keller, who qualified only 22nd, never got into the top 10.

He made a pit stop for four tires when the final caution came out, but that advantage was negated when rain stopped the race on Lap 181.

"We just didn't run good all weekend," said Keller, who had finished third or second in the standings for three straight years. "Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of good things to talk about."

"We can overcome the (60-point) deficit if we run better, but we can't if we run like we did today."

6. BOBBY HAMILTON Jr., minus-125

Don't forget about Hamilton Jr., who won his series-leading fourth race of the year Saturday. Sure, he's got five guys to climb over, but stranger things have happened this year.

	Bobby Hamilton Jr. may need a little help to get the Busch Series points lead. Credit: Autostock

"We're not even concentrating on points," Hamilton Jr. said "We'd love to get in the top five. But as far as the championship stuff, we're here to do one thing, and that's win races.

"It's really going to be hard for us to fall to seventh, and it's really going to be hard to get to fifth. So we're in a perfect situation just to go out and stick our neck on the line to try to win races."