Dale Earnhardt Jr. says his driver, Martin Truex Jr., will have to be nearly perfect the rest of the season to win this year's Busch Series title. Credit: Autostock

Junior: Truex Jr. has tough battle to win title

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- This year's Busch Series points race promises to go down to the final race of the season, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. knows what it will take for Martin Truex Jr. to beat Kyle Busch.

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Truex Jr., in his first full season driving for DEI, is holding onto a 97-point lead over Busch heading into Friday night's Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway -- a track where anything can happen.

Avoiding the bad, Earnhardt Jr. said, is what wins Busch titles.

"He's got a pretty tough competitor in Kyle Busch," Earnhardt Jr. said. "He will have to be pretty flawless the rest of the year. It's going to be a pretty tight race to the end."

In 1998, Earnhardt Jr. won the Busch title by a scant 48 points over Matt Kenseth, whom he battled all season. It was a two-car race - their closest challenger, Mike McLaughlin, was over 400 points back in third place.

"Matt was always right in front of me or behind me," Earnhardt Jr. said.

This year's Busch points chase is nearly identical, with third-place Jason Leffler standing 398 points from the lead.

Run up front every week in the Nextel Cup Series, Earnhardt Jr. says, and you'll have a top-10 race team. Run up front every week in the Busch Series, and you'll win the title.

It's good to be consistent in the Cup Series, but hell, there's 15 guys (who are consistent)," Earnhardt Jr. said. "In the Busch Series, only 1-2 guys can match you."