Kyle Busch leads Martin Truex early in the Aaron's 312 at Atlanta. Busch led 17 laps but had to settle for second behind Matt Kenseth. Credit: Autostock

Title hopes didn't mean much to Busch

Hendrick driver tried to give team emotional win

HAMPTON, Ga. -- For one of the few times in any racer's career, thoughts of a potential championship were secondary Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Aaron's 312 Unofficial Results Unofficial Standings Photo Gallery

NASCAR Busch Series championship leader Martin Truex Jr. dodged three bullets in the last 16 laps of the Aaron's 312, and second place Kyle Busch had a chance to dent Truex's 208-point advantage.

But Busch, Hendrick Motorsports' championship contender, had a chance to win the race with only a green-white-checker finish and defending Cup champion Matt Kenseth in his way.

Thoughts of the championship big picture went out the window and only one thing was on Busch's mind.

"It all came down to win or lose, and we were excited about it," Busch's crew chief Lance McGrew said. "With 13 or 14 laps to go, under yellow, I told Kyle, 'Normally, I'd give you the big speech about it being a points day, to look at the big picture (and) the 8 car (Truex) has had trouble.'

Aaron's 312 Videos Early trouble Cars get tangled up just two laps into the Aaron's 312 Atlanta shootout Matt Kenseth wins in a green-white-checkers finish Truex in trouble Late race problems for championship leader Martin Truex Jr. Top finishers Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. on their finishes Victory Lane Matt Kenseth humbly celebrates his Aaron's 312 win

"I said, 'Not today buddy -- just win -- let's do everything we can to win this race. We didn't, but it wasn't for lack of effort, I can tell you that."

Kenseth's experience made the difference in the Roush Racing driver's third victory this season in only 13 starts, but Busch's race-long effort and breakneck run into second, left him drained nearly beyond words.

Six days ago, 10 members and friends of the Hendrick organization were killed in an airplane crash in Virginia on the way to Martinsville Speedway.

Saturday's race was the first since the crash, and Busch, 19, desperately wanted to win to honor his friends' memories.

"I didn't say it on TV, but my heart and prayers go out to the Hendrick family -- I tried the best I could," Busch said. "I didn't only lose a car owner, a spotter, a friend -- I lost a brother (Ricky Hendrick)."

"He wanted to win," McGrew said of Busch's drained demeanor. "The only thing we can do to ease any of our pain is to succeed at what we do, week in and week out. Right now that doesn't seem like a lot to go on.

"It has been absolutely the hardest week of my whole life, for not just me, but for 400-and-something people at Hendrick Motorsports and thousands and thousands of people around the country.

"Our hearts go out to the Hendrick family and all the families (because) you can't even describe the pain we're all going through."

Busch briefly spoke to TNT after the race, then slumped momentarily against the side of his Chevrolet on pit road before taking the long walk to his hauler, briefly commenting to the media that walked at his sides.

The drama surrounding the Busch team and the five Hendrick teams competing in Sunday's Nextel Cup Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 was overwhelmingly palpable, to the point it almost made the championship race an afterthought.

Truex still holds commanding points lead

But for Truex's part, he was happy to escape Atlanta with a comfortable 176-point lead, despite loading a considerably warped Chevrolet into his Chance 2 Motorsports hauler.

Martin Truex Jr. Credit: Autostock

"I hope so -- I mean, this was tough," Truex said when asked if a day such as Saturday's is the truest test of a team's championship mettle. "We had a great car and we were doing all the right things, I thought, but I just got in the wrong spot at the wrong time there at the end."

Truex, who used an aggressive and consistent strategy throughout the race, was involved in three incidents in the last 16 laps that he had nothing to do with creating, and considered himself lucky to finish the race on the lead lap, and in the top-10.

For the first time in the second half of the season, Busch was able to make a significant dent in Truex's lead; but even at that Busch only gained 32 points with his second place finish.

Truex finished ninth following the green-white-checker finish. Both Truex and Busch led laps in the race, which jelled perfectly with Truex's goal in this and the final three races of the season.

"That was our plan and it has been," Truex said. "We had a great car, it got loose and we fixed it --- we got it really good at one point, it got loose again and we fixed it again.

"I felt like with one more adjustment we'd be really good, but it was probably going to go green all the way until I got that flat tire. I thought we had a shot at a fifth or sixth place finish, but we had trouble and got a ninth, so that's not bad."

Truex made no bones about maximizing his advantage right from the start. He jumped to the lead from his outside front row starting position and paced the first 10 laps on the 1.54-mile oval.

Busch, who started fourth, grabbed the lead from Truex at Lap 11 and never fell out of the top-10. His team actually used crisp pit work to keep him in the top-five all day and Busch was in position to challenge Kenseth at the end.

"That's all I had, I couldn't really give him any more," Busch said. "Kenseth gave me the bottom (but) I just couldn't hold it down there."

With just three races remaining to catch Truex, Busch admitted to a little frustration at being unable to trim any significant points off Truex's advantage -- which has dogged Busch for the entire second half of the schedule.

Truex's trouble started as he battled David Stremme for sixth. Coming through Turn 2 on Lap 188, Stremme got loose under Truex, slid up and the two cars banged, side-to-side, cutting Truex's left rear tire.

In two more multi-car accidents, Truex slowed down and had them both missed, but in one case he was hit from behind and spun out in Turn 4; and in the other he made a remarkable save between Turns 1 and 2.

"It was a tough day, but (the team) stuck with me," Truex said. "We got a good finish out of it and that was the main thing.

"Everybody's gunning for us and we're just trying to do what we need to do -- do our own thing and not worry about it. We tried to do it again and just got in a little trouble.

"Half of it was my fault. I should have just let (Stremme) go. He was faster than me and I planned on doing it a lap or two later (but) you hate to give up too much track position late in the race."