Busch getting closer to dominance at Daytona

Fourth-place finish Busch's best in July race

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kurt Busch had a chance to win a lot of fans Saturday night.

Sitting fourth in the closing laps of the Pepsi 400, Busch had a chance to push NASCAR's most popular driver to the front at Daytona International Speedway.

Don't you think fans would have cheered had Dale Earnhardt Jr. thanked Busch for the help from Victory Lane?

Pepsi 400 Jeff Gordon celebrates his second straight win Play video Jeff Gordon heads to the checkers at Daytona Play video Earnhardt Jr. takes a wild ride through the grass Play video Ward Burton has big trouble in the early laps Play video  •  Results  •  Standings

But it didn't work out that way. Busch and Earnhardt Jr. tried to work together to get past Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, but Busch's car wasn't handling like Earnhardt Jr.'s -- and vice versa.

So Busch had to settle for fourth.

"I would've loved to help Dale Earnhardt Jr. win the race at the end," Busch said. "I just couldn't run the high groove. I know what he wanted to do. I just wish I had a car capable of doing what he wanted because I know he's a very tough competitor here. What other better guy to follow?"

At Daytona these days, no one. Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500 in February, and he and Dale Earnhardt Inc. teammate Michael Waltrip have been strong on restrictor-plate tracks for several seasons.

Earnhardt Jr. was strong at Daytona again, leading four times for 23 laps. And sitting third as the checkered flag was in sight seemed like a pretty good position.

But Busch wouldn't help. Or, rather, he simply couldn't.

"It's something you can see with Dale Jr.," Busch said. "You try to do what he wants. You know what his plan is, and I learn things from him every time. I just couldn't do the things he wanted me to do with my car's capability."

Still, a fourth at Daytona is nothing to be ashamed of. It's Busch's best finish at Daytona in July and is his third top-five here in eight races.

	Busch said the No. 97 team is a few adjustments away from being a force at Daytona. Credit: Autostock

"We're getting the gap closed," Busch said. "I believe we made the right steps. We had a third-place car at the Daytona 500. I need to learn some more about it, and I need to be humble still about what we need to do. I still think we need to learn."

Some of that education, Busch said, has to involve his teammates. Even though Roush Racing had he and Mark Martin in the top 10, Busch said teamwork could've been better.

"I wish we were a better team to help one another," Busch said. "It seems like when we get Roush cars together, that we slow each other up a little bit. We've got to work on that."

Martin needed some help in the closing laps, but he and Busch couldn't get hooked up.

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"We didn't have any partners out there," Martin said. "(Crew chief) Pat Tryson and the Viagra team had that car really hooked up and we were strolling, but when it came time to go race for the win, the 20 and the 18 were gonna stick together. The 48 and 24 stuck together and the 8 wasn't gonna mess with me, so I was just there all by myself.

"The 97 was ahead of me, and I needed somebody to be behind me and there wasn't anybody."

Greg Biffle looked like he had a car that could have helped his teammates, but Biffle mysteriously faded at the end to 31st.

Biffle had a contending car throughout the race despite ill handling that caused him to claim, "I'm lucky to be alive" after the race. But a late two-tire stop caused the handling of the No. 16 Ford to decline even further.

	Busch believes the Roush team could be more competitive if they worked together a bit better. Credit: Autostock

Jeff Burton wasn't in the picture most of the day despite coming from the back to run in the top 15. He was running close to the top 10 when his car picked a vibration from a "completely killed" right-front tire. He slipped back to 23rd at the finish.

Matt Kenseth couldn't help either, for his car was caught up in a crash with Ward Burton on Lap 19.

That left Busch to battle with everyone else.

"I knew that I was a bit down against the Hendrick cars and the other Chevrolets," Busch said. "We had an opportunity to win, and I went for it. We just came up a bit shy."

He and Earnhardt Jr. shook hands and smiled after the race, each knowing not much could have changed.

But Busch had some words of respect for Earnhardt Jr.

"I will always try to follow you," Busch said.