Kurt Busch's team repairs damage to the right front midway through the Southern 500. Credit: Sherryl Creekmore/NASCAR

Late pit stop helps Busch keeps points lead

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- The look on Kurt Busch's face told the story.

His crew chief, Jimmy Fennig, gave the thumbs-up sign moments after Busch crawled out of the No. 97 Ford.

Busch simply smiled and shook his head.

Busch has eight top-10s in nine Chase races. Credit: Autostock

Is it destiny? Has the No. 97 team shown incredible guts? Or has Busch simply been lucky?

No matter how you want to characterize it, the fact is Busch continues to lead the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

After bouncing back from more adversity Sunday at Darlington Raceway to finish sixth in the Southern 500, Busch leads Jimmie Johnson by 18 points and Jeff Gordon by 21 -- with one race to go.

"That's what it takes for any team to win a championship, to prosper from a horrible day, one bad pit stop or a circumstance on the racetrack," Busch said.

Southern 500 Videos Busch banged up Kurt Busch, in need of a pit stop, is saved as the caution flies Waltrip wrecks Todd Bodine gets loose and Michael Waltrip slams into him Hard hit Dale Jarrett gets loose and hits the wall hard on Lap 195 Blown engine Ryan Newman's engine expires on Lap 331 Final laps Jimmie Johnson beats Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon to the checkers Victory Lane Jimmie Johnson celebrates his 2004 Darlington sweep

Busch has done that more than once in this initial Chase for the Nextel Cup. Remember Kansas and Charlotte, where he spun but avoided contact and rallied to finish strong?

Sunday's Southern 500 wasn't quite as dramatic as those two races, but Busch still feels fortunate to finish sixth with the "worst car" he's ever had at Darlington.

"We really missed the setup on the 97 Ford today," Busch said. "To be able to pull out a finish makes us smile and makes us feel stronger as a team to be able to go through that adversity."

Adversity? There was loads of it Sunday. Just before a caution on lap 120, Busch had a tire rub after contact with Brendan Gaughan. After fixing it on pit road, Busch restarted 25th.

"I ran into a guy while the sun was staring me in the eyes," Busch said. "I made that mistake, but (the crew) did a great job patching the right-front fender."

Slowly, he moved forward, and by Lap 240 was in 10th. But the car wasn't handling like Busch wanted.

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"It just seemed like we were trying to run a car that would gain forward bite, and anything that we changed on the car would take that away," Busch said. "So we're a bit miffed."

Busch had to give up what track position he had for a second pit stop under the race's fifth caution, putting him back to 20th with 124 laps to go.

Again, though, Busch slowly worked forward, getting to ninth with 36 laps remaining. That's when the pit crew went to work, gaining Busch five spots to fourth with a quick pit stop.

"The first (eight) races, we've hit setup, we've raced hard, we've felt good about our finishes - obviously, except for Atlanta," Busch said.

Southern 500 Unofficial Results Unofficial Standings Lap by Lap

"To be to be in this position at the end of the race today was a true tribute to my crew, passing as many cars as we did on pit road with a 12.4 second stop when it counted."

After five laps of green-flag racing, the caution waved again on Lap 345. Jamie McMurray and Kasey Kahne stayed on the track, but Busch was the second car off pit road as his crew shined again.

"Awesome pit stops," Busch said. "I couldn't have done it without their help. It's been a great team effort, and to come out with the finish we did today was just superb."

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With one more finish like that, Busch could be crowned the 2004 championship. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, as Busch has learned all too well during the Chase.

"We've had a few things come our way that we really could've done without," Busch said. "To be able to race hard and worry about our position and what we have to do is our focus. It's definitely a privilege to be in this position.

"To be able to meet the opportunity and be prepared for it is the definition of luck. So far, we've been able to do the best job out of anybody in this Nextel Chase for the Cup."

If he leads a lap and finishes second, it doesn't matter what Johnson or Gordon do, Busch would clinch.

Busch had a 96-point lead after Martinsville but has seen his lead chipped away over the last three races. With one to go, the championship is up for grabs.

"With that type of advantage, we've somewhat lost it over the past two weeks," Busch said. "We know that we need to put a stop to it in the final race."