With Kurt Busch's win at Pocono last week, the defending champ now sits fifth in points. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Busch showing signs he can repeat as champ

LONG POND, Pa. -- Kurt Busch may not have acted like a champion at times this year, but he sure is driving like one of late.

Leaving behind the bad behavior that overshadowed the start of his Nextel Cup championship defense and some poor results that dropped him out of the top 10 in the points standings, Busch has positioned himself to make a spirited run at a second straight NASCAR title.

NASCAR's off week has come at an inopportune time for Busch, who will carry three straight top-10 finishes, and four in his last five races, into the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard in Indianapolis on Aug. 7.

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The string of solid finishes -- including a dominant performance in winning the Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway last Sunday -- has Busch in fifth place in the standings and aiming for the rarified air of back-to-back titles.

Jeff Gordon in 1997 and 1998 was the last repeat winner. At 26, Busch tied Gordon as the third-youngest champion in NASCAR history.

"We're up to the challenge again," Busch said. "At this point in the season, everybody feels a little bit of pressure to lay the hammer down a little bit harder."

Barring some disastrous results in the next six races, Busch seems a sure bet to qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup championship. Only drivers in the top 10, or within 400 points of the leader, after 26 races will vie for the title.

Busch trails leader Jimmie Johnson by 262 points, and has a 165-point edge over Dale Jarrett in 10th place. The Chase begins at New Hampshire International Speedway on Sept. 18.

Busch was in seventh place going into the final 10 races last year, then kicked off the Chase with a win at New Hampshire.

"Last year was the perfect year for us," Roush Racing owner Jack Roush said.

This year has had more bumps than the oft-criticized Pocono track. Busch followed two thirds and a second-place finish in his first three races with consecutive finishes in the 30s.

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Busch rebounded to win at Phoenix, his only other victory this season, but then some of his notorious behavior resurfaced.

After feuds with rival NASCAR drivers and insults hurled toward NASCAR officials left him with a soiled reputation in the garages, Busch took steps to improve his image. This year, he was keeping his name in the headlines for just his driving until an outburst at Darlington got him hauled into the NASCAR trailer for a meeting with league officials.

Since then, Busch has stayed out of trouble, though Darlington started a run where he had only one top-10 finish in six races. After placing 22nd on June 19 in Michigan, Busch dropped to 11th place in the points standings -- his lowest ranking of the season.

Now he's back on track after a third at Sonoma, an eighth in Chicago and second at New Hampshire, followed by his win at Pocono.

Busch's 13th career victory was one of his most impressive performances, leading 131 of the 203 laps while holding off a late charge from veterans Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin.

"It eliminates a race for bad things to happen leading up to New Hampshire when we race for the final 10," he said.

Busch also led a standout effort from Roush Racing, which had Mark Martin finish third and Carl Edwards fourth. With Martin in seventh place and Edwards in 12th, they can't afford a bad race or two if they want to compete with their teammate for the title.

"One bad race at this point could be the one that we could not overcome," Martin said.

Busch planned to travel this week to Europe to watch a Formula One race before preparing for Indianapolis. He finished 10th at the famed Brickyard last year.

"The Indianapolis race is gaining prestige every year, and it feels like the Daytona 500 when we go there, but it's only for three short days," he said.

Busch ended last season with six top-10 finishes in the Chase. That has Busch confident that if his No. 97 Ford remains strong and wreck-free in the next six races, he can make a run for another title down the stretch.

"We've got a small group of tracks we need consistent finishes on," he said. "When you show strength going into the Chase, it can only help you with the intimidation factor."