Kurt Busch is last in points after two Chase races. Credit: Autostock

Defending champ down, but refuses to give up

DOVER, Del. -- After his second consecutive sub-par finish in NASCAR's 10-race championship playoff format, defending Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch was in no mood to discuss either his title chances or what ruined his day.

Busch left Dover International Speedway, the site of Sunday's MBNA RacePoints 400, 10th in the standings -- exactly where he came into the second event in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Inside the Chase Point standings after Dover No. Driver Pts. Behind 1. J. Johnson 5,362 -- 2. R. Wallace 5,355 -7 3. R. Newman 5,350 -12 4. M. Martin 5,341 -21 5. T. Stewart 5,339 -23 6. G. Biffle 5,339 -23 7. J. Mayfield 5,281 -81 8. C. Edwards 5,259 -103 9. M. Kenseth 5,238 -124 10. Ku. Busch 5,192 -170 • Official results, click here • Official standings, click here Final lapsKurt Busch struggles and a green-white-checker finish Flat MattChase driver Kenseth has two separate tire issues MBNA RacePoints 400Get all the highlights from The Monster Mile Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

An ill-timed caution, a flat tire immediately after the race restarted and a subsequent pit road speeding penalty relegated Busch to a 23rd-place finish Sunday.

It made a tough bookend with the 35th-place finish that resulted from an early accident last weekend at New Hampshire.

Busch heads to next weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway 170 points behind championship leader and race winner, Jimmie Johnson.

Busch granted an eight-second interview to TNT, said "Thanks" and stalked into his hauler, obviously disgusted after leading a race-high 192 laps to no good end.

"We just didn't finish where we ran [Sunday] -- bottom line," Busch said. "We had a good Crown Royal Ford, we led some laps [but] we just didn't quite finish where we were supposed to."

Busch's final stint in the lead ended at Lap 337, when he gave the lead up to Johnson. A green-flag pit cycle had begun and Busch had pitted when Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth slammed the wall.

It took some time before NASCAR displayed the caution flag and, when the race restarted at Lap 376 Busch was the 11th and last car on the lead lap -- but he was located in front of leader and teammate Mark Martin.

After taking the green, Martin and Johnson raced past Busch, who moved high on the backstretch, and Johnson made the winning pass in Turns 3 and 4. Busch's car continued to wobble and he immediately pitted to change right-side tires.

Busch's crew chief, Jimmy Fennig, said a piece of broken brake rotor from Kenseth's wreck had cut his car's right-front tire.

Fennig took a break from directing his team's post-race activities to say there was no way his group would give up on its title defense.

	Kurt Busch had only one non-top-10 finish en route to winning the title last year; thus far this Chase, his best finish is 23rd. Credit: Autostock
	Inside the Numbers Kurt Busch (2004 Chase) Race Finish Rank Loudon 1 2 Dover 5 2 Talladega 5 1 Kansas 6 1 Charlotte 4 1 Martinsville 5 1 Atlanta 42 1 Phoenix 10 1 Darlington 6 1 Homestead 5 1

"No -- we're still going racing because that's what we're here for -- we've still got eight races left," Fennig said. "We've just got to keep going because we've got eight to go so we're going to keep going after this championship.

"We don't give up around here."

Busch's younger brother, Kyle, who drove his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to second in the race, said he wouldn't want to be in his brother's shoes as a member of the elite 10-man Chase field.

"It's tough," Kyle Busch said. "Last year, [Kurt] was pretty much so dominant in the beginning part of [the Chase]. It was all the way up to Atlanta (race seven) where he blew his motor that he had a bad run.

"So there's still an opportunity for him to get back in it, it's just all up to these guys to have a couple bad runs."

Kyle Busch was referring to Rusty Wallace, who finished third in the race and moved to within seven points of Johnson, and the rest of the Chase leaders -- the top six of whom are within 23 points of Johnson.

"I'd have to say right now he's probably looking toward the top five in the point standings," Kyle said, "even though I'd love to believe that he could still get the championship."

Wallace didn't like being put on the spot with the same question, but basically agreed.

"I'm really not looking at the competition -- I'm looking at what I'm doing and I'm seven points out of the lead," Wallace said. "And that sounds better -- seven points -- than 170 out."