Kurt Busch got to run 19 laps in his backup car after an accident in Happy Hour. Credit: Autostock

Kurt Busch victimized by ongoing Indy tire issues

Third-place qualifier goes to backup after blown tire in Happy Hour

SPEEDWAY, Ind. -- Two of the top three qualifiers for Sunday's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard had tire issues in Saturday's final practice sessions. One was lucky, the other not so.

While Clint Bowyer was able to pull his No. 07 Chevrolet to a safe stop despite a flat left-front tire, Kurt Busch was forced to pull out his backup No. 2 Dodge when he belted the Turn 1 wall after his left-front suddenly went down.

Clint Bowyer had a tire go down, but he was able to get his car slowed down without damage. Credit: Autostock

Allstate 400 Happy Hour Speeds Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. Burton 175.200 51.370 2. Kenseth 174.341 51.623 3. Edwards 174.250 51.650 4. Bowyer 173.940 51.742 5. Schrader 173.859 51.766 6. Vickers 173.604 51.842 7. Hamlin 173.568 51.853 8. R. Gordon 173.407 51.901 9. Martin 173.384 51.908 10. Harvick 173.180 51.969 • Happy Hour speeds, click here 3rd Practice Speeds Pos. Driver Speed Time 1. Kahne 175.915 51.161 2. Bowyer 175.822 51.188 3. Harvick 175.661 51.235 4. Ku. Busch 175.589 51.256 5. Burton 175.319 51.335 6. Kenseth 175.271 51.349 7. Stremme 175.067 51.409 8. McMurray 175.012 51.425 9. Johnson 174.727 51.509 10. Truex Jr. 174.706 51.515 • 3rd practice speeds, click here Bud Pole winnerJeff Burton captures the pole for the Allstate 400 Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"We were on a seven-lap run with scuffed tires and just blew a left-front tire," Busch said. "Obviously, it was unexpected.

"It's not our best foot forward because that was a great car, almost a pole-sitting car. We'll have a good backup and give it our best effort."

A Goodyear representative said another team member told him that Busch may have run over some debris.

Busch returned to run a total of 19 laps in Happy Hour, clocking the 19th-best time.

Bowyer's incident was similar, but he was able to notice the change in air pressure on Indy's long front straight.

"I think I might have run over something down at the bottom of the track or something," Bowyer said. "We ran that same air pressure in the test a couple of weeks ago and the first practice all the way through and 10 laps into that practice, so for all of a sudden that to happen ...

"Luckily for us, thank God it happened where it did, coming off [Turn] 4 instead of going into [Turn] 1 like it did Kurt."

Bowyer may have surprised many people with his front-row run earlier in the day, but he backed it up with a pair of solid practice efforts. He was second behind Kasey Kahne in the first one-hour session and fourth to teammate Jeff Burton in the second.

"The car's fast in practice," Bowyer said. "The tires are giving us a little bit of a fit, but I think as the track rubbers up more and more, that issue's going by the wayside, hopefully."

Burton was above 175 mph in both practices, as all three Richard Childress Racing cars, including Kevin Harvick's No. 29, were solidly in the top 10.

Burton said the tire issue is something that will be on his mind Sunday, especially considering the weather. It's expected to be hot and sunny, with highs near 90 degrees.

"We definitely got more laps on the tires [Saturday] than we did [Friday]," Burton said. "We got more laps on the tires in the second practice versus the first practice. The tire wear will continue to improve but it's not fixed just yet."

Matt Kenseth was the best of the Ford contingent, running second to Burton in Happy Hour.

While RCR was enjoying a banner day, the folks at Robert Yates Racing had to be scratching their heads. Dale Jarrett was 37th in both practices, while Elliott Sadler failed to break the 170 mph barrier.