Bristol fans love to boo Kurt Busch despite -- or because of -- his five Cup victories there. Credit: Autostock

Cross' Words: Bristol

Kevin Harvick is a reporter's dream; a go-to quote if ever there was. He didn't disappoint after Sunday's runner-up finish at Bristol:

"Good day for us, but I hate to see Kurt Busch win. He's a big whiner. But what do I know?"

Kevin Harvick on Kurt Busch: "He's a big whiner." Credit: Autostock

Busch and Harvick are the stock-car equivalent to the Hatfields and McCoys -- even if Sunday's winner doesn't seem inclined to join the fight. Several times after the race Busch was asked about the festering feud between the two, and as proof of his frustration with the line of questioning sarcastically answered: "Thanks for congratulating me for winning. I appreciate it."

Sorry, dude, that wasn't adulation the fans were raining down. Those were boos. Busch had a quip for that, too: "With the last name of Busch it rhymes with boo and [the fans are] entitled to do whatever they want."

Which was boo, mostly -- from driver introductions, to his bump-and-run with Matt Kenseth, to the Whiner's Circle.

Busch is in a no-win situation. He replaced Rusty Wallace as driver for the No. 2, and left a legion of fans looking for another driver for whom to root for on Sundays. He often uses 50-cent words when nickel or dime ones suffice. He's smug and unrepentant.

And he obviously likes it that way.

Food City 500 Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Kurt Busch Dodge 2. Kevin Harvick Chevy 3. Matt Kenseth Ford 4. Carl Edwards Ford 5. Bobby Labonte Dodge 6. Mark Martin Ford 7. Greg Biffle Ford 8. Kyle Busch Chevy 9. Ryan Newman Dodge 10. Kasey Kahne Dodge • Complete results, click here • Standings, click here Victory LaneKurt Busch celebrates his Food City 500 win Hot bloodedPost-race tempers boil over between Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth Final lapsKurt Busch rolls to the checkered flag at the Food City 500 Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Sunday's victory came at the expense of former Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth, who was nudged aside by Busch late in the race with a typical bump-and-run move that has become synonymous with modern day short-track racing.

"I bumped into him a little bit and that was my window to get the lead," Busch said. "If I was still a teammate of his, maybe I would have let him live. But I was hungry."

Kenseth was none too pleased with Busch's tactic. "He knocked me out of the way. I thought if he had a run on me, had me beat, that would have been OK. But he drove extra hard and knocked me out of the way. I thought it was a cheap shot."

Busch also had an answer for that: "If we're leading and [Kenseth] is running second and he bumps me out of the way, I'd understand. That's what goes on, man. This racing is awesome, fans dig it. That's the big thing about Bristol: You have to come to race hard. You have to be able to hoist up the trophy at the end of the day without any grudges."

Harvick -- who on Friday lamented one of the biggest regrets is that he hasn't yet "whipped Kurt Busch's ass" -- said what goes around, comes around.

"I am not going to take it out on the racecars when we are on the track," he said. "If I have to, I will take it out on [Busch]. He took a cheap shot at me last week [at Atlanta] and that isn't something that goes over well."

Of course, Busch had an answer for that too: "There's no way either one of those drivers is going to take away the fact that I won today. If somebody catches you, maybe it's because you're slower and it's not going to be your day to win."

Say Anything

Tony Stewart plays with a Nextel Cup official before Sunday's race. Credit: AP

"If it gets at least an inch of [snow] down there, I'm confident I can lap the field; well maybe except for Kasey Kahne, [Ken] Schrader and [Dave] Blaney and Ryan Newman, he has run some dirt too. Jeff [Gordon] will remember it too. It'll come back to him. So you might see six or eight of us lapping the field."
-- Tony Stewart, after snow on Friday nixed Cup practice and qualifying at Bristol

Figuratively Speaking

174 -- Races between top-five finishes for Petty Enterprises' No. 43 car. Bobby Labonte finished fifth at Bristol, marking the first time the car had posted a top-five since March 25, 2001, at Bristol with driver John Andretti (second).

Fast Facts

• Dodge scored its first victory at Bristol since Richard Petty won the Volunteer 500 on Nov. 2, 1975. (Sure it sounds like a long time, but the majority of that gap was due to the fact Dodge didn't compete in the series.)

Mark Martin attempted to keep warm on a chilly weekend in Tennessee. Credit: Autostock

• Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth and Mark Martin are the only drivers with top-15 finishes in all five races.

• The last time points leader Matt Kenseth was atop the standings: March 28, 2004 -- after Bristol (another Kurt Busch victory).

Up Next

Martinsville | 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday | FOX

• Jimmie Johnson -- who along with Jeremy Mayfield and Ryan Newman will make their 150th consecutive Cup starts Sunday -- has seven consecutive top-10 finishes at Martinsville, the longest current streak.

• And speaking of Newman: Ryan has started from the top-10 in all eight of his races at Martinsville. His 4.0 starting average is the best among all drivers with more than five starts at the track. However, the past four races at Martinsville were won from starting positions of 15th or lower.

• Jeff Gordon has six consecutive top-10s at Martinsville, and swept both races there in 2005. He has four victories in the past six races at the track and sports a 7.8 average finish in 26 races, the best of all active drivers.

Mailbag

ALSO •   Send Duane your thoughts ...

Fans sound off:

Before we get to the 'bag, a mea culpa: Scott Riggs is 35th in points -- not Sterling Marlin, as posted in a piece I wrote for Monday morning. Call it a brain freeze; the ol' noggin' was still frozen from the snow at Bristol. Thanks to everyone who took the time to bust me on that one. Your e-mails are always appreciated.

Sunday we once again saw the hypocrisy of NASCAR. Jeff Gordon gets steamrolled by Matt Kenseth on the final lap of the race but NASCAR doesn't throw the caution flag. We hear continually how the most important thing is the safety of the drivers. However, when push came to shove -- both literally and figuratively -- NASCAR turned a blind eye to Gordon's spinning car and all the speeding traffic directly behind him. I guess a green-flag finish is more important than Gordon's safety. I guarantee if that spin had happened 10 laps previous, we would have seen the caution flag.
-- Steve Lynch

Who picks the music selections for the NASCAR commercials? I just heard a new one tonight and thought I was listening to a rap channel on one of those "channels" I wouldn't be caught dead listening to! Why do they think the public needs to be force-fed the garbage they are trying to put on us. I think in the long run they will lose a bigger crowd over time with all the changes they are trying to force on us just to sell a few more tickets. They want to create a big monster, and that's exactly what it will turn into. Phony -- just like wrestling! Who wants that? Not everyone, I can bet. Leave it alone and let it be what it is and has been!
-- David Baird

Why was Bill Lester scored zero points for the Atlanta race?
-- Nolan Dix

Lester officially was scored PE -- post entry; Bill Davis Racing entered the car after the deadline and it was not eligible for points.

And finally, a lot of readers echoes these sentiments in response to last week's submission from Maurice D. Casey:

If the letter from the Harvick critic is an example of the "new breed of fan" NASCAR is doomed. The fan that thinks it's unlawful for a driver to pop off a little has obviously never been in any serious competition. If a person is that "sensitive", maybe a game of tic-tac-toe would be more to this persons competitive spirit. NASCAR is doing just fine without the arm-chair lawyers. Enjoy the show and if a driver pops off a little, sooooo what?
-- Paul Hunsaker

Fantasy Perspective

At Martinsville ...

• Kasey Kahne has one top-10 finish in four starts -- he was second in this race one year ago -- with a 13.2 average finish.

• Mark Martin has two wins in 40 races, but his 21 top-10s are the most among active full-time drivers. He finished third in this race last year.

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. has five top-10 finishes -- all top-fives -- in 12 races, but he has finished 13th or worse in his past three starts.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.