Penske team happy in COT with top-10s at Richmond (cont'd)

"We've just got to figure out when to pit. If we don't come it's wrong and if we do come in it's wrong -- but still, it was a good race for both teams. I think Kurt had a car that could have won, and it looks like we're learning a lot about the COT."

Busch is enthused his cars have been so sporty; though he pointed out his team is working on the full race package.

"I'm very disappointed we let that race get away -- very disappointed the Miller Lite Dodge didn't win today, but that's why they call it racing," Busch said. "We had a good car and the team worked well on pit stops, we just decided to pit at the wrong time."

As Penske said, Busch went to the back after pitting and came back. Busch was confident enough to say he could have challenged for the win, given enough time; and it was a fact, for probably the first time this season, both he and Newman were coming to the front when the checkers fell.

While the COT-dominant Hendrick Motorsports cars took first, second and fourth, Busch said he thought he had something for them, as he raced to his second consecutive top-five finish.

"It would have been fun to race them for the victory," Busch said of the consequences of the pit decision. "We had track position at the time and we gave it up, so that was a bad call. It would have been up to them to get by us.

"It would have been interesting to try to hold them off. I felt our Dodge Avenger was just as strong today as their cars."

Though it was the first strong start-to-finish COT showing for Penske, the owner said there was no question to him going all-COT was better done sooner than on NASCAR's currently proposed schedule, which runs through 2009.

"As I've said, I think we need to have one car to work on because when you're jumping back and forth, it's a lot of work for the guys, and it's more costly," Penske said. "But I think that we proved, here and at Phoenix that we have a pretty good car on these COTs, so obviously I have a preference to go that way.

"But there again, we're trying to stay consistent. We need to keep focusing and getting good finishes like we had today with both cars, which is driving us in the right direction, so it was a great day for us.

"I think we've probably been better than we've shown on the scoreboard, but today was a perfect test for us."

Penske will get no argument from Newman on the COT, which runs for the fifth time, next weekend at Darlington.

"I'm really looking forward to Darlington," Newman said. "Obviously the Hendrick cars are the ones to beat, and from what I've heard they got a head start on everybody with testing, and that kind of shows up.

"But the bottom line is, I like Darlington and I look forward to going there because it's a fun track for me. Our Car of Tomorrow program is strong. I'm not saying we can't make it stronger, but it's definitely strong right now."

It will have to be, to upset the Hendrick teams that have won all four COT races, with three different drivers: Kurt's younger brother Kyle Busch, Sunday's winner Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, going to Victory Lane.