Penske team happy in COT with top-10s at Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. -- Roger Penske has won so many races and championships, running fifth and sixth in a Nextel Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway isn't going to get him too excited.

But "The Captain" knows enough about business, momentum and the people it takes to capitalize on both that he could easily see the value of Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman's finishes Sunday afternoon in the Crown Royal presents the Jim Stewart 400.

Lap-by-Lap

Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch started 30th and 33rd, respectively, but both brought their Penske Racing Dodge's home in the top 10.

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Especially since the result was the second consecutive week in which the Penske pair both finished in the top 10, following Busch's third and Newman's ninth at Talladega.

The last two results are particularly heartening, because each of the drivers has only one other top 10 in the season's other eight races, and both of those came within the first three events.

"Just to see the emotion from [all] the guys, today," Penske said while walking through Richmond's garage. "They had a tough [pit] stop and Kurt drove it from 43rd to first, and Ryan drove it up there.

"To me, they stayed out of trouble and had good stops. We were lucky on that issue with [Kevin] Harvick and [David Ragan, who crashed in the pits while Harvick was dominating], but there again, it's tight racing and you don't know until it's the end."

What the team knows is that Busch, who's led 195 laps this season in six different races, and who led three times for 27 laps Sunday jumped up a spot in the standings to ninth and is only five points out of eighth.

Newman, over the past two weeks with consecutive top-10 finishes has gained seven positions in the standings and is now 19th, 120 points out of a Chase spot, which both he and Busch missed last season. Newman led a lap Sunday, which is only the third race and third lap he's led all season.

For the third consecutive week, Busch was working at the track with interim crew chief Troy Raker, a team engineer who stepped into the weekend position when Roy McCauley stepped back prior to Phoenix to spend time with his ill wife. Newman's crew chief Mike Nelson is in his first full season in the position.

"We know we've got a good team," Penske said. "We're working at it. We've got good drivers and good crews, and this was a validation of what we're trying to do -- they're doing a hell of a job. (Continued)