Richmond '07 reminiscent of Busch's 2004 title run

RICHMOND, Va. -- This isn't the first time Kurt Busch has driven down this path.

He enters this Saturday's Chevy Rock & Roll 400 needing a finish of just 36th or better to lock himself into the Chase for the Nextel Cup, which will begin one week from Sunday in New Hampshire. Busch is 11th in points heading into Saturday's event at Richmond International Raceway, the 26th of the final one of the regular season. The top 12 drivers advance to the Chase that will commence during the final 10 races.

"It reminds me of 2004," Busch said Friday. "That was a year that was good to me, winning the championship. But yet I wasn't locked in when I came to Richmond that year. I just needed to finish 40th or better that time.

"It's the same type of feel this time around. Hopefully during the race, maybe 100 laps in or so, [crew chief] Pat Tryson will radio in that we've been locked in mathematically and we'll be able to really stand on it and see what we've got. We have to have a conservative approach, but 36th or better isn't too tall an order."

When he was first asked about this year's new Chase format -- which increased the number of eligible drivers from 10 to 12 -- Busch sounded nostalgic for the old days, or at least for how the Chase format was last season.

"If it was just the 10 [cars] again, this would be the most exciting opportunity for the race to the Chase to really show itself -- with Clint Bowyer, myself and [Kevin] Harvick all within 40 points of each other," Busch said. "With me being 11th and only 40 points out of ninth, it really would have been exciting to see who was going to get in and who was going to get out. It would have changed every lap with positions out on the track.

"But this year there are 12 guys and so Dale Jr. [who is 13th and 128 points out of 12th] has quite a bit of work to do to catch up. The rest of us are able to breathe a little easier, but it sure would have been interesting to see if there were only 10 of us and there were three drivers within 40 points."

That isn't to say that Busch prefers the old format to the new one. In fact, he said the truth is exactly the opposite.

"I think it's great that we have 12 cars that will go into what we call the postseason, or the Chase. When you've got 43 competitive teams that are out there shooting for 10 spots, those numbers just don't seem to add up," Busch said. "Major League Baseball or [professional] football, they have something like 30 teams and send eight or 10 teams into the playoffs. In the NBA, they send over half their teams to the playoffs.

"So with 43 competitive teams out there, that's already more than what Major League Baseball, football and basketball have in general. So I think taking it from 10 to 12, the numbers match a little bit better as far as teams in our sport that make the postseason."

Now he just hopes the numbers match up for him and his No. 2 Dodge when Saturday's race is completed and the Chase field is set.

"When you start a race and they tell you that you just have to finish 40th or better [like in 2004], you're not necessarily worried about what other guys have to do or where they are," he said. "That is the same mindset that we have this weekend -- [finish] 36th or better and just worry about our racecar.

"If the 8 car [of Earnhardt] is out there dominating and leading every lap, we might worry about where he is because he is leading. But all we have to do is make sue we keep the car clean and make sure it is running on eight cylinders."

Once a driver is in the Chase, as Busch has been twice before, anything can happen. He proved that by winning the championship in 2004 after beginning the Chase in the seventh position. Busch learned it again the hard way when he had to settle for 10th a year later after owner Jack Roush suspended him for the final two races of the season following a verbal dispute with a police officer who subsequently charged Busch with reckless driving as he left Phoenix International Raceway.

"It is a tough challenge," Busch said of participating in the Chase. "You have to be at your very best for 10 weeks straight. When you're running well, it seems like Monday through Thursday is about a month long in between each of the races. When you're struggling, it seems like there is only a day in between each of the races -- because you need more time to prep and you need to get things caught up."

Busch said he believes his team has their momentum headed in the right direction. He has finished in the top 11 in eight consecutive races, including two victories, three top-five finishes and nine top-10s. In fact, he has finished worse than 36th only twice all season -- finishing 41st in the season-opening Daytona 500 and 42nd at Dover on June 3.

"I think we're going to be fine," Busch said. "We are hitting a good stride at a good time."