Busch maturation process shows he's on top of game

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Wasn't Kurt Busch's season supposed to be over after Dover?

Getting parked by NASCAR after his run-in -- and near run-into -- plus the 100-point penalty, it appeared at the time that Busch's bad-boy behavior had returned, ruining his chances of making the Chase for the Nextel Cup. He dropped from seventh to 17th in the standings, and most people were ready to write him off, then and there.

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Hadn't we seen this melodrama before? Busch vs. Spencer. Busch vs. Biffle. Busch vs. Harvick. Busch vs. Stewart. Busch vs. Arizona sheriff's deputy. Heck, even Busch vs. Busch in the All-Star Challenge.

But in the 10 weeks since the Monster Mile meltdown, Busch has reached a level of maturity that we haven't seen previously.

Kurt Busch has grown up.

Instead of throwing away the rest of the season in a fit of impertinence, Busch -- with the assistance of crew chief Pat Tryson and the rest of the No. 2 crew -- has put his season back on track. His victory in Sunday/Monday/Tuesday's 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway was his second in the last three races, putting him 163 points ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the 12th and final spot in the Chase.

How can this be the same guy who fans love to hate?

"I think he's matured, as all young men do," team owner Roger Penske said. "I'd rather have a guy that I'm pulling on his belt than having to kick him in the butt, I can tell you that."

In a sport known for its conservative bent, Busch has taken that idea to a new level. Faced with moving a mountain -- getting back into Chase contention -- Busch realized that the best way to accomplish his goal was to do it one shovelful at a time.

"My approach has been, let's just go race each race to grab a little points, a little bit at a time, stay smooth, stay steady," Busch said. "At the same time, our cars, our team and our setups have developed into being stronger. That's helped us."

Tryson has certainly bought into the new Busch -- and even though they're now the target instead of the arrow, the guy on the pit box isn't changing a thing.

"I think we keep in the same mode we're in," Tryson said. "When we started, eight races or so ago, it was to try to get 20 points on everybody around us every week -- behind us, in front of us. That's how I think we've still got to look at it."

Tryson said the key is not to give away for which the momentum the team has worked so hard over the past two months.

"It's easy to lose 90 points in one day," he said. "You can break a motor, you can get caught up in a mess.

"I think we just need to keep what we're doing, everybody working hard, and keep trying to get 20 on everybody around us every week. If we do that, we'll be in good shape."

Roger Penske knows a few things about winning championships. True, he hasn't done it in NASCAR's top series, but with the way Busch and Co. are going, the Captain's eyes light up when he thinks of the possibilities.

"We've got to get in the Chase," Penske said. "We're three races to it right now and I don't know what the points look like today. If he's in, he's going to be a car that they're going to have to beat."

Penske is a man who knows a few things about hiring talented drivers, which is why your ears perk up when he speaks about hiring Kurt Busch.

"He's certainly has demonstrated in the last races here how he really is," Penske said. "I think he is right at the top of his game. And now with us giving him the tools that he needs, he's going to be fine. I think it was the best move I ever made."

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.