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Kyle Busch had finishes of second (Cup) and third (Nationwide) at Richmond, but made a lot of people unhappy in the process.

Busch stirs controversies with two famous surnames

Tires make and break weekend for Hamlin at Richmond

By NASCAR.COM
May 5, 2008
02:52 PM EDT

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A recap of all the action from Richmond:

Figuratively speaking

7.9 -- Jeff Burton's average finish this season, tops in the Sprint Cup Series. Burton's lowest finish is 13th in the season-opening Daytona 500. Kyle Busch is second at 9.1. Burton's average start is 26.0; Busch's is 10.4.

Cup Series

Pit Crew of the Week

Carl Edwards took four tires and restarted third behind two-tire takers Jason Leffler and James Buescher on Lap 146. His four tires proved to be better than two as he took the lead and the victory.

Tip of the Week

There's no warning light for low transmission fluid. Under-lubricating may lead to shaky shifting or bring gears to a grinding halt.

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Race
Lineup | Results | Standings | Central

• Clint Bowyer somehow ended up winning a race that was Virginia native's Denny Hamlin's to lose and victory-starved Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s not to win. Hamlin started from the pole and led a track-record 381 laps, then his tire started going flat. That gave the lead to Earnhardt, who was being pushed by Kyle Busch. Their side-by-side battle with contact and Junior spinning out, extending his winless steak to 72 races. That gave the lead to Bowyer, and he held off Busch and Mark Martin in a two-lap sprint for his second career victory.
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Qualifying
• Denny Hamlin and Mark Martin were the only two drivers to top 126 mph to lay claim to the front row, with Hamlin starting on the pole thanks to his 126.198 mph mark that pushed him around the .75-mile oval in 21.395 seconds. Martin had a speed of 126.033 mph (21.423). Hamlin earned his first pole of 2008 and second at RIR. Six Dodges earned top-10 starting berths, led by Patrick Carpentier's Cup-best, fouth-place effort.
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Also check out ...
• Rodman: Clash a product of hard racing
• Pate: Hamlin's perfect weekend falls flat
• Richmond's version of Big One leaves mark
• Gordon leaves RIR more relieved than upset
• Martin has one goal as part-time driver: win

Nationwide Series

Race
Lineup | Results | Standings | Central

• With four fresh tires, Denny Hamlin charged past Kevin Harvick and then held on in a green-white-checkered restart for his first victory at his home track. Harvick's mistake came on Lap 237 when he overruled his crew chief and stayed out on the track as Hamlin pitted. Kyle Busch won a last-lap battle with Steve Wallace for third, and a heated exchange between the two ensued after the race. Wallace wound up fifth.

Qualifying
• Kasey Kahne topped 125 mph to win the pole by .024 seconds over Carl Edwards (124.988). Kahne posted a time of 21.578 to Edwards' 21.602. Denny Hamlin started third.

Survey says ...

Following the late-race events that unfolded at RIR, NASCAR.COM asked: Who most deserved to win Saturday at Richmond?

Driver	Votes	Pct.

Clint Bowyer	6,594	6%
Kyle Busch	2,793	3%
Dale Earnhardt Jr.	54,254	50%
Denny Hamlin	45,605	42%

Off the Marx

Bill Marx of Sporting News Wire Service weighs in with his top 10:

Pos.	Driver	Need to Know ...

1.	Kyle Busch	Power poll No. 1. Public enemy No. 1. Reminds me of pro wrestling when I was a kid.
2.	Jeff Burton	Goes about his business amid a firestorm and remains perfect in top-15 finishes.
3.	Carl Edwards	Celebrates contract extension with best finish at Richmond in two years.
4.	Clint Bowyer	The last time Bowyer finished outside the top 10 was Las Vegas on March 2.
5.	Denny Hamlin	Excuse me. Is this parking space taken?
6.	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Tell me you didn't see this finish coming with Junior running high and Busch low.
7.	Tony Stewart	Controversy at Joe Gibbs Racing! And none of it involves Tony Stewart! Petty cool, huh?
8.	Kevin Harvick	Teammates Burton and Bowyer have two wins each since Harvick's last victory.
9.	Jimmie Johnson	Because of the Chase format, you wonder if it matters at all that Johnson is not his dominant self.
10.	Ryan Newman	After falling off the radar, Newman has three top-10s in past four races.