Big Brother reminds us all he's still a champion driver (cont'd)

When Kurt runs as he did Sunday, it's a reminder that the guy isn't an ugly stepchild. And at 30 years of age, he's got plenty of driving left ahead of him, too.

Furthermore, Busch seems to be developing into a mature leader for Penske Racing, which he credited with not making wholesale -- or really any -- changes to his No. 2 Dodge team after he struggled to an 18th-place finish in the standings last year.

Coming into Sunday, Kyle was only one spot ahead of Kurt in this year's standings, with Kyle sitting in sixth following his own victory at Las Vegas a week earlier and Kurt in seventh. Sunday's victory, coupled with Kyle's poor 18th-place finish, moved Kurt to third while Kyle slipped to seventh.

And that made Big Bro smile real wide.

"It does give us bragging rights because we have an off weekend coming up," the older Busch said. "We get to definitely pour the Miller Lites for a week, then get back focused again heading to one of my favorite tracks, Bristol. I felt like I needed to hold up my end of the bargain.

"I'm real proud of [Kyle], real happy for him. He's done a tremendous job, transitioning to [Joe Gibbs] Racing, to be up front every week like he has, to run strong. To beat him [Sunday], and to beat guys like Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon, it's really a special day."

Getting what he needs

While many drivers were complaining about all the slipping and sliding that the old, cracked surface at AMS renders a way of life during a Cup race, Busch simply dealt with it better than everyone else -- Kyle and the rest included.

"I felt like after Saturday's practice, in our team meeting with David Stremme and Sam Hornish Jr., everybody had the same complaints," Busch said. "I told them, 'You have to deal with [being] loose in at this race track. You're never going to get that fixed as far as your chassis setup goes.'

"That helped us focus on the more important part, which was to be sliding the right amount on corner exit. The guy that has the best grip from the middle of the corner to the start/finish line is usually going to have a real good day. I learned that from the great Benny Parsons. He always told me, 'That's where good cars lay down the power.'"

Busch not only had a good car Sunday, he had a great one. And team owner Roger Penske said he never doubted that he had a great driver behind the wheel in it. Watching from high atop the race track in the spotters' stand, Penske marveled as Busch took the No. 2 Dodge within inches of the outside wall lap after lap without making what could have been a very costly mistake.

"From my perspective, being up there with the spotters, you get a chance to see all the drivers competing," Penske said. "Kurt ran a foot off the wall all day long, and kept the car underneath him. There was no question that on the long runs, we had a great car.

"What really came to the forefront [Sunday] was we put it all together. We had a great driver in Kurt from the day he jumped on the team, but I'm not sure we've always given him the horse he needed."

He had the horse Sunday. He also had just the right touch with the whip. It might have been enough to make Lil' Bro jealous for a change.

Penske, for one, seems to believe that he's got the best driver in the Busch family. He said it has just taken some time for Kurt to adjust to all Penske Racing has to offer him, but that he thinks the No. 2 team is ready to take off in Kurt's fourth season with the company.

"To me, it's like running a business," Penske said. "A business isn't successful the first day or the first year. I think I had to get Kurt to buy into that. ... His brother is a great driver. But I can tell you one thing: there aren't many people that can hold a candle to Kurt. That's why we hired him."

It paid off big Sunday, and suddenly the brother on the brink of being forgotten finds himself on the cusp of something else: a possible championship-contending season.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.

Joe Menzer is the author of "The Great American Gamble: How the 1979 Daytona 500 Gave Birth to a NASCAR Nation." Click here to purchase.