Rain Gives Kurt Busch the Win at Loudon
June 29, 2008 by Ethan Kendrick
Filed under Sports & Entertainment
Kurt Busch was given the checkered flag in the rain-shortened Lennox Tools 301 Sprint Cup Series race this weekend in Loudon. Just before completing lap 284 out of what should have been 301, NASCAR officials called the race due to the weather and Busch, thanks to not joining the pre-call leaders for a pit stop, was named the winner.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” said the 2004 series champ. “We were on more of a fuel strategy… We might not be the fastest car, maybe we didn’t deserve to win, but the record books will show that we won the /Lennox 301 and we’re happy to put Miller Lite up front.”
Tony Stewart had dominated most of the race in his No. 20 Toyota, spending 132 laps at the front. A decision by him and the leaders to enter the pits on the 274th lap left only 10 cars on the track. Busch was one of those, hoping that topping his tank off on the 218th lap would be enough.
“We had a pretty good car all day,” said Pat Tryson, Busch’s crew chief. “We topped off the fuel [referring to the stop on Lap 218] and were pretty close to making it to the end. We were hoping for some cautions, we got them, and I told Kurt that we were going to stay on the racetrack and take a gamble.”
That gamble proved to be the winning formula. Busch led for only 10 laps, but took the 18th win of his career.
Stewart was disappointed at his fortune, somberly saying, “There’s a percentage of this industry that’s called luck, and there’s nothing you can do to change it.”
Stewart will be able to try for revenge at the next Loudon Sprint Cup Series race on the 14th of September.
