Busch's title hopes swayed in New Hampshire

Sep 15, 2008 - 7:27 PM By Scott Serrano PA SportsTicker Auto Racing Editor

(C) 2008 PA SPORTSTICKER, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

---------------------------------------------------

The "Magic Mile" was anything but for Kyle Busch and his championship hopes.

Busch entered the first round of NASCAR's "Chase for the Championship" at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with an 30-point lead atop the standings, but quickly saw that edge vaporize into a 74-point deficit thanks to a 34th-place showing thanks in large part to something as simple as a broken joint on his sway bar.

Eight wins, 80 bonus points and a dominant pre-Chase season all washed away because of a part that team owner Joe Gibbs said he has never seen break in the 17-year history of his team.

"We had a part failure and it's one of those things that you can't do anything about," said Busch's crew chief Steve Addington. "We weren't very good when we unloaded here, but we felt like we did the right things and were going to have a good racecar."

Busch led the first three laps, then his car began to drunkenly teeter around the track as car after car passed him.

Busch was running 26th when the competition caution flew on lap 35, and he eventually fell two laps down and hit the wall, winding up 34th and falling to eighth in the standings.

After the race, Busch took off his helmet, climbed out of his battered Toyota and walked into his hauler without saying a word.

"(Kyle) just needs to go home and forget about it for the week," Busch's teammate Tony Stewart said. "He's been the dominant force all year and (Sunday) was one of those odd days for him. You feel bad for him because you know they're better than that.

"But you know if there's anybody that can rebound from a day like today, it's that 18 car and Kyle and Steve Addington and those guys. They're not out of this yet."

Not yet, but Busch has used up his one Chase mulligan early on in this playoff deal.

One more broken bolt, screw or widget and his title hopes are over.

Welcome to the brutal reality of Chase racing, Kyle.

HORNADAY REBOUNDS WITH WIN: Ron Hornaday Jr. put aside all the distractions about his steroid use and posted another dominating performance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Hornaday took the checkered flag Saturday, winning the New Hampshire 200 for the second straight year and third time in his career.

The defending Craftsman Truck Series champion, Hornaday was the center of a little controversy last week after he admitted using testosterone in 2004 and 2005.

NASCAR announced Friday that Hornaday would not receive a punishment because he was using it to treat a medical condition.

STEWART TAKES THE BLAME: This week, Stewart put the blame squarely on himself.

Despite a pair of driver miscues, Stewart managed to finish in the top 10 on Sunday despite bumping into Johnny Sauter as he left his pit box.

The contact forced Stewart to pit again for repairs, dropping him to 35th place.

Later in the race, he was assessed a penalty for speeding off pit road.

Last week, Stewart was critical of his team was for a slow pit stop that cost him the lead and possibly a win at Richmond. His heated exchange with crew chief Greg Zipadelli was televised live.

"It just shows how the complexion of this sport can change from week to week. Last week it was a mistake in the pits, and this week it was a mistake on the driver's part."

SLOW GOING FOR LOGANO: Stewart's replacement in the No. 20 Toyota, wunderkind Joey Logano, had a inauspicious Sprint Cup debut at New Hampshire.

The 18-year-old phenom pulled away on an early pit stop with the jack hanging from his car and was penalized, keeping him toward the rear of the field.

Logano eventually finished 32nd, three laps down.

"I learned a lot and I'll take a lot from this for when we come back here next time," Logano said. "I just wish we would've had a little better run than that. I learned there's a lot of give and take out there.

"Again, there's a lot of take - believe me. We learned a lot, so we'll just have to take what we got."

EARNHARDT JR. VS. KYLE BUSCH: Dale Earnhardt Jr. basically replaced Kyle Busch at Hendrick Motorsports. Busch thoroughly dominated the head-to-head matchup through the first 26 races, winning eight times to Earnhardt's one.

Now, here is how the two are faring during the Chase:

Earnhardt ran fifth at New Hampshire and remained fourth in the Chase standings, 50 points out of the lead.

Busch suffered from a broken sway bar and wound up 34th. Entered the race with an 80-point lead atop the standings, he left the Granite State in eighth place and 74 points out of the lead.

Edge through first Chase race: Earnhardt by a car length.

SAY WHAT? "If we would have been up running where Greg (Biffle) and Carl (Edwards) were running, we wouldn't have got wrecked to start with, so I always feel it's partially your fault. Even though we got caught up in somebody else's mess, if we would have been running better, we would have been ahead of their mess." - Matt Kenseth, who crashed late in the Sylvania 300 and finished 40th.

GREEN-WHITE-CHECKERED FINISH: Edwards won last year's Chase race at Dover, but was penalized after a postrace inspection revealed his car was lower than the minimum permitted height for the right rear. He was docked 25 points and never factored in the Chase after that. ... In 41 Chase races, Jimmie Johnson has 11 wins and 21 top-fives. Wow. ... In the too-little, too-late department, Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. were the only non-Chase drivers to finish in the top 10 at New Hampshire.

Feedback? E-mail scott.serrano@pa-sportsticker.com.