Kurt Busch called it a “Rusty Wallace kind of day.”
Coming from the driver who replaced the former champion driver-turned-commentator in the No. 2 Dodge at Penske Racing, that is probably fitting.
“I always watched him as a kid,” Busch said after winning Sunday’s Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway in dominating fashion. “The guy was fast, and he let you know he was fast, and today I didn’t look up in my mirror all that often. I just kept hitting my marks [on the track] and kept digging.
“You always keep hunkered down and bear down. That’s what we did today.”
Busch certainly left a lasting impression Sunday, leading a track-record 175 of 200 laps while earning his first Nextel Cup Series victory of the season. The win also allowed him to move into 12th in points, returning him to contention to earn his second series championship.
Busch’s move up in the standings came at the expense of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who slipped to 13th — seven points behind Busch — despite finishing second in the race.
The win was the 16th of Busch’s career and first since March 2006 at Bristol, Tenn., a span of 51 races.
“That was a tough burden,” Busch said of the drought.
With five races remaining before the field for the Chase for the Nextel Cup is set, a battle appears joined between Earnhardt and Busch for the 12th and final spot.
It appeared at one point in Sunday’s race Busch could make serious gains on Earnhardt when the No. 8 Chevrolet spun on Lap 123 and required three pit stops under caution to change out the left-front shock absorber.
Earnhardt’s misfortune did not go unnoticed by Busch or his team.
“To hear that [Earnhardt] had spun coming off Turn 3 at one point, I was thinking right then and there, ‘Wow, we’re going to have a good points day.’ Then we have a slower pit stop, and [Earnhardt] is the guy I have to chase down for the lead,” Busch said.
“So you know it’s going to come down to the final race at Richmond. Even though you win and the guy you’re racing finishes second, that’s just a tribute to the competition at this level. There’s no time for resting, and there’s no time for looking back.”
Earnhardt agreed.
“Kurt did what he had to do today, and so did we,” Earnhardt said. “Kurt obviously had the best car all day, so congratulations to those guys. We both did what we had to do for the points deal.
“We were looking pretty bad there at one point, but I am real proud.”
Denny Hamlin, who won both Pocono races a year ago, finished third. Series points leader Jeff Gordon was fourth, and Jimmie Johnson was fifth.
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