November 14, 2004 in Sports

Truex takes Busch title; McMurray wins race

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Martin Truex Jr.’s fourth-place finish Saturday at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway gave Dale Earnhardt Jr. the first of two series championships he covets this year.

With the help of a bad day by Busch Series runner-up Kyle Busch, Truex wrapped up the title with one more race remaining in the 2004 season, giving Chance 2 Motorsports, co-owned by Earnhardt and his stepmother, Teresa, their first championship.

“I never thought this would ever come true,” Truex said.

Jamie McMurray shared the spotlight with Truex, winning his second race in a row and giving the new Rusty Wallace Inc. team its first series victory.

Truex is the first rookie to win a Busch championship since Earnhardt won the first of his two consecutive titles in 1998.

The new champion has been the top driver in the series most of the year, leading the series in wins (six), poles (seven), top fives (17) and top 10s (25).

Asked if he believed he could win the title in his first full year in the series, Truex pointed at the beaming Earnhardt Jr. and said, “No, but he did. He told me back in the winter I could win this thing hands down and I told him he was crazy.”

His boss said he knew Truex had the talent and the equipment to get the job done.

“He just managed himself all year long, in and out of the race car,” said Earnhardt, who stands in third place in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings. “He got great finishes and drove a couple of 10th-place cars to top-five finishes. He had good equipment and didn’t overdrive it too often or get in trouble too often.”

Kahne captures truck victory

Kasey Kahne ended an historic night at Darlington Raceway by winning the Darlington 200 in his first NASCAR truck series start.

Kahne, a 24-year-old rookie on the Nextel Cup circuit, figured to have several wins by now. He’s finished second five times this season, part of his 12 top-five placings on the premier circuit.

But it was a decision this week to drive the No. 2 team’s Dodge that got him to Victory Lane this season in the first night race at Darlington.

“It feels pretty awesome to win this race, especially at Darlington,” said Kahne, whose lone NASCAR win was in the Busch series last year at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “This is about the coolest track to go to.”

Hamilton, the Craftsman series points leader coming in, finished second.

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