Busch prevails on final lap

Kurt Busch held off Robby Gordon in a stirring last-lap duel Saturday to win the Busch Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

It was Busch’s second victory and fifth top five in only his sixth career start in the series, all this year, and Gordon made it one he won’t soon forget.

Busch, who won the pole earlier in the day and led the first 16 laps of the 82-lap race, led Gordon on a restart with two laps to go following the final caution of the race and pulled away by several car lengths.

Undeterred, Gordon, in only his second Busch race of the year, rallied entering the chicane at the top of the esses about midway through the 11-turn, 2.45-mile layout and hit the back bumper of Busch’s No. 39 Penske Dodge. Busch held on and gained a two car-length lead entering the final lap.

Gordon wasn’t finished yet. He again pulled up to Busch’s back bumper in the chicane, and this time he drove through the grass in a last-ditch effort to make the pass, slamming the side of Busch’s car and also sending it sliding through the grass.

“We knew we were better than him there,” said Gordon, who also finished second here a year ago to Busch’s Penske Racing teammate, Ryan Newman. “I just tried to move him. I had him sized up. I knew I was going to lay into him and that’s what I did. I just didn’t go far enough.”

That allowed Busch to maintain control as Gordon’s No. 7 Harrah’s Chevrolet briefly inched in front, and he then slammed Gordon back and regained the lead.

“When he pushed, I stood on it and drove straight through the grass,” said Busch, who also will start today’s Nextel Cup race from the pole. “It was a flat-out battle. It seemed like it (the chicane) was my weak point and Robby knew it. That was a battle.”

Indy Racing League

Sarah Fisher roared out of Turn 4 at Kentucky Speedway and glided over the track’s notorious bumps, the ones she said she dreamt about after announcing her return to the Indy Racing League for the Meijer Indy 300 in Sparta, Ky.

Everything was just as Fisher remembered, until her Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dallara Honda popped out of gear as she crossed the start/finish line following her first qualifying lap.

Still, even two years removed from her last IRL start, Fisher didn’t hesitate, powering through Turn 1 to earn the 12th spot in today’s 19-car field. Helio Castroneves won the pole with an average speed of 218.328 mph over the 1.5-mile tri-oval.

“Luckily, I saved it,” said Fisher, whose last IndyCar start was the 2004 Indy 500, when she finished 21st. “I’m not disappointed. We still managed to get our run in.”

That’s enough for now. Fisher holds no great expectations for today’s race.

“It’s unfair to think that top five, that’s unfair from any angle,” she said. “Personally, I’d like to see a top 10. That would be a win. If we can do that then we’ll all look like heroes.”

Craftsman Truck Series

Johnny Benson took advantage of a dust up between race leaders Todd Bodine and Mike Skinner to win Craftsman Truck Series’ Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway in Gladeville, Tenn.

With Skinner leading on a green-white-checker restart, Bodine faked to the outside, dropped to the inside, then nudged Skinner up the track. When Skinner returned the favor on the white flag lap, the two tangled into the wall, allowing Benson to seize the lead and get his third win of the season.

“Anything goes,” Benson said. “When I saw those guys go down the front stretch, I said all I needed to do was hit my line and I did.”

Jack Sprague was second, followed by Australian Marcos Ambrose, the highest finishing rookie. Ted Musgrave was fourth, giving him six top-five finishes in as many starts at the Superspeedway. Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top five.

“Bobby Hamilton worked in the garage and tended to his three entries in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.

It was the latest step in recovery from head and neck cancer for the 2004 truck series champion.

Hamilton was diagnosed with the disease in February and has not raced since March 5, shortly before undergoing treatment that ended last month.

“I’m here to watch the race and I feel great,” he said in a prerace news conference.

Hamilton’s voice was noticeably weak, one of many harsh side effects, according to his oncologist, Barbara Murphy of Vanderbilt University.

Hamilton’s most recent CAT scan was last week. Murphy will not see the results until this week, but she said a colleague said they look good. Murphy declined to offer a prognosis.

“At this point in his treatment, we don’t see anything that looks suspicious,” the doctor said.