Blustery Busch just wants win

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kyle Busch wants to leave Hendrick Motorsports a winner, and with just three races left in the No. 5 Chevrolet, his opportunities are fading.

He conceded the Nextel Cup title three races into the Chase for the championship, but never stopped trying to get back into Victory Lane. So when he lost a shot at the win Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the fiery driver couldn’t help losing his temper.

Busch led 77 laps and was out front and headed to the win when a late caution sent the field into the pits for one final stop. It wasn’t smooth, the crew made a mistake while changing the tires, and Busch pulled back onto the track in 15th.

He exploded on his radio, intimating he was going to have to go for broke on the final restart to salvage a decent finish, and warned his crew not to complain if he “wadded up” his car. Busch never got the chance as a fuel issue prevented new leader Denny Hamlin from taking off at the start. It stacked up traffic, caused Busch to spin and he wound up a frustrating 20th.

“Last weekend was a heartbreaker and I really feel bad about the end of the race,” Busch said. “We had a car to win in Atlanta, finally, and it just didn’t happen. It was tough.”

Busch was angry after the race. That hot temper played into Hendrick’s decision to release him from his contract so the team could hire Dale Earnhardt Jr. But unlike so many other times when Busch failed to keep his emotions in check, team owner Rick Hendrick could sympathize with the young driver’s frustration.

“I understand … to be leading the race, things are going your way and then to come in on a caution and have a bad stop,” Hendrick said.

Busch quickly recovered from the disappointing finish when he climbed into his new ride for the first time. He spent Monday and Tuesday testing the No. 18 at Atlanta for Joe Gibbs Racing, and paced the 50-car field with a fast lap of 187.095 mph.